The Monica Conyers Novi Exposition Center

**jhartmich** · May-07-09, 10:06 AM

I'm usually not a big fan of Nolan Finley, but he hit the nail on the head in his blog. Novi should love that Monica is "our treasure." We're so lucky to have talent like that! <barf>

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/n...blog/index.php

**Fnemecek** · May-07-09, 10:19 AM

Yeah, funny thing about Nolan Finley's blog post - I wrote the same in post on this forum a couple of days ago.

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?t=767

diver1369 · May-07-09, 10:43 AM

Nolan ripped you off.

**GREENTROIT** · May-07-09, 10:53 AM

Completely ripped you off.

**heedus** · May-07-09, 11:09 AM

Don't know if he's the type to read DY [[but who knows, he could be Blk_Soul). But regardless, given the sentiments on this thread, I think it's awesome [[and strangely ironic) that his last sentence is "Give credit where it's due."

LodgeDodger · May-07-09, 11:19 AM

Gee F, perhaps you should SUE him! I'm sure no one's uniquely held that thought other than you...

**gnome** · May-07-09, 11:28 AM

Don't want to tip anyone's hand, but Nolan Finley most definitely knows about this forum. Congrats Frank, how does it feel to have your concept seen in newsprint?

**R8RBOB** · May-07-09, 11:40 AM

I don't know guys, but I think all this talk of moving the Auto Show to Novi is a dog and pony show. Finley is trying to sell this notion that the show could really go to Novi. Let's say for $hits and giggles that Detroit sat on their hands and did nothing. Bishop carries out his threat and get some money for expansion of Rock Financial Showcase. Okay, now they have a million sq. ft. and they are ready for the Auto Show. Boom....NAIAS is a success, now what? You have a convention center located in a suburban community that has expanded 4x its size to host an auto show and now you have to sell this suburban convention center to host other conventions to pay for the cost of expansion.

Well, if you Novi or Oakland County you could go after Detroit's conventions at Cobo but you realized that you are no longer in competition with Detroit. Your convention hall is bigger than Cobo. Novi is now going against Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, etc... Now this is the part where Bishop and Patterson are dreading. They would actually have to sell Novi as the place to be without the backing of Detroit. This would be a loser and they know it which is why Bishop is putting the Detroit City Council on the clock to make a deal and get Cobo expanded....IMO

**Fnemecek** · May-07-09, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

Don't want to tip anyone's hand, but Nolan Finley most definitely knows about this forum. Congrats Frank, how does it feel to have your concept seen in newsprint?

Thanks gang. If/when I see Mr. Finley, I will use his blatant rip-off of my material to extract a cocktail or two from him.

**Crumbled_pavement** · May-07-09, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by R8RBOB

They would actually have to sell Novi as the place to be without the backing of Detroit.

The suburbs don't need Detroit. Detroit is just a hinderance to the region.

**Novine** · May-07-09, 04:13 PM

"The suburbs don't need Detroit. Detroit is just a hinderance to the region."

Get a clue. R8RBOB has it exactly right. Major conventions that fill a million square foot facility aren't going to come to Novi for their events. They want to be in urban areas where people can walk from their hotels to the convention center and where there's plenty of places nearby for food, entertainment, cultural sites. That's not Novi now and likely never will be. It's gamesmanship and you're fooling yourself to think otherwise.

**Detroitej72** · May-07-09, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by Fnemecek

Yeah, funny thing about Nolan Finley's blog post - I wrote the same in post on this forum a couple of days ago.

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?t=767

Maybe Finley is taking a cue from Chuckles Le Duff and figures stealing other's ideas is the best way to win some awards.

LodgeDodger · May-07-09, 07:42 PM

Originally Posted by Fnemecek

Thanks gang. If/when I see Mr. Finley, I will use his blatant rip-off of my material to extract a cocktail or two from him.

Oh yeah, as if THAT would ever happen!

Retroit · May-07-09, 08:01 PM

I think there may be hope for Cobo now that Bing is mayor and Ken Cockrel is back on Council. I think L. Brooks Patterson & Lansing are going to give the new regime another chance to make this work.

...I think...

**softailrider** · May-07-09, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by Novine

"The suburbs don't need Detroit. Detroit is just a hinderance to the region."

Get a clue. R8RBOB has it exactly right. Major conventions that fill a million square foot facility aren't going to come to Novi for their events. They want to be in urban areas where people can walk from their hotels to the convention center and where there's plenty of places nearby for food, entertainment, cultural sites. That's not Novi now and likely never will be. It's gamesmanship and you're fooling yourself to think otherwise.

