Not surprising.

91_Aggie said:

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Saw this on Facebook for things to watch for at Thursday meeting:

Looks like David Woods going to spend more of our money convincing council members and mayor to buy into this thing.


https://blog.cstx.gov/2025/02/26/5-things-to-watch-at-thursdays-city-council-meeting-70/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIsfTRleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHd4fSwDJHdIWrl6EhilCToiIhYU7Dmc0mVDCvHzxYJ-26EA56dAk3WS6vw_aem_4zSnDwyHoJpLP9Lual7LQA

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Do we not have a hotel and covention center at the Hilton? Why does the city think they need to compete with the Hilton.

The Hilton College Station & Conference Center in College Station, Texas has 31,919 square feet of event space, which can accommodate large conventions and corporate meetings. The hotel's meeting and ballroom space is IACC certified.

https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/cllchhf-hilton-college-station-and-conference-center/events/

?impolicy=crop&cw=2600&ch=1091&gravity=NorthWest&xposition=0&yposition=69&rw=1920&rh=806

FlyRod said:

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Who told them "no?" out of curiosity? Was a survey distributed locally?

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They've been trying for years. Chimney Hill purchase (for twice appraised value... this should sound familiar) was their first attempt (and like Macy's deal, didn't consult the.public).

It keeps coming up every 2 to3 years. Council members feel they need to "leave their mark" and convention center seems to be their favorite target.

Pretty sure Yancy is in favor of a convention center.

PS3D said:

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spike427 said:

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A city building/operating a conference center is one thing. Having a hotel attached to the project is another. What hotel brand would be the partner in that venture and what's the selection process? Are there examples of other cities who embark on such development? I have a lot of questions.

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Admittedly I don't know much about the convention center biz but it's very, very common to have a hotel adjacent or attached to a convention center since most of these venues have people come into an area just for a convention (either setting it up, or attending, or being an attraction). The big question I would have is if the local hotel market can sustain another big hotel. I'm struggling to think of any hotels that have opened since COVID, the only one that comes to mind is stayAPT Suites out on University Drive East. Is it just a market downturn or did the construction in the last ten years max out the market?

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We just had a Drury Inn open on Univ Dr near the Hilton a couple of weeks ago.

Also, would a convention center support itself economically or would the taxpapers have to substidize it monthly?

Just yesterday, the county said that the Brazos County Exposition Center is running at a large loss.

"Nettles received no opposition to adding to the committee that will review proposals from architects and construction managers at risk, a member of the Brazos Valley Fair Board and a representative of the agriculture community. And there was no opposition to Brown's request to discuss how to increase revenue at the Expo complex, where he says the county is losing $1.2 million dollars a year."

That's $100,000 a month that has to be covered by us.

With the Hilton and A&M's facilities available as competitors, would a convention center support itself or will the taxpapers have to foot a bill like $100,000 and up a month?

"But the evidence of economic benefit remains uncertain, and most of the 175 convention centers across the country operate at a loss, said Robin Hunden, founder and CEO of development consulting firm Hunden Partners in Chicago." https://www.theweeklyjournal.com/online_features/why-are-cities-still-spending-big-on-convention-centers/article_471688fa-a128-11ef-8a8b-e7961dd4426d.html

We don't have to have everything that other cities have.

UhOhNoAgTag said:

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Pretty sure Yancy is in favor of a convention center.

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Yeah, it's one thing I disagree with him especially when he posted his reasoning that he thought we'd get big name concerts here if we had one.

Pay Consultants.
Consultants WILL give a positive consultation in favor of a Convention Center.
Build Center for millions.
Operate at a loss.
Call it. A "win" for the city.

How politics work!

I am convinced it is all about legacy. What will some of our council member do to get a building/park/bench named for them. Of course I am cynical, I guess I have lived in CoCS to long and I have seen too much.

91_Aggie said:

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UhOhNoAgTag said:

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Pretty sure Yancy is in favor of a convention center.

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Yeah, it's one thing I disagree with him especially when he posted his reasoning that he thought we'd get big name concerts here if we had one.

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Big name as in they were popular 30 years ago?

Vanilla Ice is touring again

I will support a convention center after we get a good honky tonk to replace the Hall of Fame and a Waffle House. Not until then.

