April 16, 200817 yr Just had to say I completely disagree with your thoughts. You obviously have not been around when Indy is hosting a typical 25,000 - 50,000 person convention. "...kill off every/any kind of street life around them.." ? You're crazy. During these huge conventions, the sidewalks are packed all day long, the restaurants all have lines out into the street, Circle Centre is packed, the bars are busy all night long. With the addition of another 350,000 sq. feet of convention space, the number of 25,000+ person conventions will grow from about 15 per year to about 30 - 35. The additional space will also allow the many 5,000 - 15,000 person conventions to be held back to back, with one going on in half the convention center while the next is being set up in the other half. All convention centers are surrounded by life/activity when there is an event going on inside...I'm talking during a typical non-convention/event time. Because our football stadium is used for so many events (conventions, concerts, NCAA basketball games, h.s. sports, auto shows, h.s. national marching band championships, drum corps world championships, moto-cross races - and possibly the 2012 Super Bowl) along with the 10, 11 or 12 annual Colts games, the costs for the stadium and the convention center expansion are able to be shared more effectively throughout the region because of the many benefits that come in to the city and state through the high level of expenditures from all of these visitors using the facility. Agreed. I would strongly argue that Indy's expenditures on its football stadium and convention center expansion have a much better benefit to cost ratio than Cincinnati's spending on its football stadium and its convention center expansion. (And I would also say that I think Indy's investments in its sports and convention facilities have overall been good fiscal decisions, due to the huge amounts of visitor spending that comes into town because of the facilities.) Cincinnati pretty much only uses its football stadium for home NFL games (which attract minimal hotel night stays because mostly locals attend) - yes I know there are two or three other events per year (jazz festival, college and/or h.s. football games), but overall - the stadium doesn't bring in many people who stay at hotels. (And you probably don't want me to even begin to bring up the incredible waste of prime downtown property that is taken up by the Bengals' practice fields next to the stadium. How many acres of green astro turf is just sitting there remaining undeveloped and bringing little if any money into the local tax roles? Talk about a waste of prime downtown property.) The Cincinnati convention center expanded by 36,000 sq. feet - at a cost of $200,000,000! When you refer to convention centers being white elephants in downtown - it may be true for Cincinnati, but it is not true for Indianapolis. I don't disagree that Cincinnati's investment in stadiums isn't as beneficial as Indy's football/basketball venues. Both of Indy's are enclosed thus making them more multi-functional. Baseball venues are just about the worst to try to use for multiple functions, so it's good that there is at least 81 home games a year. PBS could have been done better in this regard, but you probably would have lost some of what is considered unique and architecturally dynamic about the stadium in the process. It's all about priorities in this sense. There are good crowds downtown most evenings and it usually is packed on weekends. The wholesale district covers 15 sq. blocks between the Convention center, Conseco Fieldhouse, Market Street (Monument Circle) and South Street. The area has wonderful local flavor (Union Station, Monument Circle, Indiana Repertory Theater, Circle Theater, State Capitol Building, City Market, St. Elmo Steak House, Slippery Noodle Inn, Canterbury Hotel, Omni Hotel, Ike & Jonesy's, dozens of historic buildings, etc. - all mixed in with the crowd of newer buildings, restaurants, clubs, etc. along S. Meridian, Illinois and Pennsylvania Streets. Mass Avenue with its mile long stretch filled with many restaurants, theaters, galleries, bars, etc is busy too most nights, along with other great downtown areas like the canal / White River State Park, Fountain Square (yea, we've got one too) the growing E. Market / S. Lockerbie neighborhood, Indiana Avenue, and more. All of those places have great local flavor. I'll admit that the block of Illinois Street, between Washington St. and Maryland St. is pretty ugly - with the 20 story brick wall of the Hyatt on the west side of the street across from the bland architecture on that block of Circle Centre, with the first floor chains of Palamino, Ruth's Chris and PF Chang's lining the eastern sidewalk. It may not look real great right there, but it definitely is very busy - and the rest of downtown is filled with many beautiful buildings, great history and plenty of local culture. I have both heard and seen first-hand the opposite to much of what you're talking about. Indy is bustling when there is a convention or other event going on (which is a lot of the time due to the shear number of events that Indy hosts so well)...but when it is just Indy being Indy things aren't nearly as active. This is not just my opinion, but several others who have experienced the same thing while in Indy. Cincy has a long way to go before it catches up to Indy in convention and visitor business. It seems from your posts that you do not think the convention industry is a very smart business for Cincy to invest in - and you most likely are right. There are so many cities with convention centers in the 150,000 - 250,000 sq. ft range, all trying to land the 5,000 - 10,000 person conventions - and most are struggling. That is because those conventions in that size range and the many smaller ones that cities like Cincinnati