It's official:
KANSAS CITY HAS LOST A VERY IMPORTANT WAL-MART CONVENTION BECAUSE OF THE INCOMPETENCE OF KANSAS CITY POLITICOS TO ACCOMMODATE THE COMPANY AND THEIR VISITORS!!!
There's enough blame to go around here for everybody but remember that TKC reported earlier (thanks to awesome tipsters) that a few Wal-Mart officals mentioned privately that the Sprint Center would not accommodate them because of hopes for a major league sports franchise somewhere in the far off future. Expect news of this move from The Star sometimes later this week with a few more details and not one bit of credit for TKC . . . But more importantly, now Kansas City businesses are paying the price for this wrongheaded and naive strategy that still hopes for a sports franchise and a few weekend parties to create a "Downtown Renaissance" or whatever.
Additionally, the shuttle plan for Kemper just didn't work at Wal-Mart officals reportedly felt that their people would just spend too much time on the bus. Never before has it been so obvious that downtown needs more hotels and Kansas City politicos need to do their homeworks when it comes to keeping these revenue generating conventions in this city.
Sadly, the Wal-Mart convention that was slated for 2009 will now take place in Orlando . . . If Kansas City politicos can't get it together when it comes to working to keep business in the Downtown area instead of relying on the self-serving motives of Cordish and AEG . . . Expect more of the same.
Here's evening TV news coverage:
Shameful.
ReplyDeletewhere are all teh idiots who called out Tony when he first scooped this? So called 'experts' telling Tony that WalMart was going no where?
ReplyDeleteLOL
What I want to know is where are all the Sprint Center apologists who calimed that while the convention was not going to the Sprint Center, is was staying in KC? Come out Come out from wherever you are
ReplyDeleteThis is bad news for Kansas City. On the bright side there are other conventions that are not out of the question from Wal-Mart later in the year.
ReplyDeleteBut then again we know that Tony never looks on the bright side.
Tony don't you regularly complain about Wal-Mart's labor practices. If you stand by those criticisms why would you care if their convention stays in Kansas City. Way to play both sides of the fence.
ReplyDeleteThis town is turning into a Social Distortion song.
ReplyDeleteAnd that means Loser-ville.
I didn't think the Sprint Center was supposed to lose Kansas City business. shit.
ReplyDeleteGod damn them and their well stock shelves, low prices and clean store.
ReplyDeleteGood riddance I say.
I'll continue to shop at Target and feel smug about it. I'll bet that their dry good are made in the US.
Maybe the Funk can get La Raza back... you know, with his 66% popularity rating and all that...
ReplyDeleteOr mayne he could run a light rail connection all the way to Bentonville and get Walmart back?
TKC wanted them to come to town so that TKC could blast them for coming to town.
ReplyDeleteReclaim Democracy is also responsible for WalMart not coming back, they did a great job of picketing the convention. It is a lot farther from Arkansas to Florida than KC let them spend some money.
I blame Gloria Squitiro!!
ReplyDeleteFuckin bullshit. Thanks to the Council we've forgotten that we need to maintain downtown development.
ReplyDeleteKansas City seems to be developing a bad case of "kansas citius interuptus." Looks like the only thing that won't pull out is Gloria-ee.
ReplyDeleteThis is seriously bad news. With the SkillsUSA convention pulling out too our leaders need to get involved in bringing back business to Kansas City.
ReplyDeleteWalmart owner didn't like the way minorities are treating the Mayor so they decided to head somewhere else where the minorities are alot more friendlier
ReplyDeleteFuck em. Let em go to China.
ReplyDeleteagreed.
ReplyDeleteHey dipshits. Convention money in China isn't going to do Kansas City any good.
ReplyDeleteWow, the blogosphere must be absolutely befuddled about a proper response. I mean on the one hand the kneejerk reaction is to blame this on Funky. Thats a given. But it's also Walmart, which you've been told to equate with Hitler... so you can't act TOO pissed off about losing the convention.
ReplyDeleteMust be tough to be a renegade reporter today.
LOLZ.
i thought it was due to lack of hotel rooms... what does that have to do with the sprint center?
ReplyDeleteRead the links dumbass.
ReplyDeleteMaybe its time to re-evaluate being in the convention business. Spending millions on tourism subsidies as the city slides into bankruptcy makes little sense. Every other city has upped the ante until the profit from conventions was gone years ago. Sorry convention and visitor bureaucrats, find another job.
ReplyDelete10:13 anon
ReplyDeleteSo you want to cut back on the ONE area of gov't that generates a return? That actually creates revenue? I guess you could replace the millions they create with a huge increase in tax's.
Why all the fuss-- we still have Wal Mart's baseball team
ReplyDeleteWhat part of conventions generate a return? We spend millions on convention centers and TIF all the businesses that benefit from them.
ReplyDeleteThe so called multiplier effect of tourism was disproved in the 19th century. But that's about where the Chamber of Commerce folks are stuck.
what part of tax generation dont you get? Honestly, where do you think a huge chunk of sale tax's comes from in KC? Do you know % of the local economy is tourism related? While the city did some BS hotel TIF's under Barnes, a HUGE majority of rooms in this city werent TIF'd and approx. 99.5%of restaurants werent either along with the transportation companies.
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of new hotels in the KC area - unfortunately they are not anywhere near downtown. That's the problem with this metro. Every city wants it's own attractions, and their residents complain when the big city misses out on a convention, or light rail, or a zoo that is downsizing. The Johnson County suburbs are bleeding KC dry.
ReplyDelete