The Assemblies of God church and 30,000 of its disciples will make a pilgrimage to Denver this week for its biennial meeting, the largest convention booked this year into the newly expanded Colorado Convention Center.
But the economic impact from the Pentecostal group is projected to be only $40 million, roughly $20 million less than a group that size should bring in, according to the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.
That’s partly because the church bans the use of alcohol. So it’s not likely they’ll be patronizing the many watering holes and nightclubs of Lower Downtown or the 16th Street Mall.
The Assemblies of God is the third large religious group to descend on Denver this year, including the International Christian Retail Show, which brought more than 10,000 people to town last month. Nine smaller religious groups have also come to town this year, holding their meetings at local hotels.
The total estimated economic impact from the three large religious groups is roughly $59 million, according to the convention bureau.
Denver is a hotbed of religious activity this year in part because it’s the first year since the $310.7 million convention center expansion opened. That means downtown hotels were willing to open their doors to more social, military, educational, religious and fraternal organizations – known as SMERF groups – which require heavily reduced room rates to visit, according to convention bureau spokesman Rich Grant.
“Because the convention center just opened, we were willing to look at groups that rely on discounted hotel rooms,” he said. “When the convention center reaches maturity, the hotels might not be as willing to take religious business.”
Another reason the spending is projected to be lower is that SMERF conventioneers usually travel on their own dime, not expense accounts. They’re renowned industrywide for spending far less than professional groups.
“These groups tend to be very price-sensitive,” said Heywood Sanders, a convention-center expert and director of public administration programs at the University of Texas at San Antonio. “They’re looking for two things: reasonably priced hotel rooms and a cheap convention center. ”
But Juleen Turnage, spokeswoman for the church, which has 2.7 million members nationwide and is based in Springfield, Mo., said the group will spend lots of money while it’s here.
“We don’t drink, gamble or visit nightclubs, but we do love to eat,” she said. “And we’ll make good use of all of the amenities your beautiful city provides. Your 16th Street Mall shuttle is going to be very full.”
The most attractive type of convention business is medical groups, “because they tend to have relatively high disposable incomes and their attendance has remained fairly stable for the last few years,” Sanders said.
The convention center will host 38 conventions this year, bringing in a projected 157,000 delegates. That’s up from 29 conventions and 127,873 delegates last year, when the center was under construction.
At least 27 conventions are expected in 2006 and 2007, and 14 groups have confirmed for 2008.
“Things are definitely trending in the right direction,” said Ray Benear, vice president of convention sales for the convention bureau.
But to fill the 1.5 million square feet of expanded space, the convention bureau has been offering discounts of up to 35 percent to groups willing to book Denver this year or next. The NBA All-Star Game, which was here in February, was given use of the center rent-free.
“This is a transition year for us in many ways,” Benear said. “The convention center has just opened up, plus the Hyatt isn’t open yet. We’re still waiting on the last piece of the puzzle to come online.”
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-820-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
Meet you in Denver
With the $310.7 million Colorado Convention Center expansion completed in December, the number of delegates projected to visit the city this year is on the rise, but it hasn’t rebounded to previous highs.
Year Conventions Delegates
2005* 38 157,000
2004 29 127,873
2003 26 105,259
2002 31 94,168
2001 34 140,995
2000 37 145,787
1999 43 139,577
1998 36 180,018
*projection
Source: Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
