2021 Convention Location Recommendation · Boston: The last mid-Atlantic East Coast convention was held in Pittsburgh in 2008. The last North East/New England location w as Hartford

2021 Convention Location Recommendation

ACCE received strong bids for our 2021 convention from chambers or CVBs from the below-stated cities. Several other locations bid, but there were challenges with availability or other factors that rendered them ineligible for 2021. Here’s a brief history on each location:

Atlantic City: Atlantic City and New Jersey have never hosted a convention. The most recent neighboring state to host was Pittsburgh, PA in 2008. The greatest challenge with this location is transportation as there aren’t close airports.

Boston: The last mid-Atlantic East Coast convention was held in Pittsburgh in 2008. The last North East/New England location was Hartford in 1981. The last time the convention was held in Boston was 1956.

Charlotte: We generally perform well in the South. We have hosted conventions in the Southeast in 2017 (Nashville), 2016 (Savannah), 2009 (Raleigh – also NC), 2004 (Orlando) and 2003 was our most recent convention in Charlotte.

Columbus: We have hosted conventions in the middle North of the country in 2018 (Des Moines), 2014 (Cincinnati – also OH), 2012 (Louisville), 2010 (Milwaukee), 2006 (Cleveland – also OH) and 2005 (St. Louis).

Grand Rapids: Recent neighboring conventions were 2018 (Des Moines), 2014 (Cincinnati), 2010 (Milwaukee), and 2006 (Cleveland). The last convention in Michigan was 1999 in Detroit, a city which has hosted convention four times in our history. Grand Rapids has never hosted.

Kansas City: *Note the CVB bid on our convention without doing so in conjunction with the chamber. There is a new airport being built, which would make KC a stronger contender for 2022 and beyond. See Columbus for regional history. Last convention in Missouri was St. Louis in 2005. KC last hosted in 2000.

Louisville: Neighboring areas that recently hosted: 2017 (Nashville), 2014 (Cincinnati), and Louisville hosted eight years ago in 2012.

*Note that Experient did not have data in their system for Grand Rapids or Atlantic City, so they don’t appear in the comparison documents.

Staff recommendation: Boston

We haven’t hosted a convention in New England in nearly 40 years. Access to Boston is easy, with a large airport offering direct flights around the country on many carriers. Is a hub for Delta and Jet Blue, but also has many flights on American and Southwest. The average flight from US destinations is $318. Logan being an international airport makes the trip easier for non-U.S. attendees. Boston is a tier-one destination city that would likely draw attendees, who may extend their stay for vacation.

There are approximately 125 member chambers within a four-hour drive or less from Boston. Interestingly, we have a fair number of member prospects in New England, which makes this location a good choice for engaging non-members in our work and exposing them to the benefits of our community.

Advantages of the bid include: The convention center and hotel are connected, making it much easier for attendees to navigate our event. Our negotiated room rate is $249/night which is comparable to Nashville and Long Beach pricing, and very reasonable for Boston rates. We are also getting a slightly higher than usual hotel room rebate that helps ACCE’s bottom line.

Chamber engagement: As we’ve seen in past conventions, the engagement level of the chamber’s CEO and staff can make a huge difference in planning and execution. Jim Rooney has already played a strong in working with the CVB to improve their bid, and ensure we got the hotel connected to the convention center. The Sheraton’s general manager is a friend of Jim’s, and a chamber member. As former head of the Massachusetts Convention Authority, Jim’s background would be extremely helpful in our planning process. Likewise, a member of his senior team is also from the hospitality industry.

Financial considerations: General event costs will be very similar to costs in Nashville. Convention center labor costs will be slightly lower than, but closer to those in Los Angeles or Long Beach as Boston’s labor is similarly unionized. The document labeled Destination Compare shows the overall rates, stats and costs for each city. With our advanced understanding of labor costs, we can plan well to ensure we factor those costs into the budget for 2021. There are many cost controls we can implement to ensure a net-positive outcome.

Additionally, the Greater Boston Chamber is in a strong financial position in order to support the ACCE location sponsorship.

