Coalition Calls For Expansion Of Austin Convention Center, Citing Lost Business Due To Size

AUSTIN, TX — A new coalition in Austin is calling for the expansion of the city's main convention center, contending that demand for meeting and exhibition space in downtown Austin far exceeds supply.

According to a report by Conference and Meetings World, the New Vision For Austin's Convention Center coalition members claim that last year, the city lost out on $480 million worth of opportunities for economic impact and more than 800,000 hotel room nights because the convention center was either fully booked or to small to accommodate more gatherings.

Expansion of the convention center would yield a greater economic impact instead of having t turn away half its business due to lack of space or availability, coalition members said. Among the members of the coalition is former Austin Mayor Lee Cooke.

Mary Guerrero-McDonald, a steering committee member and Austin chair of the Building Owners & Managers Association Local Regulatory Issues Committee, pointed to the importance of the industry: “According to the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, the hospitality industry has surpassed education as the Austin MSA’s third-largest employment sector,” she said.

In 2015, the greater Austin MSA welcomed 24.1 million visitors contributing $7 billion in economic impact and 124,000 jobs in the leisure and hospitality workforce, coalition members said. Coalition steering committee member John Bernardoni reiterated the importance of the industry to the city's employment base.

“Our residents who work in the tourism and hospitality industry include countless small business employees, as well as artists and musicians who depend upon this income,” Bernardoni said. “It’s important for Austinites to know that we all benefit in revenue generated from the tourism industry.”

>>> Read the full story at Conference and Meetings World

Photos via convention center website