Some observations on the "Missed 26", the conventions that we missed out on because the Midland Center was "too small". (From the Feasibility Analysis of a Potential New/Expanded Convention Center in Midland, Texas)
"MISSED" CONVENTION |
Rm. Nights |
% of Total |
Amateur Softball Association |
4,440 |
33.7% |
Texas Narcotic Officers Association |
1,000 |
7.6% |
County Judges & Commissioners Assn. of TX |
850 |
6.5% |
Grand Lodge Int'l Order of Odd Fellows of TX |
670 |
5.1% |
Texas Association of Regional Councils |
625 |
4.7% |
Texas Association of CVBs |
575 |
4.4% |
Twin Cities Tiger Boxing Association |
550 |
4.2% |
Key Energy |
540 |
4.1% |
Texas Historical Commission |
455 |
3.5% |
Combined Law Enforcement Assn. of Texas |
450 |
3.4% |
National Association Investment Corp. |
400 |
3.0% |
Texas State Council of the P.A.W. |
315 |
2.4% |
Commemorative Air Force |
310 |
2.4% |
Texas Recreational Vehicle Association |
300 |
2.3% |
Texas Section, Society for Range Mgmt. |
245 |
1.9% |
Texas Association of Community Colleges |
225 |
1.7% |
Texas Probation Association |
200 |
1.5% |
Squadrons 33 |
180 |
1.4% |
Texas Association of Telecommunications |
160 |
1.2% |
Texas Association of Gifted and Talented |
150 |
1.1% |
Texas Association of Pawnbrokers |
150 |
1.1% |
10th Strategic Reconnaisance |
116 |
0.9% |
Antioch Christian Church |
100 |
0.8% |
Keep Texas Beautiful |
100 |
0.8% |
L. Walther & Sons Inc. |
60 |
0.5% |
Lithia Motors |
12 |
0.1% |
TOTAL |
13,178 |
100.0% |
Please notice that the top four listings represent over 50% of the "missed bookings". How is that for spreading your risk?
Now look at the bottom thirteen on the list. Fully half of the "Missed 26" all have a "Room night" impact of 300 room nights or less each. Somebody please tell me what it is about the size of the current Midland Center that cannot handle, say, the Antioch Christian Church's event. Are they really turning us down because we don't have the $66,000,000 edifice? Or are they making their decision based on other factors?
Plus....not that I am in the consulting business or anything but if it were me putting out a list like this I think I would have stopped sometime before "Lithia Motors" with a whopping 12 room nights. But that is just me.
10 Comments
It may simply be a cut and paste error. I am not kidding.
The whole report looks like a template more than a report.
For instance, on page 15/103 (Page 4 of the Local Market Condition Analysis):
"Located in east Texas, Midland is situated midway between the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area and the city of El Paso on Interstate 20."
Now everyone involved knows that Midland is not located in East Texas. I think this is an incompletely revised line from a previous feasibility study.
Combine that with pages and pages of irrelevant census bureau stats to pad the report.
And why is there no actual booking data for all of the "comparable" centers? Or did I just miss that?
Hey. How does the Recreational Vehicle Association generate 300 room nights? Don't they travel with their rooms? That seems like a cherry of an event for the Horseshoe, they have RV hook-ups.
How about the Texas Association of CVB's at 575 room nights?
They actually hold their conventions in Las Vegas so that every municipality in Texas can pad their respective "Missed Conventions" list.
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..
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Okay. I made that up.
Just look at the list. What percentage of these people attending conventions are government people?
What are they doing in conventions? Talk??? Show things??? CAN THEY NOT DO THESE CONVENTIONS IN THE INTERNET??? THEY HAVE ALL THE TIME THEY NEED TO DO THESE IN THE INTERNET. WHAT MAKES THEM THINK THEY CAN DISCUSS ALL THESE THINGS IN A ONE DAY CONVENTION????
STOP CONVENTIONS!!! CONVENTIONS ARE ONE REASON AMERICA IS WASTING A LOT OF GASOLINE!!!! CONVENTIONS ARE ALSO ONE REASON WHY GOVERNMENT IS BIGGER THAN WHAT IT SHOULD BE.
Conventions are like politicians who love to appear on radio talkshows and on CSPAN where people can only say a sentence or two. THAT'S NO WAY TO DIALOGUE!!! If you want serious and detailed discussions, DO THE DIALOGUES IN PRINTED FORM VIA INTERNET FORUMS. VERBAL DISCUSSIONS ARE TOO SLOW. PRINTED DISCUSSIONS ARE MUCH FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENT!!!
SO STOP HELPING AMERICA BE A TURTLE WHICH IS WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU POUR INTO THESE CONVENTION CENTERS MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TAXPAYERS' MONEY. TURN AMERICA INTO SOMETHING FAST LIKE AN EAGLE BY USING THE INTERNET INSTEAD!!! This way, the world will also follow and not waste scarce world resources on this old inefficient, gasoline wasting technology called convention centers.
You know, I had noticed the same thing.
Fully one-third of the Missed 26 are governmental agencies.
I would assume that their respective attendees do not pay for these trips out of their own pockets for the most part.
So how do you count the economic impact of spent dollars that were gathered up from taxpayers in the first place?
The mind boggles!
Just to keep picking at the list (we're up to a non-local company, a convention that can't come because of hotel space, and one that never considered Midland)
What about the Commemorative Air Force? Why would they hold an event in Midland Center in the first place? I mean they have their own facility with meeting rooms, plenty of banquet space and ostensibly all the participants are there for the airplanes. Why be 20 miles away from the convention draw and pay for a room when you already have one? If I'm an airplane buff, why be in a stoggy ballroom when I can dine under the wings of a B-29!
Seems like available rooms at the Airport Ramada would be the limiting factor on this one.
The End is Nigh! Eurasian contributed a coherent comment! At 4 in the morning!
I agree with Eury (that felt odd.) If govt. agencies feel the need to hold a convention I'd prefer they do it somewhere like Midland so that it seems more likely they're actually getting some real business done and not inventing an excuse to travel to Vegas or Vale on the taxpayers' dime.
I too agree with Eury (it is the Apocalypse). My experience is that Most governmental agency conventions wind up in Austin, to be near the power (money). Maybe in an off legislative year it might travel, but when the legislature is in town, anybody who lives and dies by an appropriation bill or regulation is at the seat of government.
It gets worse.
Something STOOD RIGHT OUT at me immediately upon reading the details. In all of the summaries they talk about 55,000 S.F. of space in the center. However in the cost estimate on Page 71 of the report the costs are estimated on 121,000 S.F. Who projects costs on 2X the recommended faciltiy size?
Somebody want to explain this?