Riots ravaging Baltimore, Md. are threatening to ruin the city’s record year of scheduled conventions.
Visit Baltimore, the city’s official sales and marketing organization, says a record 29 conventions are booked for 2015:
“Baltimore will host a record 29 citywide conventions in 2015, marking a great start to the meetings and convention calendar and building upon a successful year for tourism in 2014 that saw both hotel occupancy and rates reach pre-recession highs. In calendar year 2015, Baltimore will welcome more than 206,000 citywide convention attendees who will utilize more than 214,000 hotel room nights and generate an estimated economic impact of $138 million.”
But, cancellations due to the riots now threaten that record – and the $138 million those conventions were expected to contribute to the city’s economy.
The Door and Hardware Institute’s (DHI) 2015 CoNEXTions convention, scheduled to run April 29-May 1, has been cancelled due to the riots:
“If you have seen the national news tonight the city of Baltimore is experiencing violent demonstrations after the funeral today of Freddie Gray. The Governor of Maryland has declared a State of Emergency bringing in the National Guard to support the Baltimore police and there are planned protests at City Hall on Wednesday which is in close proximity to the convention center.
“The DHI Board of Governors has discussed this issue in great detail this evening, with the overriding concern of the safety of our attendees while at our event in Baltimore. With that primary concern in mind they have unanimously decided to cancel CoNEXTions 2015 in Baltimore.”
Likewise, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) has cancelled its May 5-7 cyber-security symposium, which it plans to reschedule at an undetermined date:
"The safety of symposium participants has been our highest priority as we’ve examined all options for this event. After conferring with the convention center, city officials and mission partners, AFCEA has decided to reschedule the Defensive Cyber Operations Symposium. We appreciate your patience as we determine and publish further details and apologize for any inconvenience. Additional information will be available on this website."
The May 1-3 Partnership Summit to Elevate Women's Leadership (It's Time 2015) has also been cancelled due to safety concerns:
"As you know, the current situation in Baltimore, resulting from the tragic death of Freddie Gray, remains volatile. Our hearts break open as we witness what is unfolding in a community that has already suffered so much pain.
"After careful consideration for the safety and well-being of everyone planning to attend It’s Time 2015 this weekend, we have determined that the summit in Baltimore must be cancelled.
"Given that the Governor of Maryland has declared a State of Emergency and has brought in the National Guard to support the Baltimore police, and given that there are planned protests over the weekend that will be in close proximity to the Convention Center and our guest hotels, we really have no choice but to cancel the summit at this time."
Ironically, the National Sheriffs’ Association conference is scheduled for the Baltimore Convention Center – but, not until June 26th.