Convention bookings continue uptick, making downtown hotels happy

The Detroit Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau has been busy marketing the city as a premier convention destination with notable success. In 2007, 11 citywide conventions -- so designated when Cobo Hall and three local hotels are reserved for the event -- were booked, which was about double recent booking trends. "We had not confirmed more than six in any one year of the previous five years," says the DMCVB's director of sales, Carla Conner-Penzabene. At least 11 will be confirmed again in 2008.

Additionally, Detroit has been short-listed along with Los Angeles for what would be the largest convention ever to come to Detroit: the 2020 Alcoholics Anonymous convention. 

Hotel bookings are up just slightly from 2007, but that year saw a 40% increase from the previous five.

Smaller conventions continue to come to Detroit for the first time. In July, the Council for Engineering and Scientific Societies Executives came to Detroit and were "blown way with the destination," says Conner-Penzabene.

"It's a group made up of leadership from all these scientific and engineering societies, a niche Detroit does really well in -- this was one great big site inspection for us," she says. "The feedback we've gotten has been absolutely phenomenal."

Conner-Penzabene says attendees, some who had not visited Detorit in 20 years, were impressed with the Renaissance Center, the RiverWalk, Campus Martius and downtown's walkability. "They loved the People Mover, they got out and they walked around and they felt safe," she says. "There were things to do, people around, and that is not what they remember for the most part."

Source: Carla Conner-Penzabene, DMCVB
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh