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Phase I:

Executive Summary

Full Report

Public Comment Summary 

 

 

 

 

"Erie County has commissioned a detailed study of the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center and its future. On this webpage you’ll find a full copy of the study and all attached documents and images. The study’s key finding: If Erie County wants to continue to attract conventions, the current site is functionally obsolete. The experts who prepared the report propose two possible new locations for a modern convention center - a downtown expansion of the existing facility, and a brand new facility in the city’s entertainment district near Key Bank Arena. You’ll find all the details in the study. We want to hear from you. Feedback is crucial as we formulate an answer to a very important question: Should we invest in a strategic long-term plan that would help create a state-of-the-art convention center for Buffalo and Erie County? A 90-day comment period will be open from now through December 19, 2018. Comments received will be reviewed to help inform future decisions regarding the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. I thank you in advance for your thoughts, opinions and suggestions as we work together to decide the future of the convention industry in our region." - Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz

 

Erie County engaged HVS Convention, Sports & Entertainment (HVS) to conduct a market and feasibility analysis related to the potential redevelopment of the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center (BNCC).

HVS has a team of more than 300 professionals located in over 50 offices throughout the world who specialize in all types of hospitality assets, including hotels, restaurants, casinos, shared ownership lodging, mixed-use developments, and golf courses as well as convention, sports, and entertainment facilities. Specific to convention centers, the HVS portfolio includes Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee; Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, Washington; San Diego Convention Center in California; and Albany Capital Center in upstate New York.

KEY FINDINGS

• The Buffalo-Niagara region is not fulfilling its potential in the convention industry.
• Due to its physical constraints, the BNCC is “functionally obsolete” and does not have the capacity to attract most state, regional, and national convention events that would otherwise rotate to Buffalo.

 

Press Conference Presentation

(September 20, 2018)

 

 

 

COMPARABLE AND COMPETITIVE VENUES

• When compared to regional markets, the existing BNCC event function spaces are below average in size and offer less flexibility to event planners.

 

Name of Venue	Location	Total Function Space
David L. Lawrence Convention Center	Pittsburgh, PA	423,046
Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland	Cleveland, OH	318,225
Wisconsin Center	Milwaukee, WI	265,841
Greater Richmond Convention Center	Richmond, VA	256,059
DeVos Place	Grand Rapids, MI	234,000
Connecticut Convention Center	Hartford, CT	203,030
Rhode Island Convention Center	Providence, RI	133,988
Scotiabank Convention Centre	Niagara Falls, ON	124,037
Buffalo Niagara Convention Center	Buffalo, NY	102,869
Valley Forge Convention Center	King of Prussia, PA	89,843

 

BUILDING PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS

• The recommended building program would approximately double the current BNCC function space within a state-of-the-art development. It would also allow the BNCC to handle more simultaneous events by offering more divisible function space.

 

Function Space	Existing BNCC	Recommended BNCC
Floor Areas (SF)
Exhibit Space	64,410	120,000 - 150,000
Ballroom Space	12,367	30,000 - 40,000
Meeting Space	26,092	30,000 - 45,000
Total	102,869	180,000 - 235,000
Divisions
Exhibit Space	2	4
Ballroom Space	1	6
Meeting Space	20	40
Total	23	50

 

• Since the redeveloped BNCC would be a new demand generator, HVS recommends the development of additional hotel rooms such that the number of adjacent, attached rooms is at least 700.

 

DEMAND PROJECTIONS

• Based on historical trends, the BNCC typically hosts between 140 and 150 events each year. Annual attendance ranges from 250,000 - 300,000, with public consumer shows providing the highest percentage of attendees. The BNCC generates approximately 28,000 room nights on an annual basis.
• It is estimated that a redeveloped BNCC could potentially:
  • Host between 184 and 191 annual events;
  • Attract 425,000 - 480,000 attendees each year; and
  • Generate 57,000 to 65,000 room nights annually.

