  Mike Member Username: Mike Post Number: 1382 Registered: 11-2003 |
http://www.leftlanenews.com/de troit-the-motorshowless-city.h tml Interesting take on our region, even more interesting to read the reader comments section. Our region came together for the Super Bowl, yet this event comes every year and our region benefits more from it than the Super Bowl. | ||
Wazootyman Member Username: Wazootyman Post Number: 355 Registered: 02-2006 |
I still don't understand what's so terrible about Cobo. How much bigger do they need it to be and why? I don't understand the reader comments - why would anybody be shocked that the three domestic automakers are "still" located in the Detroit region? The ignorance and racism in their posts remind me of the detnews.com forums... | ||
Mike Member Username: Mike Post Number: 1383 Registered: 11-2003 |
Condition of Cobo is not appealing. It needs to be revamped, I also do not really have a problem with its size. | ||
Otter Member Username: Otter Post Number: 190 Registered: 12-2007 |
Cobo seems OK if it's all you're used to, but visit McCormick Place in Chicago and you'll see what a difference there is. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4838 Registered: 02-2005 |
Cobo is pretty middle of the road in terms of convention halls. I happen to like the main concourse, but many people probably aren't too impressed. I suppose their could be more bells and whistles. We might not "have a problem" with its size, but the fact is, certain conventioneers (especially NAIAS) do, and we know that certain automakers (prominent ones, in fact) were not there this year. It needs to get bigger. | ||
Olddetroiter Member Username: Olddetroiter Post Number: 365 Registered: 04-2008 |
Mackinaw is right. If you're going to be in the convention business you have to make it appealing to the customers. Otherwise they will go elsewhere. Of course there is another option. Quit trying to be a world class convention center and redirect efforts towards fixing the neighborhoods and making Detroit a decent medium size livable city. That's just a thought. I haven't studied the economics so I don't even know if this is reasonable. But it's something to think about. | ||
Detroitrise Member Username: Detroitrise Post Number: 2248 Registered: 09-2007 |
"Of course there is another option. Quit trying to be a world class convention center and redirect efforts towards fixing the neighborhoods and making Detroit a decent medium size livable city." Olddetroiter, you just made a Catch-22. How can we fix up the neighborhoods if we're not bringing in enough money from all the conventions because our Convetion Centers are inefficient? (Message edited by DetroitRise on May 31, 2008) | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4840 Registered: 02-2005 |
We have to do it all. Detroit has got to keep the conventions coming or all these newly-renovated and new-built hotels that investors have poured millions into will have a very rough time. But those hotels will also benefit from getting more corporations downtown. There's no guarantee that abstaining from spending money on Cobo means that more money will go directly to the neighborhoods. In fact, I would not expect that to be the case. Plus, a lot of the money should be coming from the suburbs and private interests, money which would not go to Detroit neighborhoods in any case. | ||
Jasoncw Member Username: Jasoncw Post Number: 506 Registered: 07-2005 |
The Auto Show makes Detroit a lot of money. It's an investment, and the expansion would pay itself back after a few years. Everyone knows that they would make money off of it, but the politics of the details are killing it off. It shouldn't be this hard to expand a convention center. | ||
Olddetroiter Member Username: Olddetroiter Post Number: 366 Registered: 04-2008 |
Well I guess you guys answered my question. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3200 Registered: 01-2005 |
If Cobo expands, they will have 125,000 square feet of exhibit space. Compare this with: The Las Vegas Convention Center, located adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip, encompasses approximately 3.2 million square feet with exhibit space of 2 million square feet and meeting space of nearly 250,000 square feet. And, yeah, we've got casinos, too. | ||
Mwilbert Member Username: Mwilbert Post Number: 243 Registered: 11-2007 |
I don't think the numbers above are correct. Cobo already has 700,000 sqft of exhibit space, 600,000 on one level, and 175,000 sqft of meeting space. | ||
Mike Member Username: Mike Post Number: 1384 Registered: 11-2003 |
I remember a few years back about a plan to expand Cobo towards JLA. I wonder if thats a possibility if he so called Olympia gets built? | ||
W_chicago Member Username: W_chicago Post Number: 35 Registered: 01-2008 |
I'm so sick and tired of hearing about needing to expand Cobo like its some life and death thing for Detroit. Its downright absurd. How will expanding Cobo benefit the lives of Detroiters? It doesn't matter how many convention centers and casinos we have. Its simply not what makes cities great. I think thats what Detroit "leaders" keeps on missing. How can we listen to a word that comes out of those scumball's mouths?? Kilpatrick, Paterson, Ficano, Granholm, et al -- they're all crooks and liars. How much longer are we going to stand around and let them shape THEIR vision of OUR city? Why can't we build on the strengths we already have? We don't need to compete with Las Vegas, or New York, or Chicago. We can just be Detroit, and people will love us for it, or they can just not come here... and I'm fine with either knowing that I love this city for how it is. One day, we'll look back at this moment and laugh, because we will realize that Detroit's greatness has absolutely nothing to do with convention centers or casinos, and everything to do with its people, culture, and uniqueness. | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1663 Registered: 04-2006 |
I do not think an expanded Cobo would bring in revenue to assist neighborhoods. There are plenty of crappy neighborhoods in cities with huge convention centers. Atlantic City totally depends upon convention and tourism and I'd rather live here than there in spite of its better weather and access to the beach. How many eggs do we need in the convention and tourism basket? Every new hotel that has been constructed in the last year or that will open within the next year downtown will have convention facilities. There is still a lot that can be done with the current facility that is not being done. For example, the riverfront ballrooms could be used to expand Cobo without changing it too much. This could be done with much less expense than expansion and open much quicker. If it is done right you could still use the riverfront ballrooms as ballrooms when the auto show is not going on. Expending hundreds of millions of dollars just so we can keep the International Autoshow distinction is dammed silly in my opinion. Our auto show will still draw people without this title, we may lose a few reporters, but who really cares? DOes that justify the cost? How many of those reporters have written glorious things about Detroit? It ain't many. All they do is come in, stay in their room, look at cars, and bitch about the catered food. | ||
Exmotowner Member Username: Exmotowner Post Number: 487 Registered: 06-2005 |
"It shouldn't be this hard to expand a convention center." Ask Nashville. They've been fighting over expansion of convention space here for years too. I went to the nashville auto show a few years back and it was SO laughable. Downtown nashville convention space is tiny tiny tiny even compared to Cobo. Its all a politic thing and a $$$$ thing. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3204 Registered: 01-2005 |
I don't think the numbers above are correct. Ooops, I meant the proposed expansion would ADD that many square feet. But still less than half the size as Las Vegas. |