are trying to attract, aren't big enough to have much of an economic impact. Only the cities that have gotten ahead of the game by building the 700,000 sq. foot and larger facilties are able to see the benefits of the big convention industry. Since there are only about 20 cities that have large enough convention facilities to compete for the biggest shows, most are able to win enough of those large events to do pretty decently. Indy is in an even better position than many of those other 19 cities, because: our hotels are more affordable than most, yet are still very nice; because there are so many hotels within easy walking distance (by 2011, approximately 8,000 rooms within 5 blocks); and because there are so many restaurants, museums, bars, parks, retail facilties, etc. within a small area - it makes for a very attractive package. I'm not sure why you're trying to make this an Indy v. Cincy thing, but my position stands. Indy does conventions and events very well (easily the best in the Midwest). However, I have and always will argue that local economies based heavily on the convention business probably aren't the best option for a true local economy that is self-sustaining. It is great that you're attracting outside dollars in, but the whole industry is heavily reliant on things outside of the local realm of control. Furthermore, convention centers in general are streetlife killers. Sure things are poppin' when there is something going on there, but when there is not they suck the life right out of the street. I have yet to go to a city where this isn't the case...especially Indy given that the convention center, football stadium, and hotel mass is all in one area off by itself. I have had discussions about Indy before and I have always said that it's not my type of place. I personally don't want Cincy to become more like Indy, and I don't think anyone is trying to do so. Indy can keep doing its thing, and Cincy will keep doing its. I guess we'll know which strategy was better once we're all dead. So in the meantime I'll preemptively say that I win. :-D
April 18, 200817 yr Impact 100 brings national convention to Cincinnati April 18, 2008 | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER CINCINNATI - A group that empowers women to get involved in collaborative philanthropy will hold a national convention in Cincinnati this weekend. Impact 100, started by Wendy Steele in Cincinnati in 2001, has grown to six chapters in cities such as Austin, Indianapolis, Owensboro, Ky., Pensacola, Oklahoma and San Antonio. Impact 100 works like this: Each chapter has a minimum of 100 members, who each donate $1,000 a year. One hundred percent of the funds donated by members is returned to the community in the form of grants. By year-end, all $100,000 (or more, depending on the exact number of donors) is given to worthy nonprofit organizations. In Cincinnati, Impact 100, www.impact100.org, has awarded more than $1.2 million to groups such as the McMicken Dental Center, Tender Mercies, Elementz and Cincinnati Works since its founding.
April 25, 200817 yr Cincinnati raises nearly $1M to support NAACP, Baptist conventions April 24, 2008 | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER CINCINNATI - A coalition of community leaders said it has raised almost all of its $1 million goal to support the NAACP and National Baptist conventions being held in Cincinnati this summer. The Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau said the group has $950,000 in commitments for the conventions, from 15 companies, the state of Ohio and eight local radio and television stations, according to a news release. The fund will pay for convention-related expenses like space rentals and transportation costs for attendees, according to the release. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will hold its national convention from July 12-17, and the National Baptist Convention will take place from Sept. 8-12, both at Duke Energy Center downtown. The two conventions are expected to draw 50,000 attendees, who will spend an estimated $7 million in the Tri-State.
May 21, 200817 yr McCain coming to NAACP conclave Annual convention to be here in July May 21, 2008 | ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - What a difference a nomination makes. Now that he's wrapped up the Republican nomination for president, Sen. John McCain has decided to attend the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Cincinnati in July. A year ago, he turned down the civil rights group's invitation. McCain disclosed his plans in an interview with the African-American publication Essence, which was released Tuesday. Asked how he might reach out to the black community, McCain replied that he would "go to places and venues that would allow me to continue a dialogue with the African-American community. I will go to the NAACP convention." The organization's 99th annual convention will be July 12-17 at the Duke Energy Center, downtown.
June 4, 200817 yr Convention season kicks off with a busy June and continues into July http://www.pulsedt.com/blogs/default.asp?Display=2195
June 16, 200816 yr Three conventions in town this week BY THE ENQUIRER http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080616/NEWS01/806160374/1056/COL02
July 3, 200816 yr City spends almost $1 million to usher in convention http://www.pulsedt.com/blogs/default.asp?Display=2333
July 7, 200816 yr How Cincinnati beat Las Vegas Redemption, attention and a presidential election http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080706/NEWS01/807060330/1055/NEWS
July 7, 200816 yr How Cincinnati beat Las Vegas Redemption, attention and a presidential election http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080706/NEWS01/807060330/1055/NEWS Great story. Anyone know when Obama will be speaking? I really would like to attend that speech.
