Philadelphia Becomes First Major Northeast City To Host A Citywide Event At A Convention Center In Over A Year

As part of National Travel and Tourism Week, and underscoring the week’s theme of “The Power of Travel,” the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB) released a case study on May 4 citing the many successes achieved by hosting East Coast Volleyball’s 2021 Northeast Volleyball Qualifier (NEQ) tournament. NEQ was the city’s first in-person event in over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making Philadelphia the first major Northeast city (Washington D.C., Baltimore, New York City, Boston) to host a citywide event at a convention center in over a year.

Over three separate weekends (March 27 – 29; April 2—4; April 9 –11), 21,650 attendees visited the Pennsylvania Convention Center for NEQ. In total, more than 11,000 room nights were generated at 27 hotels throughout the city, leading to an overall economic impact of $14.3 million. An estimated $1.3 million was generated in state and local taxes.

Keeping all players, coaches, spectators and hospitality workers safe was the top priority. Developed in partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, the Pennsylvania Convention Center, ASM Global and NEQ organizers, a detailed health and safety plan included protocols such as:

• Mandatory masks at all times for players, coaches and spectators
• Teams limited to 12 players and 3 coaches, 1 parent spectator per player
• Increased court spacing and no seating provided, but spectators could bring their own chair
• Matches organized into ‘waves’ that were restricted to each hall or ballroom to limit interactions between teams
• No food was permitted or for sale inside the Pennsylvania Convention Center, though players could have water/sports drinks for hydration and small wrapped snacks like energy bars

“The NEQ Volleyball tournament is always a huge event for Philadelphia,” said Gregg Caren, president and CEO of the PHLCVB. “Each year, our tourism industry looks forward to these multiple spring weekends when we know our hotels, restaurants and retail shops will be full and economic activity is spurred across the city. The health and safety protocols that were developed kept everyone safe, and we stand ready to leverage what we learned with NEQ to safely host future meetings, conventions and events.”

The PHLCVB, the Pennsylvania Convention Center and the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association have been working together to bring back group business (meetings, conventions, sporting events) to Philadelphia. Meetings and conventions are a critical component to Philadelphia’s overall hotel room night mix, and on average generate over a third of all hotel room nights in a given year. Center City hotels thrive during citywide events, driving higher occupancy and hotel room rates. In turn, these higher rates generate more taxes for both state and local governments.

“Re-opening the Pennsylvania Convention Center, especially for our longtime client, East Coast Volleyball, serves as an important turning point for our industry,” said John McNichol, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority. “When we open our doors at the PCC, that means jobs are being supported, and not just here in our building, but in businesses and sectors across the city.”

In 2020, significant infrastructure improvements were made to the PCC, which enabled the center to meet and exceed current health and safety standards. Improvements included elements like enhanced air handling systems with upgraded filtration, UV handrail sterilization on all escalators, and touchless restroom renovations among many others.

“There’s no question that science is hastening the return of in-person meetings and events,” said Dr. David Nash, PHLCVB chief health advisor and founding dean emeritus of the Jefferson College of Population Health. “The NEQ tournament stands as a strong example of how we can leverage science to continue gathering safely and recover from this crisis.”

In the case study they released, the PHLCVB details the health and safety protocols enacted during all three weekends of the NEQ tournament. The report also provides an analysis of lessons learned and best practices that will allow Philadelphia to host safe and effective events at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and other venues across the city.

Looking ahead, the PHLCVB is gearing up for a local push to encourage all regional corporations and businesses to hold meetings and events in their hometown, and become an active participant in Philadelphia’s tourism recovery efforts. The campaign titled “Meet the Moment” launches later in May and will focus on bringing group business to Philadelphia hotels, venues and the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Meeting and event planners are encouraged to contact the PHLCVB to begin the planning process.