I wrote this book because I believe convention centers can perform better. Many in senior management positions feel likewise and have a good sense of their center’s potential for growth. As busy as they are, there’s little time and resources available for thoughtful development of a fulsome management strategy to lift their center’s performance. In our work environment it’s common for management’s attention to be diverted and overwhelmed by the small problems of the day. Meeting agendas where the latest event profit/loss statements are reviewed or event economic impact discussed are often deferred. Why is this so? While business and operational data are there, they are mostly financial with few if any operational metrics such as labor productivity or net square footage growth or decline. The data are also not collected and organized in a form that is easy to follow, draw conclusions and acted on. Action is most likely not data – based but rather based on intuition and gut feeling. How can you get past this, where can you turn?
The answer is to adopt and embrace business analytics and key performance indicators (KPIs). Improving Convention Center Management Using Business Analytics and Key Performance Indicators (both volumes) will guide you through that process. It introduces and rolls out sound practical advice from an author who has experienced and succeeded in what was one of the toughest work environments in our industry. Other KPI advice and “how to” books do not touch on the business and performance metrics unique to our industry. KPIs presently used are very general and only presented in publications such as annual reports.
I believe this book is best suited for practitioners who work at convention centers or with a company that services convention centers. These are the individuals who make things work: managers at all levels, from senior leadership to floor supervisors. This book is also a useful resource for those in graduate schools of business or hospitality and hotel administration. It ties theory to actual practice. Others may find it interesting and informative too; political staff, city managers, hotel operators, bond underwriters and investors, engaged citizen groups, and all those businesses that either supply, service, or depend on convention center events.
Convention center (or centre); convention and visitor bureau (CVB); convention and exhibition center; vertical market; key performance indicator (KPI) tradeshow; occupancy rate; consumer show; net square footage; economic impact; hotel or hotel occupancy tax; economic feasibility study; exclusive contractor; earned revenue; social media presence; soft target; WiFi; license agreement; deferred maintenance; labor union grievances; event organizer; electric demand charges; net promoter score (NPS); workman’s compensation fraud; experience modification rating (EMR); hotel room nights; Javits Center; IMPLAN