July 11, 200816 yr Here is all the news about when the two will be speaking and where you can watch their speeches from... Political spotlight on Cincy next week http://www.urbancincy.com/2008/07/political-spotlight-on-cincy-next-week.html
July 15, 200816 yr Think the NAACP Conference was a big one with its 8,000 conventioners...try 10,000 for the League of United Latin American Citizens Convention that Cincinnati just landed. Cincinnati wins 2011 LULAC convention http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/07/14/daily29.html
July 18, 200816 yr City's reputation as host growing http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/07/21/editorial1.html
August 27, 200816 yr Cincinnati scores with conventions Next up: National Baptist Annual Meeting http://www.pulsedt.com/blogs/default.asp?Display=2642 The Rev. H.L. Harvey remembers the day he was walking through the Downtown neighborhood he knew so well. What he was seeing profoundly troubled him. The city he loved was reeling from a race riot played out before a national audience. Tensions between the black community and police remained at the boiling point. Businesses were closing. "This is the town I was born in," says the pastor of New Friendship Baptist Church in Avondale. "And I didn't want it to happen that way." A thought struck him that day as he walked: Would it help Cincinnati recover if he and the city's leaders could entice the National Baptist Convention, the largest and oldest African-American religious organization in the country, into coming here? On board with the same idea was Alicia Reece, who was serving on City Council at the time.
September 2, 200816 yr City Puts Out Welcome Mat For National Baptist Convention http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=f1dea401-6c54-437b-b152-a3a77c478204
September 4, 200816 yr Downtown Gearing Up for Next Big Convention http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=58cb9b18-ae8d-4d86-8f37-9815a30f6908 If it still feels like summer in Cincinnati and the local convention bureau warns that convention season is far from over, too. Preparations are already underway for next week's huge National Baptist Convention downtown. Jason Dunn with the Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau tells 9News, "All the things that are in [store] windows from Northern Kentucky all the way out to Blue Ash. We want them to feel welcome." While overhead banners have already sprouted all over downtown streets to welcome that convention's 20,000 members and guests, more is coming. Later Wednesday night, large sidewalk stickers will go on curbs around Fifth Street to direct visitors from the Duke Energy Center and the US Bank Center into downtown.
September 4, 200816 yr Downtown hotels sold out for baseball, Baptist Convention http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/09/01/daily31.html Several downtown Cincinnati hotels are sold out on Saturday because of the Cincinnati Reds game against the Chicago Cubs this weekend and the arrival of National Baptist Convention attendees for the national convention that runs from Sept. 8 to Sept. 12. The Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau said the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, Millennium Hotel Cincinnati, The Westin Cincinnati and Hyatt Regency Cincinnati are sold out Saturday. Those hotels also are sold out Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, based on data the bureau collected Aug. 31. The Embassy Suites Cincinnati - RiverCenter in Covington also is sold out Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Marriott-Cincinnati RiverCenter in Covington is sold out Wednesday, according to the bureau. The National Baptist Convention is expected to draw as many as 25,000 attendees.
