CT Convention Center @ Adriaen's Landing

[grock]

It is kind of confusing, but the big complaint about the convention center is you can't get a room downtown and conventioneers are not happy about staying at the Marriott in Farmington and take a shuttle bus to Hartford.

[jcrc]

There were two pretty good size conventions recently in Hartford, both drew over 10,000 into Hartford. One is United Church of Chris, they had their convention in Hartford Civic Center due to union unrest in convention center. During that week, the entire downtown eating establishment was busy, I mean so busy that Blimpie on Pratt Street ran out of bread . A few weeks later, the Islamic Circle of North America had their meeting at Hartford Convention Center. This is their third year having their convention in Hartford. The entire downtown district was dead, there was barely any visible sign of Muslim visitors in Hartford. I guess those Muslims who visited Hartford were 1) tightwads or 2) they were not the exploring city type or 3) Convention Center is in a crappy location for downtown revitalization. My vote goes to 3.

[beerbeer]

The city is still a work in progress. And hopefully remains that way for another 50 years.

The Convention Center/science center/front street will be its own epicenter.

Once H21/Sage Allen/American Airline fill up, then Pratt Street will function as its own epicenter.

The former will cater to visitors, latter will be more resident centric.

[jcrc]

The city is still a work in progress. And hopefully remains that way for another 50 years.

The Convention Center/science center/front street will be its own epicenter.

Once H21/Sage Allen/American Airline fill up, then Pratt Street will function as its own epicenter.

The former will cater to visitors, latter will be more resident centric.

H21 + Sage Allen + American Airline = 700 people. Assuming a very high 3% hit rate, that is 21 additional customers a day. It's a nice addition, but no retailer is going to survive on that. There is a huge need to merge the Convention Center/science center/front street into the entire downtown, not be its own epicenter, and not just for the sake of Pratt Street. This expensive public investment has to impact the whole city, otherwise we cannot justify the vastly amount of tax dollar spent by the state.

[beerbeer]

Is Pratt Street marketed as a location by the Convention Center?

[Whaler0718]

I agree with jcrc. Malls do so well, in part, because they have a strategic, collective long-term view. They concentrate retailers and they put thought into what space they occupy. Hartford has all of these projects going at once with no master-plan. Front Street is a different destination than Pratt Street / H21. What they should do is integrate Columbus Blvd w/ Constitution Plaza and connect Constitution plaza with Temple Street. Where the dunkin donuts is at the bottom of Temple there should be a big staircase upto Constitution Plaza; put pavers on Temple and and nice trees between the parking lot and Temple, and now you've got a connection with the Temple Street "foodies" shops, and at the top you're at Pratt. Walk down Pratt and you're at H21. Then, let's try to invite tenants to return to Constitution Plaza, and folks have a shopping / eating stroll all the way from Front Street to H21 and back again.

[jcrc]

Is Pratt Street marketed as a location by the Convention Center?

Again, it's not about Pratt Street or more personally how many more customers Jojo's can get from the Convention Center. But if you go to their web site, you can judge for yourself how the convention center is promoting Hartford. I went to their how page and clicked on "Discover Hartford". From that page I then clicked "Dining", "Lodging", "Shopping" and "Entertainment". Of the two functional links, I was not impressed. I then went to FAQ and tried "Hartford Hospitality" and this is what I got.

Question: Hartford Hospitality

Answer: All city representatives involved with the Convention and Travel industry have taken hospitality certification courses to enhance the guest experience in Hartford.

I mean come on, I want to know where to eat, where to drink, where to pick up chicks and where to blow my money. I can careless some two-bit city hacks who took a class and now can say hi and smile politely.

http://www.ctconventions.com/Discover_Hartford/default.asp

[Chessplayer]

Again, it's not about Pratt Street or more personally how many more customers Jojo's can get from the Convention Center. But if you go to their web site, you can judge for yourself how the convention center is promoting Hartford. I went to their how page and clicked on "Discover Hartford". From that page I then clicked "Dining", "Lodging", "Shopping" and "Entertainment". Of the two functional links, I was not impressed. I then went to FAQ and tried "Hartford Hospitality" and this is what I got.

I mean come on, I want to know where to eat, where to drink, where to pick up chicks and where to blow my money. I can careless some two-bit city hacks who took a class and now can say hi and smile politely.

http://www.ctconventions.com/Discover_Hartford/default.asp

They spelled Quiznos as "Quizzno's."

You're right, a bit more effort on the website would be nice.

[MadVlad]

So, this week Hartford will host it's biggest Convention yet in the new Convention Center. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) will have an expected 10,000 people in the city, with Brainard Airport being the draw in this particular event. Sounds like a party...... a really rich party. A really rich party with people with a ton of disposable income. It also sounds like the city is ready for this. Finally.

http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=127265

[drc72]

Nice...... This should bring a lot of revenue into the city and state.

[T52]

[quote Sounds like a party...... a really rich party. A really rich party with people with a ton of disposable income. It also sounds like the city is ready for this. Finally.

