| PHILADELPHIA - Jan. 28, 2005 -- The Philadelphia
Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB) today released the convention schedule
for 2005; 550 meetings and conventions will generate more than 577,000
total room nights for Philadelphia and almost a half billion in economic
impact.
The largest conventions in Philadelphia during 2005 include the
-
Risk & Insurance Management Society, April 18-22 (23,986 total room
nights);
-
AIIM ON DEMAND, May 11-22 (10,907 total room nights);
-
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), June 19-22 (23,675 total room
nights);
-
American Dental Association, October 6-10 (32,869 total room nights);
-
American Society of Nephrology, November 10-13 (31,752 total room nights);
and American Academy of Religion, November 17-21 (16,689 total room nights).
"Many of the conventions that will be held in Philadelphia in 2005 are
new customers and we look forward to hosting them and ensuring that they
become repeat customers," said Jack Ferguson, vice president of the convention
division at the PCVB. "The outreach of the PCVB's three specialized congresses
- Multicultural Affairs Congress, Greater Philadelphia Health Care Congress
and Philadelphia Sports Congress - helped to book these new meetings and
conventions, and will continue to play a major role in the region's hospitality
industry this year."
Here is a look at some of the larger PCVB-booked meetings and conventions
occurring at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in 2005:
| Convention |
Dates |
Total Attendance |
Hotel Room Nights |
Economic Impact
|
| American Economic Association |
January 7-9 |
8,000 |
15,741 |
$24,459,720 |
| US Lacrosse |
January 13-16 |
4,500 |
2,496 |
$4,632,604 |
| Buyers Market of American Craft |
February, 18-21 |
10,000 |
5,510 |
$8,455,736 |
| American Society on Aging |
March 10-13 |
4,000 |
7,937 |
$9,597,840 |
| EMS Today |
March 19-22 |
2,500 |
4,170 |
$5,753,081 |
| National Catholic Education Association |
March 25 -April 1 |
7,000 |
12,924 |
$18,238,860 |
| SAS Users Group International |
April 5-16 |
3,000 |
7,971 |
$9,270,623 |
| Risk & Insurance Management Society Incorporated |
April 18-22 |
8,000 |
23,986 |
$26,930,790 |
| Advanstar Communications |
May 11-22 |
16,000 |
15,000 |
$20,251,245 |
| Science Applications International Corporation |
June 8-12 |
2,200 |
6,633 |
$8,707,776 |
| National Forensic League |
June 11-18 |
3,000 |
10,800 |
$8,087,160 |
| Biotechnology Industry Organization |
June 19-22 |
15,000 |
23,675 |
$34,755,180 |
| International Society for Technology in Education |
June 23 - July 2 |
11,000 |
21,430 |
$26,970,405 |
| US Department of Labor / Workforce Innovation |
July 11-13 |
3,000 |
4,140 |
$6,193,620 |
| National Council of La Raza |
July 16-21 |
15,000 |
5,500 |
$8,245,620 |
| Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing |
July 24-27 |
2,500 |
6,260 |
$8,948,430 |
| American Sociological Association |
August, 13-17 |
4,800 |
8,330 |
$10,761,885 |
| Health Industry Distributors Association |
September, 15-18 |
4,000 |
3,660 |
$7,429,736 |
| National Association of Broadcasters |
September, 21-22 |
5,000 |
3,488 |
$7,009,005 |
| North American Spine Society |
September 26 - October 1 |
7,000 |
8,052 |
$9,717,930 |
| American Dental Association |
October, 6-10 |
15,000 |
36,555 |
$39,086,653 |
| International Facility Management Association |
October, 18-26 |
6,000 |
7,440 |
$10,493,700 |
| American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation |
October, 26-30 |
2,500 |
4,495 |
$5,634,735 |
| National Middle School Association |
November 2-5 |
9,000 |
9,792 |
$13,373,625 |
| American Society of Nephrology |
November,10-13 |
12,000 |
31,752 |
$32,822,025 |
| American Association for Cancer Research |
November, 15-18 |
2,200 |
7,136 |
$8,897,130 |
| American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature |
November, 17-21 |
9,000 |
17,865 |
$22,841,325 |
| National Staff Development Council |
December, 2-7 |
2,000 |
6,450 |
$7,442,775 |
.
The Multicultural Affairs Congress (MAC), expects another big multicultural
year for collaborative initiatives in 2005. First, the National Council
of La Raza (NCLR) will return to Philadelphia this July as this year's
largest multicultural convention. This annual meeting will arrive July
16 and attract more than 15,000 attendees. Family reunions will serve up
a big finish for the 2005 summer season with its steady increase of nearly
30 PCVB - booked family reunions confirmed to date.
Another division of the PCVB, the Greater Philadelphia Health Care Congress
(GPHCC), serves as a liaison between Philadelphia's extensive health care
community and the many professional societies and associations that may
consider the city for future meetings and conventions. Highlights for the
GPHCC in 2005 include the American Dental Association, the American Society
of Nephrology as well as the North American Spine Society. The PCVB is
also working with biotechnology leaders throughout the region in preparation
for the BIO conference in June. BIO is the largest gathering of biotechnology
industry leaders in the world who are involved in the research and development
of health-care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology
products. Approximately 80 percent of the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry
is located within a 50-mile radius of Philadelphia.
"BIO's conference is a great example of a new piece of business that
brings with it growth opportunity for continued convention bookings and
for business statewide," said Ferguson. "The tri-state region's biotechnology
companies, government agencies and non-profit organizations all have a
vested interest in this convention and are working together to ensure that
attendees not only have a great experience while in Philadelphia, but that
they understand the region's biotechnology strengths."
The PCVB's Philadelphia Sports Congress (PSC) will host the largest
NCAA championship, the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships this May. Expected
total attendance over the three-day Memorial Day weekend will be 120,000,
generating an economic impact of $25 million. In 2005, PSC will again produce
the greatest rivalry in sports, the Army/Navy Game, on December 3. This
year marks the 79th Army/Navy Game played in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), www.pcvb.org,
a private non-profit corporation, is the City of Philadelphia's primary
sales and marketing organization. The mission of the PCVB is to market
Philadelphia as a convention, meeting and visitor destination to regional,
national and international audiences. Focusing on the meetings and conventions
business and the travel trade, the PCVB's sales force works diligently
to increase the city's hotel occupancy and average daily rate, while concurrently
affecting other segments of the hospitality industry.
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