 

 

 

ECONOMIC IMPACT POTENTIAL

• Quantitative benefits
  • In a stabilized year of operation:
    • New direct spending in the local Erie County economy due to the proposed redevelopment of the BNCC could potentially be $31.4 million - $34.5 million;
    • The redeveloped BNCC could potentially support 185 - 205 permanent full-time equivalent jobs in Erie County; and
    • Erie County could potentially collect an additional $1.2 million - $1.3 million in taxes on new spending.

• Qualitative benefits
  • A redeveloped, first-class BNCC would:
    • Showcase the strengths of Buffalo as a destination;
    • Be a catalyst for the redevelopment of the surrounding neighborhood. With the BNCC as a prominent anchor, collateral lodging, retail, dining, and entertainment development would provide a strong boost to downtown renewal;
    • Enhance ongoing efforts to revitalize Buffalo’s downtown and enliven the neighborhood beyond regular working hours;
    • Attract leaders from a wide range of industries to the Buffalo market and offer the opportunity to build relationships;
    • Be an important consideration for corporations looking to relocate to Erie County; and
    • Encourage first-time convention delegates to return to the area with their spouses and families.

 

SITE SUITABILITY

• The suitability of a site for the development of a convention center is an important consideration affecting the economic viability of a facility and its ultimate marketability.
• The existing BNCC cannot be expanded and renovated within the limits of its current site in a way that would satisfy even the minimum building program recommendations. Fatal flaws of the current site include:
  • A site that is too small for the expanded building program;
  • Limited ability to host simultaneous events;
  • If expansion were to occur, a tall, complicated and relatively dysfunctional vertical building;
  • An inadequate height of ground level spaces; and
  • The inability to maintain operations during construction.
  • Additional deficiencies include aging building systems and infrastructure, inadequate support spaces and circulation (both internal and external), and a “bunker” aesthetic that fails to achieve goals for transparency, natural light, street-friendliness, and human scale.

• HVS explored the suitability of seven site options within downtown Buffalo for the potential redevelopment of the BNCC. A set of 30 evaluation criteria was used to assess their relative strengths and weaknesses. Criteria included size, accessibility, visibility, and proximity to other amenities to name a few. The site analysis concluded that none of the site options fully satisfy all evaluation criteria. 
• This process identified the two site options that would likely be most suitable for a redeveloped BNCC – a central downtown site and a site closer to the waterfront. Concept-level designs and preliminary construction cost estimates were developed for both site options, each having its own advantages and disadvantages as the new or expanded BNCC.
• Final site selection would depend on evaluating multiple factors beyond this study, including: (i) negotiations with landowners, (ii) specific legal and financial requirements, and (iii) environmental and geologic investigations.

 

FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS

• Failure to expand or replace the BNCC - a “do nothing” approach - involves significant costs and risks to the County if it intends to maintain a viable convention center operation.
  • Building mechanical systems are well past their useful life and without replacement are likely to fail within the next few years.
  • As the BNCC ages, capital maintenance requirements will increase while utilization of the building decreases.
  • Convention events with the ability to move to competing venues are likely to do so as they outgrow the BNCC.
  • Substantial reinvestment will be necessary to maintain the unsatisfactory status quo.
• HVS recommends that Erie County work with its governmental partners to explore options for financing, ownership, and operations of a redeveloped BNCC.

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR FEEDBACK! 

On September 20, 2018, County Executive Mark Poloncarz released the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center Market Analysis and Feasibility Study and, concurrently, opened a 90-day public comment period to obtain feedback on the study. The request for public comment invited written responses to the following question: Based on the results of the study, should we invest in a strategic long-term plan that would help to create a state-of-the-art convention center for Buffalo and Erie County?

Comments were accepted through December 19, 2018. Those received after midnight will not be considered.

DEP staff will now assemble, thoroughly review, and summarize the public input received. The summary will help to inform future decisions regarding the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

 

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Public Comment Summary

March 13, 2019 

SUMMARY:

On September 20, 2018, County Executive Mark Poloncarz released the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center Market and Feasibility Analysis and, concurrently, opened a 90-day public comment period to obtain feedback on the study.