As a member of AOPA and an aircraft owner, I think it is more a large group of average people with a passion for aviation and a small percentage of rich people. At any rate, it is a good infusion of interest in the area and a very positive score for Hartford. Pretty cool to look up in the sky this morning to see the Airbs A380- - perfect timing for the convention...

[MadVlad]

Was today the day we got our visit? I missed it.....

[T52]

Was today the day we got our visit? I missed it.....

I looked up in the sky from Farmington this morning around 8:15 and saw it flying north over the ridge toward Bradley - pretty cool!

[Theophrastus Bombastus]

Nice...... This should bring a lot of revenue into the city and state.

Saw a ton of people buzzing around today, looked pretty good - too bad that once they leave the convention center they are surrounded by a HUGE DEAD ZONE between it and the real "downtown" they have to negotiate........

[grock]

There are some big problems with luring conventions to Hartford: all caused by sprawl. People in Connecticut are used to driving here for this and there for that, but people from many other places are not.

One of the things that is hurting the Convention industry in Hartford is the lack of a central place for all visitor needs.

1. Hotels. There are plenty of hotel rooms in the "area," but not nearly enough near the CCC. Conventioneers do not want to have to stay in Glastonbury or Windsor, because the rooms downtown are booked. Instead of building the Hilton Garden Inn in Glastonbury, it should have been built on the vacant lot at Main/Asylum/Pratt. Many conventioneers fly in and don't want to have to rent a car and then drive everywhere.

2. Shopping. The concierge at the Marriott has to tell conventioneers how to drive to Buckland Hills or Westfarms to go shopping. There needs to be more shopping downtown. There are so many vacant storefronts, perhaps the rent needs to be drastically lowered to lure retailers, and then raise it when business takes off. Pratt Street should be filled with shops, not mostly empty.

3. Souvenirs. Where do people buy Connecticut souvenirs/t-shirts/etc. downtown? The UConn Husky shop has closed up on Pratt and the Old State House Gift Shop has a very limited selection.

4. Sundays. The city has a real problem on its hands with this day. You cannot be a convention city and have most of your businesses closed on Sundays. The city should start a campaign. Thousands of people were in town Sunday for concerts at the Civic Center yet so many places were closed.

5. Movies. Again the concierges are sending people out to Manchester. A movie cinema.....needs to be a priority.

The Convention Center is luring tens of thousands of people to Hartford, and the lack of action by the city, state, developers and merchants are sending those people away.

[beerbeer]

Yep, Hartford has things that need to be addressed. It will take Hartford another five years to become a more attractive convention destination.

But the city will not have the number of rooms to accommodate truly large conventions for the foreseeable future. A couple of more hotels, the Best Western, one at Front Street and one or two others will make a big difference.

The other things should happen, if the number of downtown residences increase, shopping and movie screens demand everyday visitors and cannot depend on conventions. That will take time but the city's problems are not any larger than other mid-size cities face.

[The Voice of Reason]

Here is a more positive article about the Convention center.

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-three...0,7247111.story

Its from yesterday.

It talks about partnerships with other cities convention centers so they can make deals to keep a convention on a rotation. aparently most trade shows have an article in their constitutions requiring the location to be in a different part of the country each year. So with this deal they hope to make deals with simular size convention markets in different regions.

I hope it works out to bring more people here.

I also hope that the CC continues to draw year over year and that people are not turned off by Hartford. From what I hear from people, from what I read, and from the reaction of friends who visit, Hartford is much better than "we" think. I mostly hope the convention business continues to grow untill Front Street is built and there is some life down there to keep conventioners better entertained.

Cheers

[drc72]

Yep, Hartford has things that need to be addressed. It will take Hartford another five years to become a more attractive convention destination.

But the city will not have the number of rooms to accommodate truly large conventions for the foreseeable future. A couple of more hotels, the Best Western, one at Front Street and one or two others will make a big difference.

The other things should happen, if the number of downtown residences increase, shopping and movie screens demand everyday visitors and cannot depend on conventions. That will take time but the city's problems are not any larger than other mid-size cities face.

Well if Front Street ever gets built, maybe these things will become reality.

[Chessplayer]

Here is a more positive article about the Convention center.

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-three...0,7247111.story

Its from yesterday.

It talks about partnerships with other cities convention centers so they can make deals to keep a convention on a rotation. aparently most trade shows have an article in their constitutions requiring the location to be in a different part of the country each year. So with this deal they hope to make deals with simular size convention markets in different regions.

I hope it works out to bring more people here.

I also hope that the CC continues to draw year over year and that people are not turned off by Hartford. From what I hear from people, from what I read, and from the reaction of friends who visit, Hartford is much better than "we" think. I mostly hope the convention business continues to grow untill Front Street is built and there is some life down there to keep conventioners better entertained.