Walking from hotels to Cobo for the Auto Show? In January ? I'm downtown almost every day, I don't see a lot of that. I see walking from Parking lots to Cobo all the time, you can walk from the Ponch [[ or whatever it's called now ) to Cobo since it's only like maybe 100 yards. Other then that, it's not too delightful walking around Downtown in January, maybe I'm missing something, but, I don't see many people doing it.

MIRepublic · May-07-09, 09:55 PM

Never been to the auto show, I take it? There is quite a bit of walking to the auto show from hotels, and even more, the use of the People Mover to get to the show.

**Novine** · May-07-09, 10:09 PM

"Walking from hotels to Cobo for the Auto Show? In January ? "

Yes but that misses the bigger point. A Novi location needs large conventions year-round to be successful. Cobo can't live on the Auto Show alone and neither can a center in Novi. I've been to conventions in a number of cities in the US and I can't think of one where I drove to the convention center. Here's a list of US Convention Centers. Are any of those in the Cobo category located out in the suburbs?

http://www.cvent.com/destination-gui...-centers.shtml

**R8RBOB** · May-07-09, 11:02 PM

Originally Posted by Novine

"Walking from hotels to Cobo for the Auto Show? In January ? "

Yes but that misses the bigger point. A Novi location needs large conventions year-round to be successful. Cobo can't live on the Auto Show alone and neither can a center in Novi. I've been to conventions in a number of cities in the US and I can't think of one where I drove to the convention center. Here's a list of US Convention Centers. Are any of those in the Cobo category located out in the suburbs?

http://www.cvent.com/destination-gui...-centers.shtml

This is why Bishop want Detroit to get back to making a deal.

McCormick Place Chicago 2,700,000

Anyone think Novi can compete with that? We know Detroit at its current size would get swallow whole by the McCormick Place which was visited by the governor and she knows Detroit can't touch Chi-Town in convention space.

That said, even if Oakland Co. got Rock Financial Showcase expanded, they lack one thing that Chicagoland has and Metro Detroit don't have. The "ELs" This is the part where Novine was making a point. Novi have no public transportation. No buses, no trains, no light-rail, nothing. It would be a financial disaster.

**Bloomfield Pills** · May-08-09, 02:26 AM

Originally Posted by Fnemecek

Yeah, funny thing about Nolan Finley's blog post - I wrote the same in post on this forum a couple of days ago.

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?t=767

You honestly think your concept is so unique that nobody else possibly could have thought of it? Seriously?

**rjk** · May-08-09, 05:40 AM

Conyers is the face of the opposition to the Cobo deal and if the Novi center expands it's sarcastically suggested that it should be called the MC Convention center. It's really not that creative of a thought as some of you seem to think.
The people on the 97.1 morning show made the same comment when this became a news story.

Retroit · May-08-09, 11:03 AM

Just for the record, I claim copyright royalties to anything else that is named after Moronica Conyours as a result of her stupidity.

Finally... I'll be rich!

**gnome** · May-08-09, 11:09 AM

I doubt that Fnemecek was serious about the whole NoviMonCon quink-a-dink. I'm sure he just meant to poke a little fun at Finley... you might want to cut him some slack.

**mbr** · May-08-09, 11:14 AM

How 'bout offering to rename Cobo to "Brooks Patterson Center". I wonder if that would make him STFU.

**Irvine Laird** · May-08-09, 01:30 PM

Strong points, R8RBOB. You are right on the money.

Building a 1 million square foot convention center in the suburban tundra of Pontiac or Novi would be a disaster.

I was in Philadelphia last week for a convention that drove home this point. The Pennsylvania Convention Center is a gem. The city restored and renovated the 19th century Reading Railroad terminal and attached it to a modern convention facility. The place isn't only functional and impressive, it is inspiring. There is simply nothing in metro Detroit that compares at the moment.

Philly's other edge is the location of its convention center: In the heart of Center City. My wife and I walked for blocks and blocks and found every street teeming with bars, galleries, restaurants and people everywhere. The city was alive with an electric vibe at all hours. We could walk from the convention center to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Society Hill, and Philly's hopping art and theatre districts. Or we could hop on the subway and ride the rails to the museums and stadiums. Metro Detroit stands a better chance of competing with that if the convention center is in the city--and we all know that even there we have some glaring weaknesses to overcome.

The competition is fierce and we are at a great disadvantage. We must find a way to make it work in Detroit. An Oakland County convention center does not stand much of a chance. Everyone knows it--even Brooks Patterson.

**Gistok** · May-08-09, 02:19 PM

Hmmmm.... I didn't know that Philadelphia had any significant theatre district?

Like Cincinnati and Baltimore... EVERY SINGLE ONE of Philly's historic downtown movie palaces [[the Mastbaum, the Stanley, the Fox, etc) were pounded to rubble decades ago....