A 2004 picture of the Baltimore Convention Center

The Baltimore Convention Center is a convention and exhibition hall located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. It is managed and operated by the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association, a semi-private association started in 1980 by former Baltimore mayor William Donald Schaefer. The facility was constructed in two separate phases: the original Center, with 425,000 square feet of exhibition and meeting space, opened in August 1979 at a cost of $51.4 million. A $151 mllion expansion, which increased the Center's total size to 1.225 million square feet, was completed in April 1997. [1] Construction has begun on a convention center headquarters hotel (the Hilton Baltimore) directly across from the western-half of the Baltimore Convention Center that will be connected via an enclosed skywalk bridge. The hotel will have 752 rooms and a large amount of meeting space that event planners who have events in the Baltimore Convention Center can use for overflow space. The Hilton Baltimore hotel is planned to open in August of 2008. Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ... The Baltimore Area Convention & Visitors Association (BACVA) is a quasi-public organization started in 1980 by then-Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaffer. ... Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ... Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ... Aramark Corporation (NYSE: RMK) is a professional services organization, providing food services, facilities management, hospitality services, and uniforms and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, businesses, prisons, senior living facilities, parks and resorts, correctional institutions, conference centers, convention centers, and public safety professionals... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Maldives the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Maldives the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Maldives the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Maldives the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Maldives the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ... Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Maldives the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37°53N to 39°43N  - Longitude 75°4W to 79°33... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Maldives the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ... Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Maldives the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ... Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ... Nickname: Location of Seattle in King County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King County Incorporated December 2 1869 Government  - Type Mayor-council  - Mayor Greg Nickels (NP) Area  - City  142. ... Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ... Nickname: Location of Seattle in King County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King County Incorporated December 2 1869 Government  - Type Mayor-council  - Mayor Greg Nickels (NP) Area  - City  142. ... Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ... Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ... Towson is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. ... Motto: Progressio Per Populum (Progress Through People) Location of Laurel in Maryland Coordinates: Country United States State Maryland County Prince Georges County Incorporated 1870 Mayor Craig A. Moe City Council Ward 1: Janis L. Robison Ward1: Gayle Snyder Ward2: Frederick Smalls (Pr. ... Greeley is a city in Weld County, Colorado, United States. ... A picture of the Baltimore Convention Center as viewed from a skywalk leading from the Inner Harbor that I took in 2004. ... A picture of the Baltimore Convention Center as viewed from a skywalk leading from the Inner Harbor that I took in 2004. ... Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ... The Baltimore Area Convention & Visitors Association (BACVA) is a quasi-public organization started in 1980 by then-Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaffer. ... William Donald Schaefer (born November 2, 1921) is an American politician who served in public office for 50 years at both the state and local level in Maryland. ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

As was the case with Harborplace, which opened in 1980; the Maryland Science Center, which opened in 1976; and the National Aquarium in Baltimore, which opened in 1981, the Convention Center was intended to be a catalyst for tourism, an important part of the City's post-manufacturing economic development plans. An Abell Foundation report in June, 2005 describes the Convention Center as having been "built as an economic development tool to attract to Baltimore conventions, trade shows, and meetings that would leave in the city millions of dollars spent on lodging, food, entertainment, and other services." (Controversy, 2005, p. 3) A report on economic development in the area, entitled Subsidizing the Low Road: Economic Development in Baltimore, states that "public and non-profit facilities such as the Maryland Science Center, the World Trade Center, the Convention Center, and the National Aquarium," (Subsidizing, 2002, p. 11) were part of then-mayor Schaefer's "focus on real estate, retailing and tourism sectors," (p. 10) as areas for growth, as well as his utilization of "'public/private partnerships' to pursue economic development." (p. 11) Harborplace is a festival marketplace in Baltimore, Maryland, that opened in 1980 as a centerpiece of the revival of downtown Baltimore. ... The Maryland Science Center opened to the public in 1976, with 3 levels of exhibits and a planetarium. ... The National Aquarium in Baltimore (angular building, rear right, and 2005 extension to its left) lies near historic ships in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, including USS Torsk and Lightship Chesapeake. ... Located on the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland, the Baltimore World Trade Center is the worlds tallest equilateral five-sided building (the five-sided JPMorganChase Tower in Houston, Texas is taller, but has unequal sides). ...

During the next two decades, due in part to the success of the Convention Center and the other attractions, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards, M&T Bank Stadium, Power Plant Live!, and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History, have joined the area, creating a ten-block plus entertainment and cultural destination at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, further increasing tourist dollars flowing into the region. Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a baseball stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland ( ), which was constructed to replace the aging Memorial Stadium. ... M&T Bank Stadium is the home to the Baltimore Ravens, Baltimores National Football League franchise. ... Power Plant Live! is a collection of bars and clubs in the Inner Harbor section of downtown Baltimore, Maryland. ... The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and iconic landmark of the City of Baltimore. ...

A June 2005 Greater Baltimore Committee report on tourism in Baltimore illustrates the importance of tourism in the current Baltimore region's economy:

Hospitality and tourism and the convention industry are vital components of the region’s economy. According to the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association (BACVA), spending from domestic travelers in 2002 was $8.476 billion statewide; $2.8 billion in Baltimore alone. This spending supported $719 million in state and local taxes while providing over 44,000 regional jobs.(Voices, 2005)

One convention that has been reported by the Baltimore Business Journal to have had a major economic impact in 2002-2005 for Baltimore is Otakon, a convention that focuses on Anime and other facets of East Asian culture. The convention has resided in the Baltimore Convention Center since 1999. Otakon is a fan convention focusing on the art of anime and manga, East Asian culture, and its fandom. ...

