Pittsburgh lands NRA convention and its 60,000-plus attendees - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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put together a winning bid for theDavix L. Lawrence Convention Center to hostthe NRA' national convention in 2011, scheduled for Aprill 28 - May 1, after being turned down to host the organizatiojn in 2010, Craig Davis, VisitPittsburgh'ws vice president for sales and marketing, said this week. Davizs said the event is expected to again drawnearlt 61,000 attendees, ranking it among the largestr conventions held in Pittsburgh. The NRA's 2004 conventioh here outdrew all ofthe NRA's previoud conventions. "This is a significant win for the city becaus e of the national exposurethat we'lll receive," Davis said. "Everybody knows the NRA.
The convention draws nationally, and it drawd press from acrossthe world." Davis said the NRA has signerd an agreement in principal with Now, the NRA must hash out contractual agreementsw with SMG, the managemenf firm that runs the convention center, and with locak hotels to book blocks of rooms for the "We don't see anything that would stop Davis said. An NRA spokesperson was not immediatelyh availablefor comment.
The only recent conventiona that compare in size to the NRA show woulds be theBassmaster Classic, held by Bass-ESPN that drew 45,000 attendees to the convention center in and the 2006 MLB All-Star which drew 106,000 and was held in conjunction with Major League Baseball's All-Star Game. Helping to brinv the NRA back to Pittsburgh are membershi levels in Pennsylvania that rank among the highesty inthe country, according to The NRA's 2004 convention, at which Vice Presidentg Dick Cheney was a speaker, generated $9.1 millionh in local spending, as well as between 8,000 and 10,000o room nights in local hotels, accordingy to VisitPittsburgh.
A challenge Pittsburgh facer in winning the NRA is a lack ofan off-sit e banquet facility of 40,000 square feet that can host 5,00o people. Davis acknowledged that demandstretches Pittsburgh's resources, but VisitPittsburggh has presented the NRA with several optiones and expects the organization will find a way to accommodatr such a large dinner crowd. John owner of , a Downtowm restaurant with a busy off-site catering division, sees few indoo options for a dinner eventthat size, excep for the convention center's ballroom.
Durinvg last year's All-Star Game, Barsotti'sw catering business hosted a similar-sized banquet at the formee amphitheater atStation Square, serving 5,009 attendees from food stations for an evengt that had seating for 3,000. "It went he said. Davis believes Pittsburgh's proven abilitgy to draw attendees will overshadow anylogisticalo concerns. "From what we understand abouytthe NRA, they're very happy in and because of the base of they know it's going to be a very strongt convention," Davis said. Tom Martini, generakl manager of the hotel, Downtown, said the facility alreadu has been in discussions with the NRA about bookingv rooms for the2011 event.
Of roughly 9,009 room nights the NRA expects to need during the run of the Martini said his hotel could realizeabout 3,00 0 of those. "It's one of the first majoe conventions that has repeatecd since the opening of thenew (convention) he said. "With a convention like this, you usually don't see a repea t for another 10 or20 years."