Dan O’Connell, president and CEO of Visit Fort Wayne, said organizers of the Indiana Republican State Convention anticipate about 2,000 people will come to Fort Wayne for the event Friday evening and Saturday. When Republicans from across the state gather at the Grand Wayne Center today and Saturday, it will be one of the largest conventions at that downtown site in recent years.
Its delegates and their guests will bring hundreds of thousands of dollars to Fort Wayne. At least as important, it provides Fort Wayne a kind of captive market of visitors, ready to soak up first impressions of the community, one analyst said this week.
Dan O’Connell, president and CEO of Visit Fort Wayne, said organizers of the Indiana Republican State Convention anticipate about 2,000 people will come to Fort Wayne for the event Friday evening and Saturday. They’re likely to spend a little less than typical convention visitors, in part because local and state party organizations are picking up much of the tab for the event.
For the purposes of Visit Fort Wayne’s estimate, O’Connell said, the group expects $190/day spending per delegate, which includes an overnight stay, three meals, transportation costs and a bit for souvenirs or other retail purchases. The total economic impact is $350,000 from the guests here for the weekend convention, he said.
The 2,000 expected for the Republicans make it one of the biggest conventions at the Grand Wayne Center in recent years. Other big conventions O’Connell cited include 2,000 for the state Democratic Party convention and 1,500 for a genealogy convention. The biggest such convention is the WingDing, the convention of Honda GoldWing motorcycle riders, which drew about 8,000 -- at several locations in the city -- in its most recent appearance in the Summit City.
The impact on hotels is obvious even before delegates arrive. O’Connell said that both downtown hotels are completely booked for the conventional, as is Hotel Fort Wayne, 305 E. Washington Center Road. Several other hotels in the area have bookings for the convention guests, he said.
These economic estimates don’t touch on what might be an equally important role a convention like this plays in a city like Fort Wayne: It helps create an impression of a dynamic atmosphere in the city.
“One of the benefits is the opportunity to shape perceptions of what Fort Wayne offers,” said Ellen Cutter, director of the Community Research Institute at IPFW. “And in some areas, especially in economic development, perception is reality.”
