Region outpacing others in conventions

The convention industry in the Cincinnati region is booming as the city is outdrawing other U.S. cities in booking conventions.

The region is 11 percentage points ahead of other eastern seaboard cities in convention bookings from 2010 to 2014, according to the company Trends, Analysis and Projections, which monitors convention bookings for 50 cities throughout the United States and Canada, including Cincinnati.

The Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau creates a list of approximately 500 corporations and organizations fit to meet in Cincinnati. They then book the conventions mostly through solicitation, but also use trade shows to attract organizations.

The bureau attended 26 trade shows throughout the country in 2009, setting up a visitor’s booth and offering slideshow presentations in order to inform prospective why Cincinnati would be a great place to host their convention.

“The goal of success of the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors bureau, Duke Energy Convention Center and the city of Cincinnati is a great opportunity to show the things the city has to offer,” said Jon Frost, marketing manager for Duke Energy Convention Center. “When we get the chance to bring a convention in, it is a chance for them to show what the city has to offer for a week, which in turn brings people to our area.”

Hosting conventions in the city helps bring visitors and is huge for the economy, said Randie Adam, director of marketing for the Cincinnati USA Conventions and Visitors Bureau.

The convention bureau brings in planners to Cincinnati, showing them the city, and hoping in return to have them to book their conventions in Cincinnati.

In 2009 The Convention and Visitors Bureau booked 130 different groups.

The culture and arts in the city help make their trip more memorable, Adam said.

The compactness of the city brings the organizations to Cincinnati. Sixty percent of the total population is only a day away, said Barrie Perks, vice-president of sales and services for the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors bureau.

The conventions in Cincinnati have been excellent for the economy, bringing in an estimated $59 million in economic impact to the city in 2009.

One of the conventions coming to Cincinnati in 2012 is the World Choir Games. Citizens from 90 countries will come to the city, bringing approximately 20,000 choir members and attendees.

The Fraternal Order of Police are also slated to have their convention in Cincinnati in 2013, booking approximately 15,000 rooms.

“It feels great. Washington D.C. and Chicago’s prices are higher so we are competing,” Perks said. “Their prices have come down, so we are still winning which makes us feel great. We are never satisfied, always wanting more.”