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ABSTRACT
American cities are in the midst of a vast boom in convention center development. Communities from Hartford to San Francisco are building new or expanded centers with the goal of competing for conventions, tradeshows, and overnight visitors. That boom has been sustained by descriptions of a consistently growing demand for space, with increasing numbers of convention events and attendance, and the image of millions of dollars of local economic impact. The realities of the industry are often rather different. This article reviews the most widely employed measures of industry growth, as well as the impact of larger changes in 2001 and since. It examines the performance of major centers that have added new exhibit space in recent years and the evidence supporting forecasts of large scale economic impact and results. It concludes with an analysis of the current relationship between industry supply and demand, and the future of convention center investment.