Lexington, KY - A comprehensive market and facilities study of the Lexington Convention Center (LCC) concludes that any expansion of convention and meeting space would necessitate a third or even a fourth "convention" hotel in downtown Lexington. The finding, the consensus of national convention and event planning professionals interviewed for the study, may have implications for what takes shape and form in the CentrePointe block and other sections of downtown.
The "Feasibility Analysis of a Potential Expansion of The Lexington Convention Center" conducted by Convention, Sports & Leisure International (CSL) was commissioned by the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau (LCVB). CSL, which has offices in Minneapolis and Dallas is also working with the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau to create a Destination Development Plan for that city.
available here
The 76-page report, (
), comes at time when a task force appointed by Mayor Jim Gray is re-imagining the 46 acre LCC footprint in downtown Lexington.
It also arrives in the early pages of the latest chapter in the ongoing story of CentrePointe: the decision by The Webb Cos., developer of the site, to at least temporarily part ways with Chicago architect Jeanne Gang (developer Dudley Webb insists Gang has not been "fired" from the project as reported and remains indirectly engaged.) Gang had offered a fresh vision of how the block could be developed with a plan that included a boutique hotel versus the larger 200-250 room convention hotel design required by J.W. Marriott
What do the people who plan and book sites for big conventions and exhibitions say it would take to put the Lexington Convention Center on their radar? An additional 400 hotel rooms within walking distance of the Lexington Center to accommodate a recommended modest expansion of the LCC's exhibit and meeting space. Now at 66,000 square feet, the report suggests the addition of at least 34,000 square feet and as much as 59,000 square feet.
Other suggestions include more direct air service into and out of Lexington, a 2500 seat theater venue, and getting rid of the retail and food court space within the Lexington Center to redirect pedestrian traffic into downtown restaurant and retail options.
Those conclusions were reached by CSL researchers after assessing what Lexington now has to offer convention and event planners and what is needed to significantly boost national interest in Lexington as a convention and meeting destination.
The report, presented to the LCVB board in August and now being released to the public, provides the dispassionate views and expertise of the national convention and event professional community concerning what Lexington can do to enhance the city's penetration into the national convention market.
The analysis notes that "Significant discussion is taking place nationally as to how convention centers interact with downtown areas, with emphasis on integrating the building components more effectively into the street grid and surrounding parcels." And the report suggests that future LCC development should "reinvent the internal configuration and use of space (perhaps moving out much of the retail space), and better integrate with the surrounding parcels and properties."
Among its conclusions: Lexington is hobbled by a relative lack of hotel room supply, limited convention space and limited air access. Those negatives are, however, balanced by positive perceptions of the city's desirable geographic location, highway access and its emerging downtown.
The report offers encouragement to the revitalization of downtown areas that has been underway in recent years, noting that "the area surrounding the LCC encompasses an active convention, hotel, restaurant and entertainment district. In addition, there are vibrant close-in neighborhoods including South Hill, Western Suburb, Northside, Gratz Park, Constitution and Woodward Heights that support restaurant, retail and entertainment development and activity within and surrounding the downtown area. Any supportable future convention center development scenarios in Lexington will in some ways be shaped by these conditions."
While the future of the CentrePointe hotel/condo/retail complex remains uncertain, the analysis notes that a third large hotel located within walking distance of the center and in addition to the nearby Hyatt and Hilton hotels is needed. "The average national convention or trade show event with a potential interest in rotating future events to the LCC requires a room block of approximately 1,000 peak night hotel rooms." The report notes, however, that Lexington can offer no more than approximately 600 rooms in its downtown area.
CSL also looked into Convention and Visitors Bureau data concerning events that had indicated interest in Lexington but could not be accommodated for one or more reasons.
"Between 2008 and 2010," the report notes, "the LCVB has tracked events that represented a total of approximately 350,000 room nights that could not be accommodated in Lexington." Hotel room and facility rental rates were the most frequently cited reasons, followed by date availability.
The study offers a wealth of quantitative data and intel at a depth that takes time to fully absorb and process.
But among its qualitative conclusions is the suggestion that what goes on in and around the Lexington Center can influence Lexington's future well beyond the obvious goals of bolstering the local tax base and creating a more desirable destination for visitors and residents by reaching a "Broader level of exposure of the area to corporate and association business executives. In some cases, a convention center can be used to attract events that tie into the targeted industries for economic growth in a community. As events in these sectors are held in a community, business leaders are exposed to the opportunities for business relocation and other initiatives."