LOCATIONREPORT Philadelphia, PA
The expanding Pennsylvania Convention Center’s Grand Hall, former home of the Reading Terminal Train Station
photo courtesy: Philadelphia CVB
destination, with the best service, all wrapped up in one complete package. For more information and to virtually tour the convention center expansion, visit:
www.philadelphiausa.travel/complete.
One of the most distinctive and easily accessible meeting facilities in the world, the Pennsylvania Convention Center will open a major expansion project in March of 2011. It is the only major convention center expansion project currently under- way in the nation.
Just steps away are attractions like the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and a new Cherry Street Plaza outdoor walkway that leads to “Museum Row” on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Included along this stretch are the world-renowned Philadelphia Museum of Art, and soon, the Barnes Foundation - slated to open in 2012.
convention center opens in six months, our international profile continues to grow, and the financial world continues to right itself.”
PCVB, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority, is creating a sales and market- ing buzz around the world premiere of an expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center, opening in early spring of 2011. Currently 91 percent complete, the cen- ter will be the 14th-largest in the nation.
In time for expansion, the bureau is devel- oping a Hospitality University with a focus on customer service levels with its mem- bers and partners.
Also, the city’s motorcoach market is expected to get a boost as the conven- tion center welcomes the prestigious American Bus Association convention in January 2011, with 3,000 tour operators attending from across the country. On average, a host city can expect an increase of business from 10 to 25 per- cent as a result of hosting the event.
Philadelphia remains focused on being one of the world’s most diverse and dynamic sports destinations, too, and the CVB’s Philadelphia Sports Congress is working with many partners to bring the
60 November December 2010
FIFA World Cup to the city in either 2018 or 2022. The Sports Congress also worked with partners to ensure Philadelphia would remain the home of the Army-Navy game five-of-the-next- seven years, including 2010.
Among other notable findings in the report, through the first six months of 2010 demand for Center City’s 10,799 hotel rooms was up 10 percent from ‘09. Convention/Group room nights account- ed for the largest segment of room night demand at 37 percent.
This year also marked another milestone as the PCVB’s Multicultural Affairs Congress celebrated more than $1.5 bil- lion in multicultural group business since 1987.
Finally, the Philadelphia CVB announced that it will bid a fond farewell to long-time president Tom Muldoon on December 31, 2010, with Jack Ferguson taking over as its new president and CEO.
What's New
To promote the city of Philadelphia and its expanding convention center, the PCVB and the PCCA recently unveiled “Philadelphia: The Complete Package,” identifying the city as the best meeting
The expansion will feature more than one million square feet of saleable space (528,000 square feet contiguous), 79 meeting rooms and the highest band- width Internet connectivity in the industry. Additional technology advances include: digital signage, remote attendance and session-on-demand options.
The facility’s historic ballroom, housed in the dramatic Reading Terminal train shed, measures 32,000 square feet. The expansion will add a second 55,400 square foot ballroom overlooking the Avenue of the Arts, as well as a four-story escalator, a 300-foot glass facade, and ongoing juried art installations by Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts stu- dents in addition to the center’s perma- nent art collection.
To complement an expanded convention center, the city offers more than 10,000 hotel rooms, including 8,500 within a 15- minute walk of the Convention Center District. More than 30 hotel brands are available in a variety of price points and packages.
The newest addition to Philadelphia’s growing Delaware River waterfront is also the largest vessel of its kind on the east coast. The Philadelphia Belle will show-
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