Originally published in the Lancaster Post on June 20, 2008
There are convention centers in many cities across North America. Why would a group choose Lancaster over places like Philadelphia, Baltimore, Reading, Hershey, Harrisburg, Altoona, or Erie?
In many presentations by Interstate Hotels and Resorts (the manager of both the hotel and the convention center being built in downtown Lancaster), the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Mayor's Office Of Special Events, special emphasis is placed on how "unique" the Lancaster facilities will be. For example:
- Josh Nowak, Interstate Hotels and Resorts, quoted in the Lancaster New Era on November 16, 2007.He said the preservation of the Beaux Arts facade of the former Watt & Shand department store into the front of the hotel helps sell the property. But even more interest is being generated, he said, by plans for an attached Thaddeus Stevens museum that incorporates a cistern that was discovered under the site.
- Tom Smithgall, High Real Estate, quoted in the Intelligencer Journal on April 7, 2008.The overall scope of the hotel and convention center, with its historic structures mixed in among modern amenities, is what will make the complex more attractive than other convention centers, Smithgall said. "There's a number of these facilities, and they do compete with each other," Smithgall said. "We want to show something that's truly unique about Lancaster."
Why would the facade of a once-historic building, combined with portions of several genuinely historic structures that have been integrated into and overwhelmed by a massive modern structure, cause meeting planners to choose Lancaster over other potential meeting locations?
Meeting planners must consider many different factors when choosing a site for a convention. The Lancaster facility is new, which will be attractive to potential customers. Other factors that must be considered by those who are planning an event include the availability and convenience of parking, loading and unloading, and lodging.
There will be few if any spaces available in the former King St. - now Penn Square - parking garage, since the hotel will require most of them. Parking will be available weekends at the City's other parking garages, the closest of which will be a block away. Weekday parking will be a different story; the existing garages are all filled close to capacity, with new parking garages planned or under construction that will offer barely a thousand additional spaces. This is totally inadequate for a meeting facility the size of the Penn Square project, which anticipates 4000 or more visitors for some events.
Unloading trucks at the convention hall will be inconvenient at best, by the developer's own admission. Trucks will need to negotiate a very tight turn from Vine St. onto Christian St., which is little more than an alley. There are only three loading docks available for use by the convention center. When exiting, trucks will need to make a very tight turn onto King St. There is no place to stage large trucks anywhere near the facility without blocking traffic.
Lodging is yet another issue: the Penn Square Partners' hotel will offer 300 high-end rooms. The Brunswick offers over 220 mid-range rooms two blocks away. All other lodging will require some kind of transportation to get to and from the convention center.
The convention center's location in downtown Lancaster has been called one of its greatest assets. There are restaurants and shops within a relatively easy walk of the convention center, along with several historic attractions. But those of us who have attended a number of conventions know from experience that there is usually very little free time left in the evenings. After a long day in meetings or working the floor, followed by what is usually a working dinner, exploring the neighborhood is usually the last thing on our minds. Museums or performances are out of the question.
One factor rarely mentioned is that conventions almost always rotate between different facilities. A convention held in Lancaster one year might not return for quite a few years, since there are now so many different facilities for meeting planners to choose from. And if meeting planners find parking, loading and unloading, and lodging to be inconvenient, they are more likely to choose somewhere else that presents fewer obstacles next time.
The individuals and organizations that are promoting the downtown Lancaster convention center have focused on the minor things that make their facility "unique", while ignoring its many shortcomings. By concentrating on the few nice "trees", they are avoiding the project's "forest" with its many pitfalls.
