But it does get into time as a currency. And what happens there is, the person has limited time, so he or she would explore 392 2/21/07 RULES - Bills 070006, 08 through Delaware Avenue or Columbus Boulevard as opposed to going 60 miles east.
Yes. Our 9 Convention Center expansion program, we 10 already have a certain number of 11 bookings for the expanded facility. 12 Have any of those bookings been based on 13 the notion that we may have gaming in the City of Philadelphia?
No, that has not been a determining factor as to why that convention could come.
So our Convention Center business is doing well. 393 2/21/07 RULES - Bills 070006, 08 through 2
Well 4 enough that we need to expand. We 5 already have bookings four years out, or 6 whatever the day is -- I can't remember 7 since I haven't been at a board meeting 8 in the last couple of months. 9 But the point I'm trying to 10 make is, it may be an amenity; I will 11 grant you that. 12
But it is not a deal-breaker for the Convention Center expansion, nor will we lose any customers as a result us not having gaming facilities. (Applause.)
But for the revenues that are anticipated coming from the casinos, we may not be able to build the expanded convention center.
That's correct. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: That is 394 2/21/07 RULES - Bills 070006, 08 through the major critical issue with the gaming.
And I 5 understand that, I understand that 6 perfectly. But I just didn't want 7 anyone to be of the impression that this 8 is an amenity that without this amenity, 9 we will not do conventions in this town 10 going forward. 11
The danger, though, is without the expansion, there's millions of dollars of business that we enjoy as a city that will not return to the City 'cause we (inaudible).
Well, that's part of the debate that we can have all day is, what about the restaurants and the other entertainment venues that we currently have; will there be a negative impact on those businesses? 395 2/21/07 RULES - Bills 070006, 08 through Are we shifting the economy or the disposable income from one section 4 to another section of town to another section of town? And who benefits at the end of the day? Thank you.
Thank 9 you. 10 Yes. The Chair recognizes 11 Councilwoman Brown. 12
13 Yes. We've spent some dialogue on community expansion. Let's rewind back to the building of the first Convention Center, where there was volumes of unrest and thinking of what the City would or would not be were the center built. And so let's just rewind and place ourselves there. I clearly remember sentiments saying that the small businesses on that corridor would -- would die and that the world would not be better because of the building of the Convention Center. 396 2/21/07 RULES - Bills 070006, 08 through Let's fast-forward to where we are now. What would you say has been the yield of the building of the center?
Well, that's a 10 great -- I have a very good answer for 11 that. 12 Just take yourself back 13 years and tell me what Philadelphia 14 looked like at 5 o'clock at night with the old Civic Center in operation. The fact that the Convention Center was built in the very center of the city and that it has created a walkable city with hotels that are in easy access to that center has made the development of Philadelphia where National Geographic rates it as the next emerging city. It's a critical component, and it's really -- the Pennsylvania 397 2/21/07 RULES - Bills 070006, 08 through Convention Center is the economic engine that is driving the hospitality industry, regardless of whether it's meetings and conventions or tourism or even business travelers. Business travelers used to come into Philadelphia and not stay overnight. They would come in from New York and go back to New York that night. From Washington, they would come up and they would go back, or what they would do is, they would train it on to New York or train it to Washington, D.C., the opposite end and not stay in Philadelphia. The fact that 1,300,000 people pass through the doors of the existing Pennsylvania Convention Center on an annual basis has made this a better city not only for tourism but for the residents and the business community at-large. (Applause.)
398 2/21/07 RULES - Bills 070006, 08 through Are there any lessons learned from that circumstance? Because in this instance, the issue of keeping the community whole clearly has not manifested itself in a way that we can be proud of. So what lessons can we take from that when we look to see that we have a community that legitimately has some real concerns about what's before. Us? UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: The absolute beginnings --