Convening conventions

Maine has persuaded plenty of people from around the country to come and relax here. A recent statewide report on meeting and convention centers suggests that it could do a lot more to encourage them to work here – or at least hold meetings, listen to speeches, develop strategic plans, etc. The study is particularly important to Bangor, which is trying to sort out how to build a smaller high-end meeting facility along its waterfront and, perhaps, a much larger center on the current site of its civic center.

The plans represent a large investment in the region, one that could pay off in making it a more attractive place for businesses to visit and to stay. But however Bangor modifies its current plans for these two projects in the coming months, it will need state support plus the support of regional organizations that would benefit from the facilities.

The latest study, by Conventions, Sports & Leisure International of Minneapolis, asked businesses in a half dozen major cities in the Northeast-Midwest whether they would consider Maine as a place for conventions and under what circumstances. Based on this information, the researchers estimated what sort of growth Maine’s population centers could expect if they built appropriate facilities. Portland, for instance, might justify spending $30 million to build 70,000 square feet of new meeting, exhibit and convention space; Augusta, which already has a large and modern civic center, could most effectively spend about $4 million to improve its current facilities; Aroostook County might spend $2 million on visitor and interpretive centers, according to the study.

The conclusions for Bangor are that it could support 30,000 square feet of total meeting space, attached to a hotel, at a cost of approximately $11 million. The plans for the city’s waterfront mesh nicely with this conclusion. A hotel already is planned to connect to a meeting facility there, although the city’s plans call for about twice as much meeting space as recommended by this new study and so might require another look.

The benefit of attracting out-of-state businesses to hold meetings in Maine, see what the state has to offer and be impressed is clear enough. But a major benefit of having these facilities is what they could do for, say, a University of Maine department or Eastern Maine Healthcare playing host to a hundred or more scientists gathering to review research. Currently, they would be hard-pressed to find a regional facility that provided inviting accommodations along with hotel and meeting rooms wired for learning. Ditto for Maine businesses and organizations that want to hold a large convention, with plenty of exhibit space, a main room and smaller breakout rooms.

Bangor’s challenge is finding the money to pay for this good idea. The study points out various ways the state could help, which certainly should happen, then shows it is from away when it cavalierly suggests the city “assess local option taxes.” That is an option that has been assessed regularly for years and just as regularly killed by the Legislature.

If Bangor is going to provide this regional benefit, along with its larger civic center plans, it is going to need not only state help but also area municipal and business leaders to come together and devise a fund-raising plan to make it affordable. Without one, the region will continue to collect studies showing what good ideas it has while opportunities pass it by.