September 12, 200816 yr Downtown hotels beat the odds Downtown hotels are bucking national trends as occupancy and room rates climb decisively, driven by a strong local convention business. Though downtown vacancies still lag the national average, hospitality officials say Cincinnati is closing the gap with its competitors as they continue to rebuild the convention business. Downtown hotels are slowly rebounding from their nadir in 2001, when hotels on average were nearly half empty and the region struggled not only with a national recession and the 9/11 aftermath but boycotts amid racial unrest and the Comair strike that closed down the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Full article at http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080912/BIZ01/309120063/1055/NEWS
September 12, 200816 yr He recalls Cincinnati lost a lot of business in the late 1990s as long-time groups outgrew the local center that had not been expanded in nearly 20 years. as a point of reference, the Cincinnati Convention center was completely redone in the mid 1980s, not 1970s. The convention center was doubled in size as the center expanded to 2 whole blocks, closing and taking over that section of Elm(?) street, I think it's called. Anyway, I remember working for Cincinnati Bell at the time, supporting their repair department. We got a call about how a contractor had taken his backhoe and dug down in the middle of that closed off Elm Street. He hit the fiber-optic cable that went down the middle of the street. Oopps. This was probably 1986. Just for your info - a major trunk of fiber optic communication cables run under the middle of the convention center, due to the convention center taking over the road space. The FCC allowed Cincinnati Bell to keep the cable there under condition that a second, identical cable (batch of cables) was laid along side it so that if there were any problems, the phone company could switch to the back-up set. But I suppose if anything drastic happens that takes out both sets of fiber cables running under the current convention center, they will have to dig up the main floor of the center :-o
January 16, 200916 yr Cincinnati hotels redouble efforts to brace for tough 2009 Following a year of big-name conventions that drew national attention and tens of thousands of visitors, the Greater Cincinnati hotel industry is bracing for a tough 2009. Hotel general managers don’t think the impact here will be as bad as in New York City and on the coasts, but they expect a lot more empty beds. “There is absolutely no doubt this is a very difficult economic situation,” said Michel Sheer, general manager of the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza downtown. Industry insiders have known for some time that 2009 would be difficult for local hotels, said Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO Dan Lincoln. Big conventions generally are booked years in advance, and this looked to be an off year for such conventions even before the economy took a nosedive, he said. Full article at http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/01/19/story2.html
January 22, 200916 yr Mr. Redlegs headed to NYC to promote Cincinnati tourism The Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network is taking Cincinnati on the road to New York City Jan. 26 through Jan. 28 to promote tourism here in partnership with the Cincinnati Reds and the state of Ohio Travel and Tourism Department. Mr. Redlegs, the official mascot of the Reds, also will make the trip to promote the baseball’s Opening Day in Cincinnati. The Reds will host the New York Mets at Great American Ball Park. “The Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network has a great story to tell about the affordable, family experiences available in Cincinnati USA, and it just makes sense to lead off that story with the Cincinnati Reds, one of our most popular attractions,” Linda Antus, president of the Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network, said in a news release. Full article at http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/01/19/daily44.html
February 12, 200916 yr Convention business up in 2008 Although 2008 was a year in which the nation continued its slide into recession, a key piece of the region’s economy – conventions – posted healthy growth during the year. Figures to be released Thursday by the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau show that total room nights, the prime indicator of success in booking conventions, grew by 6.7 percent over 2007. And while there will be some slowdown this year, the group is forecasting that the number of room nights booked will grow another 3 percent in 2009. The figures were scheduled to be released at Thursday's annual meeting of the convention and visitors bureau, the group charged with attracting convention business to Hamilton County. Full article at http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090211/BIZ01/302110031/1055/NEWS
February 12, 200916 yr While I think downtown is definitely doing a better job of attracting locals, all the new businesses can't be supported entirely by people from the metro area. We don't have a beach or mountains, and we're not a huge enough city to warrant a long trip, so an upswing in conventions, as well as attracting tourists from the region (Columbus, Indy, Louisville, Lexington) is pretty vital to the continued improvement of downtown.
February 20, 200916 yr Cincinnati tourism agency tweaking mantra as rough ’09 looms After a year of strong growth in drawing visitors to the Tri-State for vacations and weekend getaways, the Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network has a new mantra for 2009: “Flat is the new up.” It’s not just Cincinnati. That’s the mantra for leisure travel professionals throughout the country this year, said Linda Antus, president of the RTN, the agency charged with bringing more tourists and out-of-town dollars to the region. “Quite a few people would look at a flat year in 2009 as a good performance,” she said. That’s in large part, of course, because the economy is so bad. Families worried about having enough money to pay their mortgage and keep food in the fridge tend to cut vacation spending from their budgets. Full article at http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/02/23/story7.html
