Hartford Courant
Published on January 20, 2008

The Connecticut Convention Center has now been open for 2 1/2 years, and the news is positive. Average attendance at conventions is growing, as is the number of nights spent in Hartford-area hotels. A single convention last summer drew nearly 10,000 aviation enthusiasts and put an estimated $10 million into the Greater Hartford economy.

These numbers affirm the premise behind the convention center project: that Hartford would draw meetings. It’s important to keep the momentum going. Two things would help: better transportation, especially between downtown and Bradley International Airport, and another hotel near the convention center. Continue reading “We Built It; They Came” »

Facility Draws Repeat Customers, Increases Business For Area Hotels
By Jeffrey B. Cohen, Hartford Courant
Published on January 13, 2008

Boat and car shows are growing, average convention attendance is on the rise, and more people have stayed in Hartford area hotels during the first 30 months of operation at the Connecticut Convention Center.

There are challenges — the open earth that promises to be Front Street, the crippling cost of electricity, and the relatively small number of hotel rooms that makes landing a mega-convention in Hartford a reach. Continue reading “Convention Center Delivers” »