Meeting attendance increase offers hope to Atlanta hospitality industry

By Leon Stafford

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It might be too early to break out the champagne, but Atlanta hospitality officials are cautiously optimistic about 2010 after recording a much-needed convention attendance increase over the year's first 45 days.

AmericasMart,  Allied Social Sciences Associations, Passion Conference and Cheersport each had strong January meeting turnouts, said Lauren Jarrell,Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau spokeswoman. . Cheersport boosted its meeting by 1,100 by adding 50 more teams to its Atlanta meet.

"Every convention that we have booked so far has met or beat its projections," Jarrell said.

That's important to Atlanta's $11 billion hospitality community because conventioneers fill hotel rooms, dine at restaurants and use services such as taxicabs, contributing to the city's bottom line.

The news could be even better this weekend. The popular Bronner Brothers International Hair Show is expected to pull in 50,000 to 60,000 attendees at the Georgia World Congress Center, up from 35,000 people this time last year, said Pattsie Rand, GWCC sales and marketing director.

Sparking the attendance surge is "Good Hair," comedian Chris Rock's documentary on the show that had a theatrical run last year, Rand said.

The U.S. Poultry and Egg Association saw its attendance jump to 18,896 this past January at the GWCC, up from 17,646 a year ago.

"We were up with both domestic and international attendance," said Charlie Olentine, Poultry and Egg executive vice president. "If you look over the last five years, with the exception of last year, we have about 19,000 to 20,000 people, so this year we were close to normal."

Helping drive Poultry's attendance was the inclusion of "Featherfest," a contest in which several Atlanta restaurants competed for best chicken or egg dish, Olentine said. Better weather during the late January convention also helped. Last year an ice storm in the central U.S. prevented about 500 members from attending.

There still are concerns. Exhibitors, companies and individuals that sell to attendees were down at Poultry and Egg this year, and there are indications there won't be as many at this summer's  International Woodworking Fair at the GWCC, the facility's largest convention.

"We are finding that medical shows are doing well because the medical industry is doing well," Rand said. "But shows like building and construction are having a harder time."

Still, officials said Atlanta's hospitality business has improved.

“Across the board, 2010 meeting attendance is off to a promising start,” said Mark Vaughan, ACVB executive vice president. “Whether it’s religious meeting groups, youth sports organizations or scholarly organizations, our January attendance figures indicate that our clients are meeting or exceeding their projected attendance goals.”