If the city moves forward with the plans of some of the city council members that would tear down our existing convention center and replace it with an arena what will happen to Destination El Paso, the city department that is responsible for booking conventions?
Would it be silly to suggest that the department be eliminated since they will not have a convention center to offer?
For decades the complaint from the department has been that there are not adequate hotels in the vicinity of the convention center. Simply put, no big convention could be enticed to come to El Paso.
Now several hotel projects have been started and at least one has been completed.
Will we now have hotels but no convention center?
What purpose will the department serve without a convention center?
Maybe they could entice tourists to come see the egg-beaters on I-10 out by the airport.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
Convention Centers in MOST cities are never fully booked.
Most are only used several times a year.
I suppose. . . bids have already gone out to organizations and the big bowling tournament held in El Paso for future events.
These organizations book 2-3-4 years in advance.
NO organization is going to risk “Not having a venue” by dealing with the unsteady hand of City Council.
So, when they get wind of THIS current thinking by City Council . . . they will back off entirely.
Rentals at the Convention Center has now just been killed by the scary thinking.
Tearing things down that are already PAID FOR, is just stupid when there is PLENTY of space out on Montana St. past the airport.
By Yarbrough, Lee Trevino, Loop 375, etc.
LOTS OF LAND !
as . . far as the eye can see. . . . .
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I’m with the Oracle. Why is it that we must always see something torn down to make way for something else that we likely do not even need?! Use the old railway yards, just east of downtown, for crying out loud! Lots of parking. Easy access to I-10. Flat land. No structures to speak of.
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But not within a 1000 foot radius of Foster’s hotel.
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Perfect location!
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Our convention center is a joke. Most “big city” convention centers have venues with dozens and dozens of meeting rooms so that there can be a large number of sessions being conducted which can handle large numbers of people. Look a the Gonzalez Convention center in San Antonio: Lots of large exhibit hall spaces, smaller “ballroom spaces” that can handle about 6-10,000 attendees, and then lots of smaller rooms (over 100) that can handle the attendees once they leave a large convening session.
The Houston Convention Center is so larger that they can handle 3 10K+ conventions at a single time, one on each floor.
El Paso Convention Center can handle one large exhibit hall and 12 break out rooms at a time. Good for a homeshow or a car exhibition, not so good if you want to keep 10,000+ people in town for three days.
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We are not San Antonio. We are not a bif city. No matter how big you make our convention center, we are still not a “destination “city.
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Guess we have to wonder what millionaire developer, carpetbaggers the “City Council Members” are “In bed ” with now. More “secret meetings” to decide what THEY are going to do to US?? Some of these people are the same ones who had the “Secret meetings” with Mountain Star Sports and LIED, shafted the homeowners, taxpayers with the MULTI-MILLION$$$ baseball field, THEY wanted. How many “Sold-out” Concerts, shows, events have been booked there?? And now WHO, what organization, millionaire, are THEY going to LIE AGAIN, force the taxpayers to pay for an arena THEY want? WE can’t win against THEM.
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El Paso’s destination is going to be the bankruptcy court. Some fiscally responsible cities with common sense have a single multipurpose facility that functions as both an arena and convention center, but we want a bunch of facilities, all of which requires more capital and higher operating costs.
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Exactly right. With few exceptions, Federal jobs, SOME Military, El Taxo is a Border City, town(?), with CHEAP beer incomes and politicians with champagne wants, wishes. And all THEY really have to do is pick up the phone and call CAD and tell them to fabricate, INCREASE property “values”, which of course the politicians, City Council, Commissioners turn into a tax INCREASE for homeowners, people who actually do pay taxes. And no, they would never renovate or tear down Cohen Stadium or build in the endless desert properties East, Northeast . It’s just better for politicians and their carpetbaggers to kick people out of their life-long homes and take their property. Just like EPISD, University Medical Center, the Utility Companies. THEY never stop bleeding the people of El Taxo. Just politicians who represent no one but themselves and whatever THEY can take from US.
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The people voted for the “signature projects” including the arena. We would have to vote again, spend more money, to delete the arena or perhaps to say anywhere but downtown. If you all would attend some city council meetings and listen to the people of Union Plaza/Duranguito you would be much better informed than reading this blog.
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The text of the bond issue that was voted on did NOT say the “arena” would be downtown.
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I watched the meeting video. Rep Acosta stated that the City has not been able to host big conventions because the convention center is not big enough.
we cannot get big conventions now so who is going to stay in those hotels?
Point being the arena will have to be used to host those conventions anyway so why not build a hybrid convention center and arena on the cc site. Many cities are rebuilding this way because it is more economical to run and is all needed.
The Destination El Paso guy said many of the convention that they are able to book could be hosted in hotel ballrooms which those 2 new hotels will have. So in financial fairness let Destination El Paso coordinate and book convention events in those hotels.
Other than the bowling tournament which is not scheduled to return the other events can be hosted in the convention hotels themselves.
Bites a bit for taxpayers but hey this is all a result of poor planning and ignorance from the Cook/Wilson/Fuzzy math lady era of government brought to you by the backroom meetings organized by Ortega and voted on by Ortega, Byrd, Noe , Niland, Acosta, and Morgan Lilly. And apparently the future profits of the new downtown hotel lobbyist former mayor Cook who claims this was approved in his admin. Conveniently profitable. Disgusting.
Ortega wanted to use these bond projects to take away as much property as possible from existing owners NOT make it a feasible model for the govt or taxpayer.
As far as hotel tax I believe that was waived as part of the incentive package.
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Acosta and others are delusional. El Paso doesn’t get big conventions because people don’t want to come here. End of story.
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During and AFTER any convention hours/ after 6pm . . .there is nothing to do THAT THEY ALREADY have in the town they came from: “Comedy Club, movie theater, bowling, dining, drinking.
No wharf to go to, to watch the ships come in.
No casinos. (other than Sunland Park)
No constant live theater productions, like Las Vegas.
No lakes (larger than a swimming pool.)
No fishing (Makes you wonder WHY Bass Pro Shops/ Mountain Gander, type of stores, etc. EVEN Move here. . .)
No “Vacation Rentals” to speak of.
El Paso is just a Gas Station in the desert so you can get to Tucson, Phoenix, San Diego, LA, San Fran., or Vegas.
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I guess I should correct that with:
“That they DONT Already have in the town they came from. . . ”
But, whatever. . . .
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oops.
Many cities are rebuilding this way because it is more economical to run and is all needed.
Should read
Many cities are rebuilding this way because it is more economical to run and is all that is needed.
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