In many communities throughout North America today, development or expansion of a meeting facility is being considered as a means of creating positive economic impacts to achieve the economic development goal. There is the possibility of negative leverage as well.
Economic impacts can be less than zero.
It takes more than a meeting facility to get conventions and conferences to come to your city. Contrary to a popular misconception, convention and conference centers are designed to lose money. How you operate a facility on a daily basis has a great deal to do with how much economic impact you can achieve. Some communities should stop feeling guilty about their secret agendas. It is okay to want a civic facility.