The Monroe County Council is considering a 1 percent food and beverage tax to invest in the expansion of the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention Center.
See www.investmonroecounty.com for more background information.
Bloomington is the second most desired convention destination but our convention center is the smallest in Indiana.
The convention business is extremely competitive as Evansville, South Bend and so many other cities in the Midwest all have publicly funded facilities and efforts to recruit groups. There are currently 24 food and beverage taxes and more than 70 innkeepers taxes being invested by towns and counties in Indiana with millions of those dollars earmarked for convention business.
That’s because conventions create $900 billion in economic activity and 6 million jobs in America.
We need more space to service the demand that already exists and bring in new week-day business groups to the area. There are hundreds of untapped prospects out there that we could host, from larger Indiana association conventions to organizations from across the Midwest, Big Ten, Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions.
Larger social functions, military reunions, educational seminars, religious conferences and fraternal organization events also offer growth opportunities. We will be able to host more club- and hobby-related conferences, trade shows, exhibitions and public shows. Several current popular art shows will be able to expand and there is the potential for new functions such as swap meets, concerts, culinary events and more for both visitors and citizens.
An added exhibit hall can also serve as a much-needed venue for hosting sporting events. It can work in partnership with Twin Lakes and other area facilities to host basketball and volleyball tournaments as well as more nontraditional sports, including weightlifting, billiards, cheer and dance.
Although growth can be up and down from year to year, the convention business remains a stable important part of a strong travel and tourism industry that has added jobs 15 percent faster than the rest of the economy since 2010. It’s going to continue to grow, and the Monroe County convention center is a valuable public community asset and worth investing in to capitalize on that growth.
