Article On Cobo's Future

[emu steve]

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/bus...nter/79145190/

Interesting...

[401don]

I would hope they would show some marketing research to back up the need for expansion based on additional bookings they believe they could obtain. It's clearly not for the auto show which didn't fill the existing space this year. The largest venues in the country often run 2-3 shows simultaneously. There are very few bookings that use all of a center's space. Does Detroit feel it could do this with more space? I don't recall any double bookings at Cobo recently that used all of the existing space.

[Zads07]

1. Probably a great idea to add more space to compete with some of the top convention centers in the United States. It currently has 2,400,000 sq. ft. but only tops out at 722,500 sq. ft. of exhibition space and that's good for 17th in the country. McCormick Place in Chicago has 2,670,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space and that tops the list.

2. With the resurgence of the city, more conventions are expected to come [[mind you this article is from this past July).

3. [[and my opinions) I love the idea of extending 3rd street to the river. The demolition of Joe Louis Arena should bring on an expansion hopefully for Cobo, but who knows with the company that has the rights to the land after it's demolished. Adding a luxury hotel with space connected to Cobo would be super helpful for future conventions.

[drjeff]

1. Probably a great idea to add more space to compete with some of the top convention centers in the United States. It currently has 2,400,000 sq. ft. but only tops out at 722,500 sq. ft. of exhibition space and that's good for 17th in the country. McCormick Place in Chicago has 2,670,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space and that tops the list.

2. With the resurgence of the city, more conventions are expected to come [[mind you this article is from this past July).

3. [[and my opinions) I love the idea of extending 3rd street to the river. The demolition of Joe Louis Arena should bring on an expansion hopefully for Cobo, but who knows with the company that has the rights to the land after it's demolished. Adding a luxury hotel with space connected to Cobo would be super helpful for future conventions.

Cobo has a huge location advantage over McCormick Place. Cobo is in the middle of downtown, with numerous hotels, bars, restaurants, etc. nearby. McCormick Place is nowhere near the desirable parts of Chicago. I went to a conference there about 15 years ago and it required a 30+ minute bus ride each way from the major hotels. This was a huge conference of nearly 10,000 people and everyone was so irritated that it has never been in Chicago again. Chicago is a great city to visit but the convention center sucks.

[Chicago48]

Cobo has a huge location advantage over McCormick Place. Cobo is in the middle of downtown, with numerous hotels, bars, restaurants, etc. nearby. McCormick Place is nowhere near the desirable parts of Chicago. I went to a conference there about 15 years ago and it required a 30+ minute bus ride each way from the major hotels. This was a huge conference of nearly 10,000 people and everyone was so irritated that it has never been in Chicago again. Chicago is a great city to visit but the convention center sucks.

15 Years is a longggg time ago. McCormick place has a hotel next door. They're building a sports stadium two blocks away. There's Northern Island behind it an outdoor concert venue. As for bus rides....CTA is one of the top 5 transit agencies, buses run by McCormick ALL THE TIME like clockwork. Transportation is NO problem, esp. with Uber there and cabs parked outside.

However, what Cobo/Detroit has that Chicago doesn't is - low cost. Low taxes. Low hotel room costs. Low parking rates. Conventions are always looking for low cost locations, and Chicago is going to be lost in the dust if they keep raising taxes.

[Detroit500]

Whatever resolution I hope the taxpayers will not be on the hook.