TKC BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE NEWS!!! NON-COMPETE KANSAS CITY DOWNTOWN CONVENTION HOTEL DEAL CATERING POLICY JEOPARDIZES RETURN BIZ!!!
This morning we have an important insight and FIRST PERSON TESTIMONY that the convention hotel could be rising big money repeat customers to Kansas City.
To wit . . .
THANKS TO KICK-ASS TKC TIPSTERS FOR INTERCEPTING THIS LETTER CALLING OUT THE DOWNTOWN CONVENTION HOTEL NON-COMPETE DEAL!!!
The word . . .
KC Insider: "A few letters from current convention customers on their thoughts on a single-source caterer at battle/convention hotel"
Take a look . . .
KC Convention Guest Letter Forwarded To TKC
Greetings,
I have recently become aware that there are discussions about changing the Kansas City open catering policy at the convention center. As an event planner, I want to express my concern over this potential change.
In 2014, I brought a week-long event to Kansas City for 5,500 students. This event utilized over 8,000 hotel rooms, over $740,000 in catering to the convention center and various other economic impacts. Having an option to select from a list of caterers was the tipping point for choosing KC. In fact, we had such a good experience, we have already signed to return to KC for the same event in 2018.
We would love to make KC our home for this event every 4 years. However, if the open catering policy changes, we will definitely have to revisit our plans. This is a unique feature that makes KC different in a sea of convention centers across the country.
I am asking that you please work to keep your open catering policy.
Should you have any questions or wish to speak with me further, please contact me using the information listed below.
Blessings,
Laurie
Laurie Seay
Event Director
EFCA
(612) 310-7284
laurie.seay@efca.org
www.efca.org
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Developing . . .
This Mayor and his staff of retards could fuck up a wet dream.
ReplyDeleteThe catering contract part of the hotel deal has nothing to do with what's best for conventions or the city.
ReplyDeleteIt was simply another dialing-for-dollars scheme just like the added tax on car rentals for the Sprint Center so that the "developers" could spend someone else's money instead of their own.
In KCMO what's NEVER important is how things actually turn out.
The grandiose announcements and claims are what make city hall and the downtown boosters excited. After that, it's all about moving on to the NEXT BIG THING.
And PR; endless PR!
Seems like this is similar to the CID districts where the price paid is hidden from the customer. Conventions will pay more for catering but may not realize it until later. However I would expect convention planners to look at every detail so don't be surprised if there is push back.
ReplyDeleteWhat about a non-bid process to select the hotel developer on city owned land???
ReplyDeleteAccording to the show-me institute, when we expanded Bartle Hall some years back there wasn't really a surge in conventions. Then when we built the ballroom that also didn't increase convention business.
ReplyDeleteIf that's true why are we to believe that adding 800 rooms is going to cause a big enough surge in convention business to make tax payer investment worth it?
The answer: it won't.
The city is chasing a dream. And they are gambling with tax payer dollars. All the history of investing in conventions in this town have failed. And we are to believe that this time will be different? Even the developers are saying that this won't work because if they were confident that it would then they wouldn't need tax payer dollars to help minimize THEIR risk.
And 5 years from now when there is no denying that the hotel didn't meet projections, ahem...just like the P&L, what are we going to be told? "We need to add more tax payer subsidized hotel space to spur convention business".
Our city officials, the people we "trust" to make sound decisions with OUR tax dollars, are like a dog chasing it's tail. It's never going to catch it. And tax payers will have to pay for it once he realizes that he won't. Just like we're doing with the P&L. It's the basic definition of insanity.
The convention business will of course never materialize but the profits from building all this stuff will realized by the insiders. In the meanwhile pensions will be underfunded, maintenance deferred and the city will sink further into insolvency.
ReplyDeleteNail on head 9:24.
ReplyDeleteIt's great we have the amenities we have. And it's great that the city wants to grow the city and such. But they are putting OUR money at risk to do it. And the wrong people are getting the profits. Build it and they will come doesn't work. It'd be different if we had concrete proof that this will get the results they are touting. But all the data says otherwise. And, as mentioned, we need not look far to see proof of this. Look at the P&L. It's great that the P&L is here. And it's great that we have a gathering spot like that for things like the World Series and such. But the way it came about was COMPLETELY and UTTERLY wrong. They overshot projections by light years. So why are we not to think this hotel won't be the same? There just is no data that proves otherwise considering the history of the city.
The catering deal seems to be one area that the City is most vulnerable. Even after the MILLIONS that the City is dumping into the deal, it still couldn't be financially feasible and stand on it's own two feet without a source of additional (non hotel related) revenue? What does this say about how shaky the numbers really are, and what does it say about the City that they were willing to go ahead with it?
ReplyDeleteDo expect anything else from the past city council that created this back room deal.
ReplyDeleteThis Mayor is one of the most corrupt. carving deals out for his special interest groups .
The backdoor Streetcar vote should have been a huge red flag.
Why isn't there anyone challenging everything this Mayor proposes and supports.
Strip him of all his power , and basically make him wallpaper, irrelevant.