Sept. 10--Three new conventions are flying into Long Beach.
Starting in fall 2015, a series of aviation-related conventions will come to the city and collectively bring in thousands of visitors and an $11 million economic booster shot.
Airports Council International, a trade group, is holding its October 2015 North American conference and exhibition at the Convention Center. It's expected to bring 2,000 attendees and at least $4.69 million. A year later, the National Agricultural Aviation Association, a group that represents crop dusters, will have its annual conference and bring in around $2 million.
And finally, the city has a verbal commitment from the American Association of Airport Executives for its May 2017 conference. Details could be settled in months, and it's expected to bring in a similar amount of people and revenue as ACI, said Allison Lesser, the vice president for sales for the Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Compared to other conventions in the city, the ACI and AAAE conferences are average in terms of financial impact. They'll fill hotels in the immediate vicinity to the convention center, and hotels on the periphery will have extra bookings because of the crowd, Lesser said.
On Tuesday the City Council may authorize the city manager to sign agreements with ACI officials. If approved, the deal will have a "positive local job impact," Long Beach Airport Director Mario Rodriguez wrote in a report for the council.
The visitor's bureau credits Rodriguez for bringing these events to the city.
"Prior to Mario being at our airport, nobody from an airport perspective had tried to reach out and get these," Lesser said. "It went from they wouldn't even see us to they're both coming here."
AAAE and ACI have similar interests but represent different professionals. AAAE's members include airport executives, while ACI's includes airport managers and operators. Programs from previous conferences show that they both have presentations and panel discussions with officials through the aviation industry, as well as government leaders from the Federal Aviation Administration, Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration. They talk about airport finances, business development, mobile technology at airports, understanding customers, alternative fuels and other issues.
All three conferences change venues every year, but Lesser said that the NAAA is considering coming to Long Beach every three years.
The airport will pay $155,000 to ACI and will pay for and host the conference's closing night event as a part of the deal with Long Beach. Details about what will occur at Long Beach's closing ceremony are not yet available.
Rodriguez, who is on ACI's board, wrote that this conference will be paid for out of the fiscal 2014 Airport Enterprise Fund and meets FAA spending regulations. It will not have any impact on the city's general fund.
The airport is going through a series of renovations and upgrades. By the time the ACI convention begins, all work on the concourse will be long-completed, but work on a "consolidated transportation area" where visitors can catch a ride, shuttles and other types of rides will be ongoing, an airport spokeswoman said.
The Long Beach City Council will meet on Tuesday for the first time since passing its budget last week. The agenda includes the following:
A measure from District 4 Councilman Patrick O'Donnell to rescind the council's protest of a liquor license for Great Mex Grill at 5530 E. Atherton St. On Feb. 19 the council decided to protest giving the restaurant a liquor license after a church, daycare and families nearby said that the restaurant's proximity to California State University Long Beach would pose a drunk-driving risk. O'Donnell wants his colleagues to take back their protest and implement restrictions on the restaurant, including the hours it can serve alcohol, limiting it to beer and wine, and restrict happy hours promotions.
A plan to shift nearly $150,000 to make up for sequestration cuts to Pacific Gateway, a career development organization. The money would come from the general fund and allow Pacific Gateway to operate at its current level through September.
A proposal to authorize the city manager to "execute any and all documents necessary" so that Airports Council International can hold its 2015 North American conference in Long Beach.
A plan for $1.4 million in work on a taxilane at the airport.
Three grant applications totaling $900,000 to help pay for construction projects at parks. It includes funds for a trail at the Drake/Chavez Greenbelt, a new park in the southern section of the Pacific Electric right-of-way, and the Wrigley Greenbelt Project. Collectively they would cost $6.61 million.
An agreement between the Police Department and the Long Beach Unified School District to put as many as five police officers in high schools through the current school year. The school resource officer program costs $846,000, and the school district will pay the city just over $600,000. The city will cover the remaining expenses.
The meeting begins at 5 p.m. in Council Chambers at 333 W. Ocean Blvd. Parking in the city garage at the Civic Center is free during the meeting.
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Copyright 2013 - The Orange County Register
