Groups Forced to Cancel Conventions in Baltimore Due to Unrest
April 29, 2015TheMeetingMagazines.com received on April 29 the following statement from Tom Noonan, president and CEO of Visit Baltimore:
“Visit Baltimore has been notified that the Door and Hardware Institute has canceled its CoNEXTions 2015 convention scheduled to be held at the Baltimore Convention Center April 29–May 1. The group was scheduled to bring in excess of 2,000 attendees to the city utilizing approximately 2,500 room nights worth an estimated $1.2 million. Visit Baltimore and city officials have been working with the organization’s leadership over the past several days to provide them with information and support as they discussed their options. At the end of the day, they felt that the current situation left them no alternative.
“Additionally we have been notified that the American Heart Association has canceled their in-hotel meeting that was scheduled to be held in Baltimore this week. We have a third group, AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association) who have postponed their meeting and are exploring other Baltimore dates.
“We know there will be a dip in visitation in the short-term but we’re also seeing an outpouring of support not only from our peers but from customers expressing their commitment to the city. In fact we’ve heard from two citywide groups interested in bringing their meetings to Baltimore in 2017 and 2018.
“We’re continuing to serve as a resource for other groups that are planning meetings in the city over the next 30-60 days.”