Convention business up, visitor count down - Business First of Buffalo:

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CVB officials said the bureau has booked 108new meetings, special events or amateur sportin g events since the beginning of the year a 27 percent increase from the 85 booking s it made during the same period in 2008. The new bookingx come as the hospitality and tourismindustry - both nationwidw and locally - suffering from the effects of the Hotel occupancy, according to Smith Travel Research of is down 11 percenyt though April while in Buffalo and Erie Countyt it was off 9.8 percent, fallinf from 59.4 percent to 53.6 percent. Nationally, hoteo occupancy dropped from 59.1 percent to 52.
6 It also comes at a time when the CVB is unde fire from Erie County ExecutiverChris Collins, who wants the organization to be more proactiv e and aggressive. CVB President and CEO Richard Geiger resignecd fromthe bureau, effective Friday, and a national search for his replacement is only just The 108 definite bookings will brinv in a projected 59,911 visitoras in the coming months and years, up 60.6 percent from the 37,293 visitors that are predicted as part of the 85 bookings landed in the first part of 2008. The economid impact from the new bookingsd is peggedat $28.84 Last year’s bookings produced or will producr $22.19 million in local spending.
The CVB sales and marketing staff is courtinhg another 180 groups orevents that, if could bring in 88,575 visitors. That’s the good The bad news is the visitor coung for those potential bookings isdown 24.3 Last year, the CVB made a pitch to 169 groups that coule have brought in 117,105 people. The drop in potentiapl visitors is clearly tied tothe economy, said Michaekl Even, CVB vice president of sales and “Meeting planners are making few commitments,” he “And, they are promising less delegates (visitors) than ever