Boston Charlotte Columbus Kansas City

Experient AdvantageContracted Room Nights 475,210 67,468 130,374 67,603

Avg Contracted Rate $245 $227 $145 $138

Avg Rate Savings 8% 5% 7% 8%

Avg Concessions Savings 26% 27% 28% 34%

Avg Pickup Rate 83% 77% 78% 85%

SeasonalityAvg Precipitation 3.52'' 3.47'' 4.68'' 3.26''

Avg Temperature 59 °F 71 °F 63 °F 66 °F

Avg Monthly Temperature

Avg Monthly Precipitation

Compare Destinations


Primary Convention CenterConvention Center Name Boston Convention and

Exhibition CenterCharlotte Convention Center Greater Columbus Convention

CenterKansas City Convention Center

Convention Center Meeting Space 716,200 sq. ft. 449,400 sq. ft. 1,700,000 sq. ft. 837,506 sq. ft.

Convention Center Union? No No No No

Convention Center F & B? No No No No

City Summary# Sleeping Rooms within 1 mile 4,116 3,372 3,671 1,991

# Sleeping Rooms within 1-5 miles 12,523 3,921 3,671 4,106

Avg Food & Beverage Cost / person $249 $205 $188 $189

Avg Flight Cost $328 $426 $358 $348

Avg Transportation Cost $12-14 $16-20 $16-20 $37-49

Avg City-wide HotelsRoom Nights On Peak Hotels Needed Hotels Needed Hotels Needed Hotels Needed

1,500 5 8 4 5

5,000 20 0 0 30

10,000 50 0 0 75


Execution time: 12/20/2019 4:28:28 PM | User: Crystal Moore


Industry Source - STROccupancy Percentage

Avg Daily Rate


Charlotte Louisville

Experient AdvantageContracted Room Nights 67,468 74,146

Avg Contracted Rate $227 $185

Avg Rate Savings 5% 6%

Avg Concessions Savings 27% 22%

Avg Pickup Rate 77% 88%

SeasonalityAvg Precipitation 3.47'' 3.74''

Avg Temperature 71 °F 68 °F





Primary Convention CenterConvention Center Name Charlotte Convention Center Kentucky International

Convention CenterConvention Center Meeting Space 449,400 sq. ft. 244,000 sq. ft.

Convention Center Union? No No

Convention Center F & B? No No

City Summary# Sleeping Rooms within 1 mile 3,372 3,131

# Sleeping Rooms within 1-5 miles 3,921 3,719

Avg Food & Beverage Cost / person $205 $130

Avg Flight Cost $426 $0

Avg Transportation Cost $16-20

Avg City-wide HotelsRoom Nights On Peak Hotels Needed Hotels Needed

1,500 8 3

5,000 0 25

10,000 0 125


Execution time: 12/20/2019 4:32:39 PM | User: Crystal Moore



Avg Daily Rate


Boston Long Beach Los Angeles Nashville

Experient AdvantageContracted Room Nights 427,176 52,269 267,957 361,807

Avg Contracted Rate $245 $235 $251 $213

Avg Rate Savings 9% 12% 9% 7%

Avg Concessions Savings 27% 31% 24% 26%

Avg Pickup Rate 79% 88% 78% 87%

SeasonalityAvg Precipitation 3.52'' 1.02'' 1.16'' 3.93''

Avg Temperature 59 °F 74 °F 74 °F 70 °F





Primary Convention CenterConvention Center Name Boston Convention and

Exhibition CenterLong Beach Convention & Entertainment Center

Los Angeles Convention Center Music City Center

Convention Center Meeting Space 716,200 sq. ft. 500,000 sq. ft. 867,000 sq. ft. 2,100,000 sq. ft.

Convention Center Union? No No No No

Convention Center F & B? No No No No

City Summary# Sleeping Rooms within 1 mile 4,116 2,332 3,308 4,714

# Sleeping Rooms within 1-5 miles 12,523 2,467 6,705 5,648

Avg Food & Beverage Cost / person $248 $393 $241 $226

Avg Flight Cost $328 $410 $352 $350

Avg Transportation Cost $12-14 $31-41 $21-27 $15-19

Avg City-wide HotelsRoom Nights On Peak Hotels Needed Hotels Needed Hotels Needed Hotels Needed

1,500 5 6 3 3

5,000 20 0 5 25

10,000 50 0 10 50


Execution time: 1/14/2020 10:10:20 AM | User: Crystal Moore



Avg Daily Rate


Documents

2021 Convention Location Recommendation · Boston: The last mid-Atlantic East Coast convention was held in Pittsburgh in 2008. The last North East/New England location w as Hartford