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esting to investigate what sort offinancial ben- efits planners could receive for their organiza- tion by booking unbuilt convention centers. But in the course ofresearching this story, we found that financial benefits beyond the typi- cal incentives that groups receive for bringing a big piece of business to townwere cited infre- quently, ifat all. Micki Johnson, vice president ofE&I Management, who
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plans meetings for the Dallas/FortWorth Case Management Society ofAmerica (DFWCMSA), was the only one ofthe eight planners we interviewed who mentioned “pre-con- struction prices,” which she received when she booked a meet- ing at the Irving Convention Center. And, even though she received “a great deal” that “really [drewher] in,” John- son said that it wasn’t that much bet- ter than the deals her group had been getting at other facilities—although the pricing did play into her decision to book the Irving Convention Center. Most ofthe planners we spoke to,
however, confirmedthat the convention and visitors bureaus in each ofthe cities where the new or expanded centers were coming online were more than willing to work with them to secure their business. Specific incentives offered included marketing and trans- portation support, or—in the case of Music City Center and its headquarters 800-roomOmniNashvilleHotel, set to open in 2013, soon after the convention center does — price offsets based on room nights booked, to subsidize the convention-center rental rate.
That New-Building Smell Though it might seem obvious, one clear benefit that can come from meet- ing in a new facility is simply that:Your group will be meeting in what will be one of the newest, most state-of-the-art convention centers in the world. This goes a long way toward making up for any concerns a plannermayhave. John- son’s DFWCMSA attendees, for instance, “loved” the IrvingConvention Center when they met there this past March, just two months after the cen- ter had its grand opening. “It’s very futuristic-looking,” John-
son said. “It’s a beautiful facility, and they loved it. And, as a matter of fact, so much so that I just booked 2013 with them. So we’re going to stay there for as long as they’ll have us.” Ken Ross, CMP, director of event
operations for the Tourism Industry Association ofCanada (TIAC), had a
similar experience when he decided to bring his travel and tourism show to the new OCC in May 2013. “Being one of the first in a new facility, there’s a bit of a cachet that goes with it,” Ross said. “Part ofthe [OCC] is a unique glass wall which just opens up the inside to the [Rideau] Canal, and to Parliament Hill. And you want to be in that kind ofbuilding early,
and have people experience it. So being the first one in is always an advantage.” Dzikowski has a similar perspective on OCC. “It’s brand- new, and it’s beautiful, and it’s state-of-the-art,” she said. “The continued on page 51