More Conventions Headed to L.A.

Los Angeles is on its way back. Officials at LA Inc., The Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau, said they have booked 33 upcoming conventions or tradeshows during the current fiscal year, ending June 30. That is eight more than were booked during the same time last year and 17 more than in the 2005-2006 fiscal year.

One of those is E³ Media & Business Summit, scheduled July 15-17. The formerly gigantic E³/Electronic Entertainment Expo was held each year at the Los Angeles Convention Center before being downsized and moved to Santa Monica, Calif., last year.

Also included is the Natl. Business Travel Assn. Intl. Convention & Exposition, July 27-30, which drew a record 6,200 attendees in 2007 in Boston; Anime Expo, July 3-6, which had an estimated 35,000 people attend in Long Beach last year; and the returning BookExpo America, May 29-June 1 (15,834 professional attendees last year in New York).

“This is huge growth,” said Michael Krouse, senior vice president of sales at LA Inc.

The bookings translate into 452,000 room nights, said Carol Martinez, LA Inc. spokeswoman.

Krouse forecast that before the end of the year, LA Inc. will have booked eight more conventions for a total of 646,000 room nights – worth $347 million in economic impact.

“Conservatively, that's my number,” he added.

Los Angeles has struggled for years in the face of competition from nearby cities like Las Vegas and San Diego. Now, with business picking up, LA Inc. officials are crediting the LA Live project, an entertainment district with hotels and restaurants near downtown Los Angeles.

“I attribute it to all the new and exciting things happening downtown,” Krouse said.