March 10, 200916 yr Pepper: Two CVBs should merge Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper on Monday suggested merging the area’s two convention and visitors bureaus to help fund the expansion of the Sharonville Convention Center. Currently one CVB markets the Cincinnati region and the other markets the county’s northern suburbs. A countywide hotel tax pays for both and helped fund a Duke Energy Center expansion in 2006. There have long been plans to also expand the Sharonville Convention Center to help the county market its northern suburbs. That will require $1.3 million in hotel tax this year. The Northern Cincinnati CVB wants another $800,000 for marketing. There isn’t enough money to pay for both. Cincinnati officials and Pepper suggest merging the two CVBs into a single bureau to market both areas, freeing up $800,000. The northern communities oppose the idea. Full article at http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090309/NEWS01/303090098/1055/NEWS
March 17, 200916 yr UrbanCincy breaks the story while the major news outlets wait for the 2pm press conference... 2009 Next Leaders Summit coming to Cincinnati http://www.urbancincy.com/2009/03/2009-next-leaders-summit-coming-to.html Mayor Mallory has scheduled a 2pm press conference where he will announce that Cincinnati has landed the 6th Annual Next Leaders Summit (formerly called the YP Summit). The convention will be held at the Duke Energy Convention Center downtown and take place during Oktoberfest week – September 17th – 19th. The Next Leaders Summit is “dedicated to dialogue, experimentation and best practice sharing from within and outside the Young Professionals movement.” The Summit will bring in Young Professionals, and leaders in the YP community, from all over the nation. The two-day plus conference will provide the next wave of leaders a chance to learn, engage and interact with national and local leaders, and socialize at after hours events throughout Cincinnati. The Summit is sponsored by Next Generation Consulting and hosted by Mayor Mallory’s Young Professionals Kitchen Cabinet (YPKC), who had the honor of being awarded the YPO “Best Practices” Award at last year’s Summit in Florida. In addition to the "Best Practices" Award, Cincinnati also made the list of Best Cities in the U.S. for Next Gen Workers coming in at #7 for cities with populations between 200,000 - 500,000. Columbus, Ohio took the #10 spot for cities with more than 500,000 people. Partial agenda items for 6th Annual Next Leaders Summit: Learn about their individual leadership strengths, and how to leverage them at work and with their Young Professionals Organization (YPO); Have an immersion course in online and offline community organizing. (How did Obama do it? You'll learn the techniques and technologies here.) Meet with YPO leaders from similarly sized cities to talk about issues relevant to small, medium and large cities.
March 19, 200916 yr National convention group beats projected attendance by 10% Business Courier of Cincinnati The U.S. Institute for Theater Technology this week has exceeded its estimated hotel room night consumption by about 10 percent, the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau announced. The group is a nonprofit membership association of people and organizations involved in design and technical aspects of live performing arts and entertainment. Its meeting here runs from March 18 through March 21. The group had originally contracted for 5,058 hotel room nights. But as of March 17, convention attendees have booked 5,560 room nights — 502 more than originally expected. Attendees will be staying at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, Hyatt Regency Cincinnati and the Millennium Hotel. Sessions will take place at the Duke Energy Convention Center and the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza. Anticipated attendance for the event is 3,800 and brings an estimated economic impact of $1.6 million. Full article at http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/03/16/daily59.html
March 20, 200916 yr I took a spin through Downtown around midnight when I got in last night and I saw groups of about 10-15 people walking around. I'm guessing it was from this convention. They looked to be enjoying themselves and the city.
April 2, 200916 yr Cincinnati lands gospel music convention Business Courier of Cincinnati The Gospel Music Workshop of America has picked Cincinnati as the location of its 2009 annual convention, according to the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau. The CVB has scheduled a Thursday news conference on Fountain Square to divulge details of the event. The convention will take place July 25-31 in conjunction with the annual Macy’s Music Festival, according to a media advisory. Sources familiar with the event expect Cincinnati to notch about 12,000 room nights from convention attendees. The GWMA’s Web site describes the convention as a “week-long gathering including academic classes, evangelism and outreach, nightly music services, showcases, radio and television executives and promoters, exhibits and seminars.” Full article at http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/03/30/daily50.html?surround=
April 7, 200916 yr Tourism network launches 2009 plan The Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network today unveiled its 2009 plan for bringing more tourists and leisure spending to Greater Cincinnati. Based on ongoing visitor research and a recent independent study of some of Cincinnati’s most loyal visitors, the RTN is focusing its marketing efforts on a combination of traditional media with increased internet marketing and strategic social media programs. The tone and strategy will encourage visitors to “seize the weekend” and enjoy the variety of attractions the region has to offer with heavy promotion in Columbus, Indianapolis and Louisville. The tourism agency announced its plan at an event attended by hospitality and civic leaders timed with the Cincinnati Reds’ Opening Day. Dressed in a No. 10 Reds jersey, RTN President Linda Antus called the timing fitting since the Reds are a key partner in the agency’s marketing efforts. Full article at http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/04/06/daily6.html
