After more than a year of planning, San Diego’s hospitality community is set to roll out a warm San Diego welcome to the nation’s top meeting planners attending the 2008 American Society of Association Executives & The Center for Association Leadership’s (ASAE & The Center) Annual Meeting and Exposition August 16 -19 at the San Diego Convention Center. Nearly 7,000 attendees are expected.
Considered the “Super Bowl” of conventions, local hospitality stakeholders have pulled-out all the stops to ensure San Diego shines in the eyes of these important decision-makers. Hosting this prestigious event in San Diego brings an immediate $31.2 million in economic impact, but more importantly, can help secure more than $1 billion in future meeting and convention business. According to ASAE & The Center, the host city can expect 20 percent of executives attending the annual meeting to book their own meeting in the host city over the next 5 years.
“On behalf of all of San Diego, America’s Finest City, I want to extend a warm welcome to attendees arriving for ASAE & The Center’s 2008 Annual Meeting and Exposition,” said Mayor Jerry Sanders. “San Diego has become a world-class convention and meeting destination and nothing sells San Diego better than having meeting planners experience first-hand all that our great city has to offer. We invite them to come for the convention, and stay for the vacation,” he added. The visitor industry is San Diego’s third-largest industry pouring nearly $8 billion into the local economy.
“We are doing everything to ensure those who attend the events planned for them will want to book their next meeting or convention in San Diego,” said Carol Wallace, president and CEO of the San Diego Convention Center Corporation. “Given the current economy, hosting ASAE & The Center in San Diego couldn’t have come at a more ideal time.”
Representatives from a broad cross-section of the hospitality community, including hotels, major attractions, the San Diego Convention Center Corporation, San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, Port of San Diego, San Diego Regional Airport Authority, San Diego Tourism Promotion Corporation, U.S. Navy, caterers, artists, entertainers and event producers have all been meeting to ensure San Diego gets a solid return on its investment for hosting ASAE & The Center’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.
“San Diego’s hospitality community and public sector partners have come together to showcase the destination’s many offerings, all of which make San Diego a tough act to beat,” said David Peckinpaugh, president & CEO of the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Incredible venues and attractions throughout the region and a track record for community collaboration make San Diego the ideal meeting site for groups of all sizes,” he added.
Since last hosting ASAE in 1999, San Diego has transformed into a world-class convention and meeting destination with new attractions like PETCO Park; The USS Midway Museum (host of the Food and Wine Classic on Monday night); The New Children’s Museum; Balboa Theater; and the evolution of the Gaslamp District with dozens of new restaurants and shops.
Attendees will see an expanded Convention Center; the restored historic U.S. Grant Hotel; a transformed Marriott Gaslamp; and a remodeled Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in Mission Valley. In addition, thousands of new hotel rooms have been added including the second tower of the Manchester Grand Hyatt, the Omni Hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel, the Hotel Solamar, the Ivy Hotel; and the soon-to-open Hilton San Diego Bayfront, as well as new hotel product throughout the greater San Diego region.
“We are pleased to support what promises to be a spectacular celebration and unprecedented business development opportunity for the San Diego community, said Lorin Stewart, executive director of the San Diego Tourism Promotion Corporation. “In our view, San Diego’s hotel industry and the local economy stand to gain significantly, both short-term and long-term.”
Three major events are planned to welcome these important visitors:
• North Embarcadero Park Opening Reception, Saturday, 8/16, 4:30 – 7:30 PM: Themed “San Diego DiverseCity,” guests will sample San Diego’s diverse communities and cultures, regional cuisines and colorful attractions like Old Town, Little Italy, Mexico and the area’s bays and beaches.
• ASAE Food & Wine Classic, Monday, 8/18, 6 – 10 PM: The USS Midway Museum, the longest serving aircraft carrier in U.S. Navy history, will be the backdrop for a fund raising event and exciting evening of great food, fine wine, live music, entertainment and a live auction;
• Gaslamp Block Party Closing Reception, Tuesday, 8/19, 7 – 10 PM: As the convention winds down, delegates will take part in a spectacular block party in downtown’s historic Gaslamp Quarter, where six city blocks lined with restaurants, bars, retail shops and star-studded entertainment on multiple outdoor stages will provide a dynamic setting for enjoying nightlife San Diego-style.
# # #
|