Cheers

I read that article, and while it's good they are actively trying to bring more conventioners I could not bring myself to feel positive about this article; "'Cleveland, Baltimore, Charlotte, we are not even close to those cities,' Van Winkle said. 'They are entirely different in size and power. ... We are never going to be a Baltimore.'" These people are representing our city? This is precisely the attitude that contributes to Hartford's perception of insignificance. I suppose Van Winkle didn't bother looking to see that Hartford actually has a larger GMP than Charlotte and is similar sized to Cleveland? And his comparison to Baltimore is totally off base; it's part of a larger CSA that includes Washington D.C. and N. Virginia. It has benefited from rapid growth in those areas (a lot from a huge N. Virginia housing bubble), and its economic size is not generally an indicator of its health or importance.

The article also mentions that Hartford, "dreams of itself more in league with Columbus, Ohio; Nashville; or San Antonio." Hartford is economically larger, better educated, and more productive than each of these cities; why should we act like they're are better? People, especially our leaders and city representatives, need to adopt a much more positive (read: correct) attitude and market the city the way they should: economically important, highly educated, and with a great standard of living. Perhaps then we'll start see some civic pride resulting in greater private investment within the city limits, a la Nashville, Providence, San Antonio, Austin, etc.

[beerbeer]

Chessplayer, great post.

The leadership is truly clueless about what is right under their noses. You can throw in that Hartford has historic sites that few cities can match and is culturally ahead of of most of them as well.

[jcrc]

I read that article, and while it's good they are actively trying to bring more conventioners I could not bring myself to feel positive about this article; "'Cleveland, Baltimore, Charlotte, we are not even close to those cities,' Van Winkle said. 'They are entirely different in size and power. ... We are never going to be a Baltimore.'" These people are representing our city? This is precisely the attitude that contributes to Hartford's perception of insignificance. I suppose Van Winkle didn't bother looking to see that Hartford actually has a larger GMP than Charlotte and is similar sized to Cleveland? And his comparison to Baltimore is totally off base; it's part of a larger CSA that includes Washington D.C. and N. Virginia. It has benefited from rapid growth in those areas (a lot from a huge N. Virginia housing bubble), and its economic size is not generally an indicator of its health or importance.

The article also mentions that Hartford, "dreams of itself more in league with Columbus, Ohio; Nashville; or San Antonio." Hartford is economically larger, better educated, and more productive than each of these cities; why should we act like they're are better? People, especially our leaders and city representatives, need to adopt a much more positive (read: correct) attitude and market the city the way they should: economically important, highly educated, and with a great standard of living. Perhaps then we'll start see some civic pride resulting in greater private investment within the city limits, a la Nashville, Providence, San Antonio, Austin, etc.

You are talking about Hartford and the surrounding towns while I think he is talking about the city. For comparison purpose of estimated population in 2003 and medium household income: Columbus 728,432, $37,897; San Antonio 1,214,725, $36,214; Baltimore 628,670, $30,078; Cleveland 461,324, $25,928; Charlotte 584,658, $46,975; Hartford 124,387, $24,820.

Strictly speaking, the amenities city of Hartford has to offer to convention goers within walking distant to the convention center are probably less than those other cities hence his dream vs. reality statement.

[beerbeer]

If Hartford were the size of Charlotte, it would have virtually the same population. And Charlotte (with the exception of pro sports) is a cultural void.

[The Voice of Reason]

If Hartford were the size of Charlotte, it would have virtually the same population. And Charlotte (with the exception of pro sports) is a cultural void.

Sadly your average conventioner is looking for a convenient hooters more so than a convenient museum

Or a Kahoots Vs a Mark Twain house

This is why the top convention city is Las Vegas, #2 is Orlando, #3 is Chicago amazingly(but falling) and Atlanta and NY are also up there

[Luca Brasi]

Unfortunatly, the Front St. debacle would have addressed most of if not all the issues mentioned. Sadly, in a few months it will be 10 years since Adriaen's Landing has been proposed and still no entertainment/shopping/residential district. With the infrastructure in place, a convention center, a major hotel, a science center under construction and a world class art museum at its front door, it boggles the mind why we still only have a mudpit.

Hartford and CT have screwed up this project royally. Read this article regarding what could have been with the original developers John Elkington (whose resume includes the very impressive development of Beale St. in Memphis) and Casden Properties (who were booted for wanting to build TOO MUCH housing at AL). Look at what Elkington has accomplished since...

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:pvVKO...;cd=5&gl=us

[mamul]

If Hartford were the size of Charlotte, it would have virtually the same population. And Charlotte (with the exception of pro sports) is a cultural void.

I grew up in Cromwell and now live in Charlotte. Hartford and Charlotte have a lot more in common than one might think, but I completely agree that if Hartford were the same geographic size as Charlotte it would be the same size as Charlotte and I would argue Hartford may actually be larger. Charlotte has terrible urban planning (I think) but stuff is actually getting done here as opposed to Hartford where absolutely nothing seems to get done (with the exception of the Convention Center). Pro sports is a huge difference and the banks employ a lot more employees and put a lot more money into downtown than do the insurance companies in Hartford.