2001 Meeting & Convention Guide.

• Author: Quirk, Bea
• Position: North Carolina - Directory - Statistical Data Included

The meeting and convention business -- as well as the travel and tourism industry as a whole -- changed dramatically in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Altered, yes, but far from moribund.

"People are still going to travel," says Judy Randall, a Mooresville consultant specializing in strategic planning for the tourism industry. "And North Carolina's cities and destinations are not heavily dependent on air travel."

That means the state's convention and visitors bureaus will still be able to find businesses to target for meetings and conventions. The first thing they need to know is how big the meeting and convention business is in North Carolina. Currently, no one really knows, but the N.C. Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development plans to find out.

The division announced this summer that the travel industry had a $12.6 billion economic impact on the state in 2000, but it's still working on a study, to be completed within the next year, that will break down the total by kind of travel. "We do know that meetings and conventions have a big economic impact in the state," says division spokesman Jim Robertson. "After this study, we'll know exactly what we're dealing with and so be able to take more advantage of it."

Local convention and visitors bureaus have a better handle on their meeting and convention business. For example, in Wake County, the Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates about 25% of its 2000 travel revenues of nearly $1.2 billion was generated by meetings and conventions. The Cape Fear Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, a multicounty agency, estimates that 6.25% of its travel business is generated by meetings and conventions.

No matter the size of the meeting and convention business in a county, local CVBs do their best to recruit meetings and offer the best possible services and amenities. Public facilities continue to be built, such as the UNC Wilmington Executive Development Center, which opened in March; the $40-million BTI Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, which opened in February; and the five-story, 450,000-square-foot Showplace, an exhibit hall that opened in High Point last fall. The 52,000-square-foot Greenville Convention Center is scheduled to open in April 2002.

Here's a look at how some of the state's CVBs go after meetings and then prepare for their arrival.

Traffic and transportation

Traffic problems can escalate in a large city such as Charlotte when large conventions come to town. The city experienced serious traffic jams this summer when 50,000 delegates were in town for the National Baptist Convention, the largest group ever hosted by the city. But most of the time, convention attendees in the Queen City are able to get around with relative ease and only minor traffic jams. There are more than 3,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the convention center, and many downtown hotels run. shuttles to and from convention sites. Attendees -- and anyone else -- can also use the free Center City.

Shuttle. In 2002, the Charlotte Trolley will begin regular operations between uptown and the South End, a nearby district known for its dining and nightlife. A new citywide taxicab ordinance that look effect this summer is designed to improve that service.

Raleigh attracts smaller conventions. It has just one hotel, the Sheraton Capital Center, within walking distance of the Raleigh Convention and Conference Center. Consequently, groups turn to buses to get attendees to the convention site. Many attendees also drive their own cars.

In Hickory, about half the city's 1,850 hotel rooms are within walking distance of the Hickory Metro Convention Center. Shuttles and vans often are used for transportation between other hotels and the convention center. Attendees also drive their own cars. At the 2000 North Carolina Oasis Shrine Convention, a fleet of buses was used to get nearly 2,000 delegates to and from their destinations.

In High Point, parking is not a problem when visitors come to events at Showplace. The High Point Convention & Visitors Bureau says there are 3,000 public parking spaces near the center, which can accommodate up to 500 exhibitors.

Accommodations

The number of hotel rooms in a city, especially within walking distance of the convention center, often determines whether a meeting or convention can be held in a certain location. In Charlotte, an increase of 35% -- to 4,200 -- in the number of rooms uptown will improve the logistics of getting attendees to the convent on center. The construction of the 700-room Westin Hotel...