PCMA
Transforming spaces
INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION PCMA DISCUSSES HOW CONVENTION CENTRES ARE BOTH EMBRACING AND REFLECTING THE CULTURES AND ASPIRATIONS OF THE CITIES THAT SURROUND THEM
B ombo , a restaurant opened earlier this year in downtown Seattle , USA , on the ground floor of the Seattle Convention Center ’ s new six-story Summit building , is filled with reclaimed wood and offers wraparound views of the city and the Puget Sound . It well illustrates how convention centres increasingly have become warmer , dramatically more hospitable places , as well as part of the fabric of the cities that surround them .
The Summit ’ s ‘ only-in-Seattle ’ vibe and its central location , which brings visitors to the vibrant commercial districts in nearby neighbourhoods , helps to answer a question posed in a recent New York Times article , which is why cities continue to invest in convention centres . The story paints a picture of the business events industry as a diminishing one , compared to pre-pandemic days , and of convention centres as empty and frozen in time . In fact , the industry has made a sustained recovery – there were 41,000 participants at the RSA cybersecurity conference held in San Francisco in May 2024 , which was described by market intelligence firm S & P Global as “ pre-pandemic busy ” and its attendance numbers “ in the territory ” of recordbreaking years before 2019 .
Live events attendance expected to increase According to Future Partners ’ seventh
“ The business events industry and convention centres aren ’ t isolated from the communities and the larger world around them but have changed and are changing in response to them .”
Left : The Seattle Convention Center ’ s new Summit building offers wraparound views of the city annual State of the Meetings & Convention Industry report published in April 2024 , 64 % of planners say they expect attendance at their live events to increase in the next three years – a 16 % increase over their 2023 expectations .
What stories like the one in the New York Times miss is that the business events industry and convention centres aren ’ t isolated from the communities and the larger world around them but have changed and are changing in response to them . That includes offering authentic and connected experiences for new generations of event goers , for whom those are top priorities , and remaking convention centres into spaces that aren ’ t empty stages but active participants in catalysing the transformation of cities .
Local community value Some examples : In Chicago , McCormick Place is part of the City of Chicago ’ s plan to bring more mixeduse commercial activity to its historic and culturally rich South Loop , including housing , restaurants and nightlife . In Texas , the Fort Worth Convention Center is entering the second phase of a renovation project , part of a plan aimed at revitalising the city ’ s downtown . That project is being undertaken in tandem with an adjacent expansion of Texas A & M University into the city , opening up the potential for new collaborations between the university and scientific , medical and other business events held at the convention centre .
Those of us who work in this industry recognise the significant value events and the facilities that host them bring to local communities and the larger world . We need to help others outside of our industry do the same , and ensure they aren ’ t referencing an outdated or only partial version of the role we take in economic and social development . n
ISSUE 134 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 15