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By the numbers:
$280 billion — Direct spending in conventions and meetings industry in 2012
1.78 million — Employment in conventions and meetings industry in 2012
$38 billion— Tourism spending in Ohio in 2013
195 million — Visitors to Ohio in 2013
Sources: Convention Industry Council, TourismOhio
A major statewide tourism conference coming to Springfield this month is expected to draw more than 300 people and bring $350,000 in revenue to the community.
Springfield beat out Cincinnati and Columbus to host the 2014 Ohio Travel Association Conference on Tourism Oct. 15 to 17.
“Any conference of this size is exactly what we’re looking to bring to Springfield,” said Chris Schutte, director of marketing and the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau for the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.
Mary Cusick, director of TourismOhio, came to Springfield this week to tour several sites ahead of the conference. Ohio’s $38 billion tourism industry is gaining momentum as travellers become more comfortable spending on road trips and overnight stays, Cusik said.
She visited several sites, including the Westcott House and Springfield Museum of Art, and said the city has a good mix of arts and culture to attract visitors.
“It’s all about an authentic experience with consumers and it’s no different in Springfield,” Cusick said.
The conference will draw a range of participants, from travel experts to hotel operators and representatives of convention and visitors’s bureaus from across the state.
“This is really the whole scope of tourism in Ohio,” he said.
The chamber of commerce has made a push in recent years to draw conventions to downtown Springfield, which it is marketing as the National Road Convention District. Venues in the district include the Courtyard by Marriott and Clark State’s Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center.
Schutte credited Clark State and Courtyard for helping make the pitch to bring the statewide tourism event to Springfield.
A recent report for the Convention Industry Council showed the convention business is a billion-dollar industry. The travel conference this month could lead to about 700 room nights set aside at downtown hotels, Schutte estimated.
The report, prepared by Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, reviewed the economic impact of conventions, trade shows, corporate business meetings and exhibitions. Conventions and trade shows made up about 40 percent of that impact, the report shows.
The convention industry also supported 5.3 million jobs nationwide in 2012, the report showed. It also showed a roughly 10 percent increase in participation in conventions and similar events between 2009 and 2012. Direct spending also increased from $263 billion in 2009 to $280 billion in 2012, a sign of economic recovery in the industry.
The tourism industry, which is separate, is also picking up as the economy recovers, Cusick said.
Tourism spending statewide was $36 billion in 2012 and increased to $38 billion last year.
A report from Oxford Economics released earlier this year also showed Clark County has seen a 13 percent increase in tourism compared to two years ago. The report showed tourism contributes about $368 million per year to Clark County’s economy.
The Ohio Travel Association Conference will not only bring revenue to the county from hotel stays, Schutte said, but it could also bring more attention to some of the attractions Clark County has to offer.
“Not only are you getting the impact of the conference itself but then you’re getting that second and third level impact from the fact that these are travel and tourism professionals,” Schutte said. “They are in the business of promoting destinations and for them to be here and get exposed to what we have you have to think that has some exponential reach.”
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