Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/26753
BY MICHAEL BENNETT The AfricanAmerican meetings and conven- tions marketplace is alive and well thank you verymuch¾in fact, it’s thriving. Has it returned to pre-recession levels, the answer is probably no, although I have no empirical data to support that asser- tion. But there’s lots of good news out there for destinations and suppliers willing to include African-American gather- ings into their future business plans. The top 25 African- American conventions listed here in terms of attendance attracted in excess of 250,000 attendees, and the list we’ve provided is by no means all-inclusive. Many of the faith-based organizations have multiple gatherings throughout a calendar year and only limited space preventedme fromshowcasingmore of these gather- ings. In total,we are probably looking at attendance figures in the millions. Want more good news; in a year when people have pulled back on their spending the top 25 conventions listed here have a collective economic impact of over $200 mil- lion. It would be a safe bet that when combined with all other predominantAfrican-American conventions the total economic impact is in the billions of dollars. It’s important to remember theAfrican-American travel market is a $48.6 billion a year business (according to the U.S.T.A.) and much of that business is rooted in confer- ences and conventions. This is the fifth year Black Meetings and Tourism has embarked on this endeavor to report on the size and viabil- ity of African-American conferences and conventions. It takes weeks of research and phone calls just to gather the basic information for this article,but the effort is well worth the investment. In previous years,what we would consider as second-tier markets in terms of population have done exceedingly well and this year is no exception. Charlotte, NC; FortWorth, TX;Kansas City,MO; and Cincinnati acquitted themselves well hosting multiple conventions. Meeting planners and attendees I spoke with tell me that all four cities have out- standing venues and their gatheringswere a rousing success. But for the first time in several years some of our larger more expensive cities have attracted some major gather- 20 ings. Nomajormarket had a better year than LosAngeles. The Church of God in Christ held their Women’s Conference and 25,000 attended. In September, the National Black MBA Association and 12,000 of its mem- bers descended on LosAngeles for their annual gathering. The brand new downtown area around Staples Center, LA Live, the Nokia Center and Convention Center has really made the city a destination of choice for meeting planners. And to top it all off, the NAACP chose Los Angeles as home for their 2011 annual convention. Another of those top-tier cities that has a bright future is Boston, which has attracted two substantial gatherings in 2011 – Blacks in Government and the National Urban League. If these two gatherings are aswell attended as their 2010 events, 25,000 attendees will descend on Beantown. Like every year since we started this column, there are a few cities that have that “it” factor – that special something that acts as a magnet for meeting planners. Those cities in no particular order areAtlanta,New Orleans,Orlando and Houston. Of the top 25 organizations listed here, these des- tinations have hosted almost all of them, some multiple times. There is one city that deserves a mention in this part of our reporting –Toronto. We often forget about our friends north of the border, butToronto has it all. They hosted the National Society of Black Engineers and are looking to increase their footprint in the African-American market. The CVB was extremely cooperative and one of the first to respond to my request for information. In terms of the types of conventions held, as usual three groups dominate our list – religious organizations, profes- sional groups and fraternities and sororities. Many of these groups in addition to their large national conventions have regional meetings that attract thousands. And finally, here is the disclaimer. For the purposes of our reporting, we depended on the CVB’s to provide most of the information as regards to the number of attendees and the estimated economic impact. Please keep in mind that the economic impact of a particular convention is ger- mane to the areas in which the conference or convention is held. We encourage you to do your own homework using our research as a guide. Black Meetings & Tourism January/February 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com