Auditor: Convention Center Stats Inaccurate

The San Diego Convention Center has reported inaccurate numbers of convention-goers who stay in nearby hotels, according to a report from San Diego's Office of the City Auditor.

The numbers are used to gauge the success of the San Diego Convention Center Corporation (SDCCC) and justify a $550 million expansion, a complaint to the auditor alleged.

Most of the figures were estimated based off averages or promises by clients working with the convention center, according to City Auditor Eduardo Luna.

For example, he wrote, hotel room-night figures were overstated by nearly 30 percent.

In response to the finding, the convention center staff said they calculate hotel room-nights, hotel taxes and an event's economic impact based on a conference's attendance -- not actual figures from the hotels.

The misstatements do not appear to be made with the intention of falsification of hotel or sales tax revenue," Luna wrote, "but rather caused by unaudited and/or unverified figures from SDCCC’s clients."

Luna offered a few recommendations for correcting the statistics in the audit. The convention center in turn promised better documentation and calculations.