Should New York City Get a New Convention and Exhibition Centre?

[mhays]

Need? You can choose to invest a ton of money and compete at the big end of the convention market, but there's no "need."

I agree with the trade shows. They're making the same point they make in other cities...the center needs to be in a prime location.

If I was a potential attendee, I'd hate to fly all that way and not be in Manhattan. And I don't like commuting. With a convention, you want your room to be nearby so you can carry stuff to and from, and leave your stuff at the hotel before being a tourist...so having the convention in one place, your hotel a commute away, and Manhattan in a third location would be horrible. (With just 3,000 rooms, most attendees wouldn't stay near the center.)

[Jim856796]

Understand the troubles: New York can't expand their current convention center because the cost has gotten prohibitively expensive, and there is absolutely no space for a brand-new convention center within the borough of Manhattan.

[desertpunk]

Aqueduct convention center plan breaks down, Las Vegas casinos compete to replace Genting

The ambitious plans Governor Andrew Cuomo laid out just five months ago for a massive convention center and possible casino near the Aqueduct race track has already fallen through, the Associated Press reported. Cuomo said talks with Malaysian developer Genting to build the controversial $4 billion center in Queens broke down. The firm had initially signed a non-binding letter of intent to develop the site.

Cuomo has altered his development vision, but still plans on a casino, which he predicted would be permitted when New Yorkers vote to legalize them in the near future.

While Genting isn’t out of the running altogether — it said it would still work to land the project — it will be joined by several major Las Vegas casino companies in a competition to spearhead the development.

The New York Post reported that Sands Las Vegas, Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts have all told the state they want to bid on a potential project. The report also said Genting backed out of its non-binding agreement when New York refused to give it the exclusive gaming license in the New York City area.

[Jim856796]

Well then, I guess it's back to the drawind board.

Another question: What is the ideal floor area for a new convention and exhibition center for the New York Area? And the ideal convention and exhibition area?

(In square feet, compared to the existing Javits Center?)