From Crain's:A major fear for the meetings industry is that the Queens project will upend a decades-old system of doing business at Javits, alienating show producers and attendees who may defect to other cities as a result.
“If Javits were torn down and I had a big show in New York, I would consider moving it to another city such as Philadelphia before I'd consider Aqueduct,” said Jeff Little, the former president and owner of George Little Management, a major tradeshow producer. Mr. Little recently formed a new company after last year's purchase of GLM by Providence Equity Partners.
Genting also faced critics who say that building a large convention center does not make sense when so many mega centers across the country are struggling to book shows.
Over the last decade there has been an enormous decline of attendees at conventions, said Steven Malanga, senior fellow at Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank. What's more, he said that just 27% of the 2.3 million people who attended shows at Javits last year were from out of town.
“The rest were day-trippers,” he said. Genting, he predicted, won't be able to attract large trade shows because the industry is simply not growing.
Mr. Goode said there is no shortage of shows that want to come to New York but cannot do so either because they are too large for Javits or because the building is fully booked. At the same time, he conceded that it is not just the enormous events that attract 50,000 or more attendees that he is targeting.
7 comments:
Everyone knows this. The Aqueduct convention "plan" is and always has been a joke, intended to line pockets, make temporary "work", and appease a certain element. No shows worth anything will use it. Jesus, it's hard enough to get over to Javits, much less Southeast Queens. It will sit idle year after year, and eventually be torn down.
I just want faster transport to Manhattan, if we have to build an empty shell and get rid of the ponies - so be it.
If a Manhattan location is eliminated conventions might take place in other cities? Ya thunk?
Would the area around JFK become little more than a showcase for 3rd world products?
"[Goode] conceded that it is not just the enormous events that attract 50,000 or more attendees that he is targeting."
So, contrary to what Helen Marshall has proclaimed, the Aqueduct center will compete with one (if it is ever built) at Willets Point – further pointing out how useless it will be to construct a center at Willets Point.
They don't book the place because they crazy demands and ask too much money.
The unions are killing them. NAMM wanted to do a trade show at the Javits. Part of the deal was 17 union electricians and 40 IATSE hands at $72 an hour. Not including 120 IATSE loaders. You cant carry your own guitar amp in, you must put it on the curb. These thugs then do the moving.
NYS just spent $900M on a Javits over-haul - it's not going anywhere particularly if the hotel tourism industry has any say in this town. Javits can be Incorporated into a new development right next to it if a swap of development land occurs among st future developments. A developer can build his and a larger footprint Javits that would contain what it lacks today in amenities, space and transportation access. The Ozone Park proposal is a smoke screen to get Gentry to pony up much more than it's offering now to build out a real casino while getting Manhattan developers interested in the Javits site.
Well, if the build the convention at acqeduct and can't book it with conventions, maybe we can get a flea market back in there--indoors!
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