We dont need to compete with Austin and Houston. Nobody wants to come here for a convention.

BCSWguru said:

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We dont need to compete with Austin and Houston. Nobody wants to come here for a convention.

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Pretty much this.

PS3D said:

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woodiewood said:

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PS3D said:

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spike427 said:

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A city building/operating a conference center is one thing. Having a hotel attached to the project is another. What hotel brand would be the partner in that venture and what's the selection process? Are there examples of other cities who embark on such development? I have a lot of questions.

---

Admittedly I don't know much about the convention center biz but it's very, very common to have a hotel adjacent or attached to a convention center since most of these venues have people come into an area just for a convention (either setting it up, or attending, or being an attraction). The big question I would have is if the local hotel market can sustain another big hotel. I'm struggling to think of any hotels that have opened since COVID, the only one that comes to mind is stayAPT Suites out on University Drive East. Is it just a market downturn or did the construction in the last ten years max out the market?

---

We just had a Drury Inn open on Univ Dr near the Hilton a couple of weeks ago.

Also, would a convention center support itself economically or would the taxpapers have to substidize it monthly?

Just yesterday, the county said that the Brazos County Exposition Center is running at a large loss.

"Nettles received no opposition to adding to the committee that will review proposals from architects and construction managers at risk, a member of the Brazos Valley Fair Board and a representative of the agriculture community. And there was no opposition to Brown's request to discuss how to increase revenue at the Expo complex, where he says the county is losing $1.2 million dollars a year."

That's $100,000 a month that has to be covered by us.

With the Hilton and A&M's facilities available as competitors, would a convention center support itself or will the taxpapers have to foot a bill like $100,000 and up a month?

"But the evidence of economic benefit remains uncertain, and most of the 175 convention centers across the country operate at a loss, said Robin Hunden, founder and CEO of development consulting firm Hunden Partners in Chicago." https://www.theweeklyjournal.com/online_features/why-are-cities-still-spending-big-on-convention-centers/article_471688fa-a128-11ef-8a8b-e7961dd4426d.html

We don't have to have everything that other cities have.

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Ah yes, I did forget Drury.

The issue I have is that while the existing facilities aren't very adequate--Hilton's is still small and A&M (this was mentioned in another post somewhere that I can't find) is very, very reluctant to host anything that's not academic/student-adjacent during the daytime...at the same time is there actually a demand to host anything here where facilities are the main stumbling block? It would be very difficult to compete with Austin or Houston on those standards.

I'm sure the city would say "yes, it is a lack of facilities" but as plausible as it sounds, it doesn't say much without any proof, just like the "difficult to do business in College Station" claims are.

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"Well, we won't know until we build it, but the Consultants we hired are going to say 'Oh, yeah... it will make the city millions'" then the consultants get their money and have no skin in the game when it is in the RED for over $100,000/month and the council and City Manager and Mayor say "Well, we were working with the 'facts' we had at the time... don't blame us"

woodiewood said:

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91_Aggie said:

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Saw this on Facebook for things to watch for at Thursday meeting:

Looks like David Woods going to spend more of our money convincing council members and mayor to buy into this thing.


https://blog.cstx.gov/2025/02/26/5-things-to-watch-at-thursdays-city-council-meeting-70/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIsfTRleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHd4fSwDJHdIWrl6EhilCToiIhYU7Dmc0mVDCvHzxYJ-26EA56dAk3WS6vw_aem_4zSnDwyHoJpLP9Lual7LQA

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Do we not have a hotel and covention center at the Hilton? Why does the city think they need to compete with the Hilton.

The Hilton College Station & Conference Center in College Station, Texas has 31,919 square feet of event space, which can accommodate large conventions and corporate meetings. The hotel's meeting and ballroom space is IACC certified.

https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/cllchhf-hilton-college-station-and-conference-center/events/

?impolicy=crop&cw=2600&ch=1091&gravity=NorthWest&xposition=0&yposition=69&rw=1920&rh=806

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The Hilton's facility is literally 'the worst'. And to get the worst possible venue, it also costs 'the most' to get that service.

Just because the Hilton exists doesn't mean we don't still legitimately need a real convention space here.

Kinda like wanting a good burger and saying "don't we already have a McDonalds?". If you want a GOOD burger, McDonalds doesn't cut it.