April 8, 200916 yr What is the Gillette Civil Rights Game??? http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090407&content_id=4149916&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin
April 24, 200916 yr The out-of-towners Cincinnati’s attractions lure visitors, and economy might boost numbers When it comes to pitching Cincinnati to out-of-town visitors, the region’s top attractions will be targeting wallets and heart strings. Those are the parts of the consumer anatomy most likely to get travelers on their feet this year as they reconsider their expenses. But despite job losses and pay cuts, respondents to a March survey by the Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network have placed travel as the 12th item they would give up in a bad economy – not a bad ranking. Further, seven of 10 respondents said they plan to visit Cincinnati in 2009. “We’re trying to make people feel like they should be allowed to have a guilt-free getaway,” said Linda Antus, president of the RTN. “We’ve got a little phrase we’re going to use: ‘Carpe weekend.’” The poor economy actually might help Cincinnati tourism, since the city is within a short drive from many parts of the country and is a relatively inexpensive place to visit. The Tourism Network’s plan to attract visitors is two-pronged. First, it will launch more than 7,500 radio and ad spots that highlight the personal significance of taking the family to visit Cincinnati’s top attractions. Next, the promotions are tailored by calendar, to “topicalize” events such as the Flying Pig Marathon in May, the Reds Civil Rights games in June and the Macy’s Music Festival in late July. “Big” is a theme this summer – big rides, big dinosaurs and big discounts. But when it comes to predicting numbers, most organizations are being conservative. If they break even with last year, they’ll happy. As Antus likes to say, “Flat is the new up.” Full article at http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/04/27/smallb1.html
May 3, 200916 yr Sharonville Convention Center expansion planned Construction plans are under way for an expansion project that would make the Sharonville Convention Center more than twice its current size by 2011. City officials hope to have a groundbreaking by late October, said Mayor Virgil Lovitt. "We're very excited about it. This means a great deal to the region," he said. "Sharonville will obviously be in the center of this but everyone will benefit from it. The overall impact of this expansion to the region will be in millions of dollars." The convention center, at 11355 Chester Road, turns away about 80 percent of the businesses that try to book an event there because of space, Lovitt said. The $30 million project, which is being designed, was green-lighted when Hamilton County officials allocated $925,000 in excess hotel tax to the expansion. They are also contributing $1.3 million a year for the life of the bonds, which is 30 years. Sharonville is putting its own $1 million hotel tax into the bond every year. Full article at http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090503/NEWS01/305030041/1055/NEWS
May 4, 200916 yr ^ The main hall at Sharonville is really small for a main hall. A lot of the facility's space is meeting rooms.
May 22, 200916 yr 'River region’ group to market N. Ky. locally For more than 20 years, the Northern Kentucky River Region has been marketing the area to visitors throughout the Midwest to draw tourists to venues and attractions here. But this year, the organization will be making more noise locally, said Margaret Plowdrey, president of Impact Marketing and Communications in Union. “We are concentrating on marketing in our own back yard due to the economy and to the rising gas prices and people just staying closer to home,” said Plowdrey, who is contracted by the Kentucky Department of Travel to direct the marketing efforts. The Northern Kentucky River Region is buying local radio and television spots and will focus on cities such as Columbus, Indianapolis, Dayton and even Cincinnati, she said. It’s also offering special coupons and discount packages for the first time on its Web site, www.nkytourism.com, starting May 30. Full article at http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/05/25/story10.html
June 11, 200916 yr World Choir Games coming to Cincinnati in 2012 The Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau will announce next week that the region has been selected to host the World Choir Games in 2012. In an invitation e-mailed to convention partners this week, the bureau said the news will be announced at 10 a.m., June 18, on Fountain Square. “The World Choir Games – attracting tens of thousands of visitors from more than 90 countries – are coming to Cincinnati USA,” the invitation said. “Held every two years, the World Choir Games are the Olympics of choral music, honoring the global beauty and history of choirs with peaceful celebration and friendly competition.” The games will visit the U.S. for the first time in 2012 and have chosen Cincinnati for the event, the bureau said. The event will occur over two weeks. Full article at http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/06/08/daily47.html
June 12, 200916 yr I am extremely impressed with The Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau success over the past few years!
May 23, 201213 yr The World Choir Games (is there a thread for that?) song has been released...and, boy, is it corny. A surprise to no one, I suppose.
July 11, 201311 yr Hyatt Regency Cincinnati completes $23M interior renovation Tom Demeropolis Reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier Hyatt Regency Cincinnati completed the renovations of its lobby, 486 existing guest rooms and the addition of five new rooms. The renovations were part of the downtown hotel’s $23 million makeover, which also included the addition of Red Roost Tavern and the Market, which opened in the hotel’s first floor earlier this year. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2013/07/11/hyatt-regency-cincinnati-completes.html
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