When the pro-hotel group kicked off its campaign at City Hall, they touted the 195,000 room nights and more than $200 million in economic impact booked by the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau resulting from the city council moving forward with plans to build a convention center hotel. Led by Mayor Tom Leppert and Phillip Jones of the DCVB, the message was clear: Another 200,000 room nights and $200 million in economic impact were on the way, and it all would disappear if the hotel isn't built.
Leppert assured the crowd Monday night at the Bachman Recreation Center that 400,000 room nights have been secured, which we've yet to confirm with the DCVB. What they have shared with us is that 11 meetings totaling more than 338,000 rooms and nearly $500 million in economic impact are now on the books.
"As of February 21, 2009, the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau has booked almost a dozen groups totaling 338,126 room nights, all contingent on the building of a convention center hotel," says Cassandra Matej, senior vice president of sales and services for the DCVB. "If, for some reason, the hotel is not built, it is our responsibility to work to salvage any business and to keep it in Dallas. However, because a headquarters hotel is a requirement for these groups, we would expect to lose this business to other cities that offer convention center hotels."
After the jump, the numbers we received from the DCVB, with the names of the conventions omitted because "some of the information is proprietary and must be kept confidential at the organization's request," according to DCVB spokesperson Becky Mayad. This makes confirming their plans to cancel without the hotel impossible, so I guess we're just gonna have to take Leppert and the DCVB's word for it.
Mayad explains that the attendance figures come from the groups scheduling the conventions, and the room nights are calculated by Destination Marketing Association International, which takes the estimated room nights a conventioneer stays (3.9) and multiplies that by the estimated peak room nights for each convention.
Association-Cultural-Fine Arts-Libraries (1/19/2012 - 1/24/2012) projected attendance: 10,000 projected room nights: 17,550 projected economic impact: $25,809,030
Transportation-Automotive-Aviation (2/12/2012 - 2/14/2012) projected attendance: 15,000 projected room nights: 15,596 projected economic impact: $22,935,625
Association-Scientific-Engr-Tech-Computers (9/4/2012 - 9/9/2012) projected attendance: 30,000 projected room nights: 35,100 projected economic impact: $51,618,060
Association-Hobby Vocational (1/16/2013 - 1/19/2013) projected attendance: 25,000 projected room nights: 27,300 projected economic impact: $40,147,380
Society of Independent Show Operators (1/28/2013 - 1/30/2013) projected attendance: 30,000 projected room nights: 42,900 projected economic impact: $63,088,740
Association-Government-Public Administration (5/3/2013 - 5/9/2013) projected attendance: 7,500 projected room nights: 16,380 projected economic impact: $24,088,428
Association-Scientific-Engr-Tech-Computers (9/17/2013 - 9/22/2013) projected attendance: 30,000 projected room nights: 35,100 projected economic impact: $51,618,060
Association-Health & Medical (11/17/2013 - 11/20/2013) projected attendance: 33,000 projected room nights: 58,500 projected economic impact: $86,030,100
Association-Scientific-Engr-Tech-Computers (9/9/2014 - 9/14/2014) projected attendance: 12,000 projected room nights: 35,100 projected economic impact: $51,618,060
Association-Hobby Vocational (1/21/2015 - 1/24/2015) projected attendance: 25,000 projected room nights: 27,300 projected economic impact: $40,147,380
Association-Hobby Vocational (1/18/2017 - 1/21/2017) projected attendance: 25,000 projected room nights: 27,300 projected economic impact: $40,147,380
Total projected attendance: 242,500 Total projected room nights: 338,126 Total projected economic impact: $497,248,243