Convention Center Projects Record Attendee Spending in 2016

San Diego Convention Center operators are projecting a record $708.1 million in direct attendee spending to be generated from a total of 108 events slated for the facility in 2016.

A statement from the San Diego Convention Center Corp. said approximately $25.6 million in tax revenue is expected to be generated by convention attendees. Officials said 66 primary citywide conventions are expected to attract a facility record of 673,814 attendees during 2016, with another 42 secondary events drawing 228,545 local and regional attendees.

Center operators are projecting a record 856,035 hotel room nights to be generated locally by events at the facility, beating a previous high mark set in 2003. Total regional economic impact of local conventions, including direct and indirect spending, is expected to surpass $1.2 billion in 2016.

The 2016 events include 15 medical meetings, projected to generate $458.1 million in regional impact as they draw more than 148,000 attendees. Medical gatherings are expected to account for 353,734 hotel room nights and approximately $9.7 million in tax revenue, the highest levels seen since 2007.

Major medical conventions slated locally in 2016 include those held by the Society for Neuroscience, American Society of Hematology, Experimental Biology and the American Academy of Otolaryngology.

The San Diego center will also play host in 2016 to Major League Baseball’s All-Star Fanfest, a full-facility, multi-day fan convention being held in conjunction with the July 12 All-Star Game, being played at the nearby Petco Park. Officials said this will be the first time the Fanfest has been held in downtown San Diego, and just the third time it has been held in the city in the All-Star Game’s 87-year history.

The 2016 edition of Comic-Con International, which annually draws 130,000 attendees to the center and is the biggest single event held there, is scheduled for July 21-24.

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