The Convention Center is also viewed as important to the recent development on Baltimore's West Side. According to Ronald M. Kreitner, executive director of West Side Renaissance Inc., the "Convention Center will help contribute to the success of the theatres and the retail," referring to the development of the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center/Hippodrome Theatre, as well as new retail ventures in the area. (Renaissance, 2003)

Convention Center Hotel and Future of the Convention Center

However, despite the continuing growth and redevelopment in the area, the expanded Convention Center has not met expectations with respect to the number of conventions and people it attracts each year. Quoted in a 2004 Baltimore Sun article, Irene E. Van Sant, then-manager of the Convention Center Hotel Project for the Baltimore Development Corporation, remarked that the Convention Center "has not lived up to its potential. There are many reasons, but we believe a major reason is the lack of a convention hotel in close proximity." (Revive, 2005) The Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) is a nonprofit corporation chartered by the City of Baltimore, Maryland to act as its economic development representative by providing development assistance to new and expanding companies inside Baltimore. ...

Thus some -- most notably Baltimore's former Mayor and now Governor of Maryland Martin O'Malley -- feel that a hotel adjacent to the Convention Center will make it a more appealing site for conventions. The completed construction of a new Washington Convention Center, as well as groundbreaking for the National Harbor project in Prince George's County, have intensified the debate. Martin Joseph OMalley (born January 18, 1963) is a Democratic politician and the 61st and current Governor of Maryland. ... The Washington Convention Center is a new, 2. ... The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center is a large hotel and convention center under construction in National Harbor, Maryland, and owned by Gaylord Hotels, a division of Gaylord Entertainment Company. ... Prince Georges County is a suburban county located in the state of Maryland immediately east of Washington, D.C.. It is notable as the wealthiest majority-African-American county in the country. ...

In general, supporters of a convention hotel say that for the Convention Center to be viable in the future, and compete with other cities for conventions, a new, "Headquarters" hotel is necessary to guarantee enough rooms for group meetings. Opponents of the hotel project have either questioned the necessity of a new hotel altogether, or objected to the use of public dollars to finance the project.

The Baltimore Convention Center hotel broke ground in February 2006. The hotel's name is Hilton Baltimore, and it will be connected to the Baltimore Convention Center. Baltimore City used public revenue bonds to cover the $301.7 million cost of building the hotel, which will have 752 rooms and will become the city's largest hotel. It is expected to open in August 2008.

(See Baltimore Convention Center Hotel Project for more details regarding the Convention Center hotel). Baltimore Convention Center Hotel Project: Baltimore City is trying to bring a convention center hotel into fruition. ...

Location

The Baltimore Convention Center is located within a superblock bounded by Charles Street, Pratt Street, Conway Street, and Howard Streets, the east and west halfs of the Baltimore Convention Center is linked by an enclosed skywalk bridge over Sharp Street. The total land area of the Baltimore Convention Center is 608,968 SF, or 13.980 acres and the total enclosed area for the Baltimore Convention Center is 400,000 SF. [2]

Address

1 West Pratt Street (corner of Pratt and S. Charles Street)
Baltimore, Maryland 21201

Maryland Transit Administration's Light Rail Stop for the Baltimore Convention Center

The west end of the facility—corner of Pratt and Howard Street—is served by the Pratt Street Light Rail Stop of the Maryland Transit Administration's light rail system, providing direct links to both BWI Airport and Baltimore Penn Station (MARC Penn Line and Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains). The Maryland Transit Administration, better known as MTA Maryland to avoid confusion with other cities transit agencies who share the initials MTA, is a state operated transit service. ... Light rail at BWI station The Baltimore Light Rail is a small light rail network serving Baltimore, Maryland and the surrounding suburbs. ... Baltimore/Washington International Airport serves the Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, DC metro-region. ... Pennsylvania Station (generally referred to as Penn Station) is the main train station in Baltimore, Maryland. ... MARC, prior to 1984 known as Maryland Rail Commuter Service, is a Regional rail system comprising three lines in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. ... Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle, Washington Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation). ... Most of the NEC (those sections shown in red, except Boston to the Rhode Island state line) is owned by Amtrak. ...

Maryland Transit Administration's Bus stop for the Baltimore Convention Center

A major Maryland Transit Administration bus stop is located at the intersection of Pratt & Sharp Streets in front of the Baltimore Convention Center, near the western—half of the Baltimore Convention Center (Pratt Street Entrance).

Maryland Transit Administration's nearby MARC Rail stop for the Baltimore Convention Center

The Camden Yards Light Rail Stop and Camden Line (MARC) station are also within walking distance of the facility. MARC, prior to 1984 known as Maryland Rail Commuter Service, is a Regional rail system comprising three lines in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. ...

Statistics

• 1.225M sq. ft. total
• 300k sq. ft. exhibit hall space
• 85k sq. ft. meeting room space
• 32k sq. ft. ballroom
• 32 covered loading docks [3]

References

• Abell Foundation (June 2005). Baltimore's Center of Controversy. Report.
• Good Jobs First (September 2002). Subsidizing the Low Road: Economic Development in Baltimore. Report.
• Greater Baltimore Committee (June 21, 2005). GBC voices support for city-owned convention hotel proposal. News Release.
• Buckelew, Karen. "Baltimore's Next Renaissance: Convention Center hotel." Baltimore Business Journal. 2 May 2003, [4]
• Arney, June. "Can hotel revive Convention Center?" The Baltimore Sun. 11 August 2004, [5]
• Mirabella, Lorraine. "Convention bookings down while plans for hotel heat up." The Baltimore Sun. 24 December 2004, [6] (story describes concerns about Washington's Convention Center as well as the National Harbor project)

External links

• Official Website for the Baltimore Convention Center
• Link to news articles regarding the Convention Center Hotel Project (Baltimore Sun)
• Listing of events at the Baltimore Convention Center