Page 3 - PCCA-Year-In-Review

LEADERSHIP MESSAGE
The mission of the Pennsylvania Convention
Center is to serve as an economic engine for the
Greater Philadelphia region’s hospitality industry by
attracting and hosting major conventions, meetings,
and events in our state-of-the-art convention
facility.

Through the strength and leadership of the Board Gregory J. Fox
of Directors and executive team, we enhanced
the competitiveness of the Center in 2014 by
implementing a new Customer Satisfaction
Agreement (CSA) that modernized work rules
and expanded rights for exhibitors at our facility.
In addition, world-class facility operator SMG
officially assumed responsibility for overseeing
the management and operations of the facility in
December 2013.

The four trade unions that meet the labor needs
of our customers are embracing the new CSA work
rules and increasing their focus on hospitality. This
concerted effort to deliver a positive customer
experience has sparked renewed interest among
meeting and show planners to return to Philadelphia.

The positive changes have resulted in a dramatic
increase in bookings. Between May 2014 and
January 2015, the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Joshua D. Shapiro

T Bureau (PHLCVB) has booked 28 major events and
meetings at the building for future years. These new
bookings are projected to attract more than 580,000
attendees from around the world to Philadelphia,
fill over 560,000 hotel room nights, and generate a
regional economic impact of more than $872 million.

We expect more great news on event bookings in the
coming year. PHLCVB has an additional 37 tentative
major bookings in the works. In February 2015, we
learned that Philadelphia successfully secured the
2016 Democratic National Convention.

As you read this Year in Review, we hope you can John J. McNichol
gain a greater understanding of the vital role the
Center plays in attracting millions of visitors to the
Greater Philadelphia region each year, driving the area’s economy and
sustaining tens of thousands of hospitality jobs.

Just as important, we encourage you to consider how you can support
our efforts in bringing international, national, and state organizations
with whom you are involved to the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Gregory J. Fox Joshua D. Shapiro
Chairman Vice Chairman
Pennsylvania Convention Center Pennsylvania Convention Center

John J. McNichol
President and CEO
Pennsylvania Convention Center

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