Issue link: https://tradeshowexecutive.epubxp.com/i/58649
Controversy Surfaces Over New York's Trade Show Options BY DARLENE GUDEA, president and HIL ANDERSON, senior editor New York, NY – Te future of trade shows in New York City was thrown into confu- sion when Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the blockbuster announcement that a plan was in the works to build the largest convention center in the U.S. in a quiet corner of Queens at the Aqueduct Race- track Casino site. Te trade show industry is still coming to grips with the bolt from the blue that basically took their vision of a modest- sized convention center in another area of Queens, which would serve as a satel- lite location of the Jacob K. Javits Con- vention Center, and turned it on its head. "It took all of us by surprise," said Ken McAvoy, senior vice president of Reed Exhibitions, to the New York chapter of the International Association of Exhibi- tions and Events (IAEE) at their Outlook 2012 and Beyond meeting on February 14. Te IAEE meeting served as the first in- depth briefing on not only the Aqueduct proposal but also another option in Wil- lets Point and the possible conversion of the old Farley Post Office into a confer- ence and exhibition hall. The Willets Point Option McAvoy told the packed meeting of nearly 200 that numerous senior industry execu- tives, who make up the informal Friends of Javits, had met with city leaders for the past few years to discuss the need for a new venue outside of Manhattan to host smaller shows and conferences. Tat plan focused on another patch of Queens near LaGuardia Airport known as Willets Point. It was there that real estate develop- ers in 2006 envisioned a 423,000 square foot conference center with a World Trade Center designation, possibly incorporated into a major retail development. Te site is adjacent to Queens' most popular destinations including Flushing Meadows- Corona Park, site of two World's Fairs; Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets; the USTA BiIlie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open; and a wildlife center, art museum, science museum and botanical garden. A Look at the Aqueduct Plan Under Gov. Cuomo's plan, the state would work with the Genting Group to trans- form the site of the Aqueduct race track in Queens into a megaplex that would eventually include the nation's largest convention center, 3,000 hotel rooms and a major expansion of the Resorts World casino that began operating in October. Genting is a Malaysian company that has invested $800 million in opening the ca- sino. Genting, not the state, would finance a $4 billion convention center, hotel and expanded casino, while the government would contribute the land. The trade show industry is still coming to grips with the bolt from the blue that basically took their vision of a modest- sized convention center in another area of Queens and turned it on its head. Te facility is envisioned at 3.8 million square feet and serviced by 3,000 new hotel rooms. It already has a name: New York International Convention & Exhibi- tion Center (NICE). Tis proposal has made it roughly as far as an artist rendering of the exterior and broad-brush discussions of new rapid-transit connecting the center with Manhattan hotels, the nightlife and the John F. Kennedy International Airport. Continued on page 10 www.TradeShowExecutive.com | March 2012 9