91_Aggie said:

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UhOhNoAgTag said:

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Pretty sure Yancy is in favor of a convention center.

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Yeah, it's one thing I disagree with him especially when he posted his reasoning that he thought we'd get big name concerts here if we had one.

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Just because you don't like it doesn't mean we don't need one.

And yes. We absolutely could get mid to large scale concerts here. This is the industry where I've spent the last 30 years. Bands want to play here and (adult) fans want to go to shows here without the added cost of taking a day off work, a hotel room in Austin or Houston, and the added cost of several meals out.

Going to see a show for anybody that lives here automatically has a few hundred bucks added to it just to get there and back.

Tim Weaver said:

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If you want a GOOD burger, McDonalds doesn't cut it.

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Please don't be giving Yancy any more ideas. The convention center, bond ballot failing ballpark, and Macy's pickleball complex are enough.

BCSWguru said:

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We dont need to compete with Austin and Houston. Nobody wants to come here for a convention.

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You'd be surprised how many conventions try to come here and get put off by the logistics of holding their convention on campus.

The PPA used to have "Texas School" here that was the single largest photography convention and school in existence. It was held at A&M but the MSC basically decided they don't want it to happen there anymore because it took away resources from the student population.

People come from all over the world to attend Texas School. It's currently held in Arlington. It's a week long conference bringing in over a thousand attendees that rent hotels and eat meals and get Uber's, etc, etc.


Also parking and traffic is a nightmare for having an event on campus.

Well, one citizen REALLY wants it...and just happens to work in the one industry that would use it a few times a year.
It is a go!

the only logic you're using is that you want to take tax funds to fund a pet project.

If this so called convention center is that needed, then let private company do it if there really is a demand.

Tim Weaver said:

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91_Aggie said:

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UhOhNoAgTag said:

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Pretty sure Yancy is in favor of a convention center.

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Yeah, it's one thing I disagree with him especially when he posted his reasoning that he thought we'd get big name concerts here if we had one.

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Just because you don't like it doesn't mean we don't need one.

And yes. We absolutely could get mid to large scale concerts here. This is the industry where I've spent the last 30 years. Bands want to play here and (adult) fans want to go to shows here without the added cost of taking a day off work, a hotel room in Austin or Houston, and the added cost of several meals out.

Going to see a show for anybody that lives here automatically has a few hundred bucks added to it just to get there and back.

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Didn't we have this discussion on a thread here in the past year?

There was an issue with BCS being too close to the radius from Houston and Austin that would prevent Ticketmaster or Live Nation or whatever to allow a band to make a stop here if they were already playing Houston and Austin?

BQ_90 said:

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the only logic you're using is that you want to take tax funds to fund a pet project.

If this so called convention center is that needed, then let private company do it if there really is a demand.

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Careful, I said the same thing when Mayor Moonbeam was trying to convince us all we should buy, maintain and cherish a YMCA and half of the board reached out to me privately to tell me I was a meenie faced Christian hater.

Owning a corporate event production company here in town that travels ALL over the country ever month for events, I can attest that the convention center scene here in town is less than ideal. The Hilton is good for events that are a few hundred to just over 1,000 but it's old and dated. The TAMU hotel and convention center is nice but the hurdles of it being on campus are a pain.

Organizations are looking for more convention center options that have a mix of big ballrooms and open expo space. We do not have that in a single space here in town. We have the Brazos Expo center as open space, but it's basically a fairground with nothing around it. For big ballrooms, it's the Hilton and TAMU convention center hotel.

If the city is going to build a convention center, it needs to have at least one ballroom that will seat 2,500 people (with the stage and production) as well as smaller rooms for breakouts, etc. It also needs to have at least 100,000 of flex exhibit hall space, which can be used for bigger general sessions or vendor booths.

Finally, it needs to have at least 1 NICE hotel attached to it or across the street from it. That's what groups are looking for. No hotel attached, which forces the group's staff and attendees to all drive in is an immediate turn-off for groups exploring their options around the state. That's the battle Corpus Christi is fighting with their convention center. They have a really nice convention center with a 10,000 person arena and the #1 feedback they get for why groups ultimately decide against booking them is a lack of a hotel attached or next to it.