The request for public comment invited written responses to the following question: Based on the results of the study, should we invest in a strategic long-term plan that would help to create a state-of-the-art convention center for Buffalo and Erie County?  

The following tables summarize the 668 distinct responses received during the public comment period:

Table 1: Respondent Identification
I am providing comments:	Count	Percentage
As an Erie County resident	436	66%
From the hospitality industry	88	13%
As a convention center customer/user	88	13%
From local industry	34	5%
Other	22	3%
TOTAL	668	100%

 

Table 2: Place of Residence or Business
ZIP Code:	Count	Percentage
City of Buffalo	444	66%
Erie County (outside City of Buffalo)	199	30%
Outside Erie County/State/Country	22	3%
Unknown	3	1%
TOTAL	668	100%

 

Table 3: Relevance of Responses
Comments:	Count	Percentage
Addresses the question of investment	608	91%
Addresses miscellaneous other topics	60	9%
TOTAL	668	100%

 

Table 4: Favorability of Investment
Comments:	Count	Percentage
“For” investment	525	86%
“Against” investment	83	14%
TOTAL	608	100%

 

Table 5: Site Preference of those “For” Investment
Comments:	Count	Percentage
No site preference/other site	334	64%
Favors HSBC Lot Site	130	25%
Favors Expanded BNCC Site	61	11%
TOTAL	525	100%

 

NOTABLE QUOTES/COMMENTS:

“Doing nothing is not an option. Doing nothing effectively cuts us off from the rest of the nation as an up and coming destination. With so much to offer and all the great press that this great city is receiving we need to match this with a new facility. Our continued growth depends on this.”

 

“This area has become an attraction. It is being recognized by publications and visitors from around the world. It is time to take advantage of this new notoriety as a place to visit, see things, do things, enjoy great food, and stay for more than one day. A new convention center will build on that and increase the growing number of travel and tourism jobs that are in the Buffalo-Erie County-Niagara County region.”

 

“It is a no brainer to me to build a state of the art facility downtown. Buffalo’s resurgence has been phenomenal and this is a logical next step. It will be a boost to the local economy in the long run by adding a facility that allows us to host not only more events, but bigger ones. It is worth finding the money to do so as the long term benefits are great with a new facility.”

 

“I think it is imperative that a new convention center be considered as soon as possible. It is actually a “no brainer” considering all the progress the city has made over the past 10 years. Our current convention center is old, dreary and outdated. It does not “fit” the “new” Buffalo!...”

 

“...I have attended a number of trade shows across the county in both major and small cities, and our current center pales in comparison to other sites - in both functionality and attractiveness. Now is the time to do this, and I fully support a new convention center.”

 

“...We are investing in the startup community and companies through 43N, the Innovation Center, etc.; we’re investing in the tech and medical fields with public and private support for the Medical Campus; large companies are starting to call this place home through the efforts of Invest Buffalo Niagara; and we’re building additional infrastructure with new and improved hotels throughout the region. Why would we let a major piece of the puzzle - the tourism and convention industry - fall by the wayside?...”

 

“...Buffalo has recently gotten a lot of international attention as to why it should be a place for tourists to visit due to its rebirth and revitalization. For once - people are talking about our City for something other than the snow! We need to make sure we have the means necessary to keep this momentum going!”

 

“The fact that the CVB has been able to land as many events as they have with what they’ve had to work with is proof that not only should we be in the tourism and convention business, but it should be one of our region’s key economic development initiatives. It should be appropriately supported with public and private investments. This is a major opportunity to seize. Let’s produce a grand result!” 

 

BUSINESS SUPPORT:

Buffalo Motorama

Buffalo Niagara Convention Center

Buffalo Niagara Dental Meeting

Buffalo Place

Buffalo Zoo

Chippewa Alliance

Grand Hyatt New York

Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame

Leadership Buffalo

Mansion on Delaware Avenue

New York State School Boards Association

Nickel City Con

Northeast Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives

Roycroft Inn

Snow and Ice Management Association

Vidler’s 5 & 10

Visit Buffalo Niagara

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