Convention Outlook Positive for Cincinnati USA
Expanded Convention Center, Improved Image Contribute to Cincinnati's Vitality and Appeal
CINCINNATI, OH, August 24, 2004. New business momentum is the strongest it's been in the history of the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the city expects to see a surge of conventions in the coming years.
As of July 2005, the city had submitted bid proposals representing 539,704 future room nights, the equivalent of 367 meetings. This represents a 78 percent increase over the same time frame in 2004, and more than the city has ever attained over a six-month period. The number of confirmed room nights for future years is up 11 percent over 2004's pace and expected to grow.
"I think the strength in new business speaks to the health and vitality of our city," said Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Alan Welch. "Cincinnati has turned around. We have made real progress on numerous fronts, improved our image, made substantial investments in our downtown and riverfront, and are nearing completion of a major expansion of our convention center. Meeting planners are taking note, and we've had the opportunity to bid on a lot more business than we have in the past."
The $160 million convention center expansion and renovation, on time and on budget, is slated for completion in mid-2006. Groups are still accommodated during construction, which is carried out in phases. When complete, the convention center will be able to accommodate nearly 75 percent of the nation's existing convention and meeting market. It currently is more than 60 percent complete.
The groups coming to Cincinnati are slightly larger and represent more room nights per meeting, Welch noted. At the same time, the city is receiving renewed interest and bookings from African American and religious groups that have overlooked the city in the past.
"The Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau, along the city, has worked to reach out to groups and communicate the progress we've made," he said. "We asked that they give us another look, and as a result new organizations are saying "yes" to Cincinnati and having a first rate experience when they get here."
Cincinnati is still buzzing from "Music Fusion 2005," a convergence of concerts, festivals, sporting events and related entertainment events in mid August that brought an estimated 250,000 visitors to the region.
"Music Fusion brought a great cross section of the nation to Cincinnati," Welch said. "It also let downtown and its environs showcase its ability to comfortably and successfully accommodate hundreds of thousands of visitors."
Cincinnati has earned praise and favorable reviews recently from publications including the Zagat Survey, the American Automobile Association, O, the Oprah Magazine, USA Today and Esquire Magazine.
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