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Phoenix officials say convention center expansion produced millions of visitors and $5.2 billion in economic activity; downtown needs more hotels
Summary
City staff told the Economic Development and the Arts Subcommittee on Dec. 10 that the Phoenix Convention Center’s post‑2009 expansion delivered roughly 3.2 million attendees versus a 411,000 no‑build baseline and about $5.2 billion in economic impact, but officials warned a shortage of downtown hotel rooms has cost the city meetings and called for an RFP in spring.
City staff told Phoenix’s Economic Development and the Arts Subcommittee on Dec. 10 that the Phoenix Convention Center’s expansion has driven millions of visitors and billions in spending, but downtown’s shortage of convention‑caliber hotel rooms has already cost the city meetings and revenue.
Jerry Harper, director of the Phoenix Convention Center, said the center’s final expansion phase, completed in 2009, multiplied exhibit space and helped grow attendance from an estimated 411,000 in a no‑build scenario to roughly 3.2 million in the build scenario. Harper told the committee that the average attendee spend used in the center’s economic model is $1,428 per person and that the cumulative economic impact since the expansion is about $5.2 billion.
The numbers underpin a pitch to close a downtown lodging gap. “If we had to pick one thing right now, I would say additional hotel rooms in downtown,” Harper said. Ron Price, president and CEO of Visit Phoenix, added that the city is regarded as a “top tier” destination but that other U.S. cities are investing heavily in…
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