Panel urges creation of Baltimore Convention and Tourism Redevelopment Authority to modernize center, expand bookings and capture local benefits

Baltimore City officials, the Baltimore Convention Center director and tourism leaders testified in favor of House Bill 1016, a proposal to establish a Baltimore Convention Center and Tourism Redevelopment and Operating Authority.

Justin Williams, deputy mayor for community and economic development, said the city is not seeking privatization but wants a governance model that will align incentives and allow more streamlined decision‑making for capital improvements and marketing. He and other witnesses noted a substantial amount of planned private investment near downtown and noted competition from newer convention facilities in other cities. They argued the current city‑owned/operated model has limited flexibility to capture and reinvest the economic benefits of conventions and events in ways that modern governance could better enable.

Matt Campbell, the Baltimore Convention Center executive director, provided economic context: the center historically delivered significant state and city tax revenue and supported thousands of jobs, but rising operating costs, deferred capital maintenance and increasing competition have eroded the center’s competitiveness since the pandemic. Campbell said the center’s annual capital budget is tiny compared with peer facilities and that a new authority would provide a governance structure better able to raise and allocate capital for modernization.

Visit Baltimore (the destination marketing organization) and hospitality leaders described how conventions generate hotel nights, restaurant and retail spending, and regional benefits. The Mid‑Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS), a long‑standing Baltimore event, said its exhibitors and attendees have seen infrastructure failures and that newer venues elsewhere were drawing growing interest. Local hotels and convention stakeholders urged the committee to create the authority and noted the city and industry are discussing amendments on labor representation and board seats for the Orioles and Ravens.

Committee members asked whether the proposal would shift costs to the state and whether it meant privatization; witnesses said the authority model would preserve workers and city oversight while creating more nimble financing and planning. Several delegates asked for clarification about state vs. city funding and whether the fiscal note accurately captured start‑up costs. Williams said the partners were still negotiating some technical language and noted the city’s interest in ensuring the authority benefits both Baltimore and the state.

Why it matters: The hearing offered a clear view that the center remains an important regional economic engine but has aging infrastructure and is losing business to newer facilities. The authority model is presented as a governance and financing reform, not a privatization; key details (funding, governance, labor protections) remain under negotiation.

Next steps: Sponsors and city officials said they will work on technical amendments requested by labor and by sports franchise stakeholders; the committee will consider the fiscal impact and proposed board composition in later drafting.