http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2007/0 ... 70ab95.txt
Lake County convention center idea pushed
Saturday, June 30, 2007 12:19 AM CDT
BY MARTIN ZABELL
Times Correspondent
HAMMOND | The Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau plans to hire a consultant to help determine what sort of convention center would best serve the area.
"There's no better return to this community than a convention center,'' said bureau president Speros Batistatos. "Our hotels need the business.''
Earlier this week, the bureau's board unanimously adopted a resolution to seek proposals that would provide officials with "the information, metrics and economic analysis needed to further advocate this important economic development initiative.''
Basically, the bureau wants to look at consultants' proposals and hire the one it believes offers the best plan to study how a convention center
could help the county. A consultant could analyze the cost and projected revenues of building a center at various sites, how large it should be, what events various-sized facilities would lure, and how much they would help nearby retailers, hotels, and restaurants.
"The construction of such a facility would generate many thousands of jobs, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars of additional spending in our industry's hotels, motels, restaurants, attractions, retail and supply services,'' the resolution states.
Batistatos said the local business community supports a center, but acknowledged it needs more political support among municipal officials to become a reality. He said a study would show leaders and residents the benefits of having such a facility.
"Once we get ready, we'll pretty much enjoy broad-based support,'' he predicted, adding he believes the Genesis Civic Center in Gary is more of a sports arena than a convention center and the county's economic growth makes building a facility viable.
Batistatos said he believes a local facility would attract the kinds of local car, boat and antique shows that the one in Fort Wayne lures, as well as "large events'' sponsored by local and national governmental and nonprofit organizations that take place in Indianapolis.
"I see (a Lake County facility) holding a number of large conventions that are small to Indianapolis, but would be large to us,'' he added.
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