By HOWARD FINE
Would it be a dud or a gem?
A proposed conference and meeting center near Los Angeles International Airport could play host to more than 300 events and generate $26 million in additional annual revenues for the airport region, according to a report sent by boosters to the L.A. City Council late last month.
However, the conference center also would fail to compete with the region’s crop of meeting facilities, including ones in Orange County and San Diego, unless additional restaurants, shops and theaters open within walking distance, according to the market study by L.A. Inc. and the Gateway to L.A. Business Improvement District.
“A conference center just plunked down the way the area is now would not be viable,meeting planners won’t even consider it,” said Michael Collins, executive vice president of L.A. Inc. “However, if lots of dining, entertainment and retail options opened up, it could be a real win-win.”
City officials, hotel owners and Century Corridor business boosters have long pushed for a “mini-convention center” near Los Angeles International Airport as a way to jump-start a revitalization of the much-maligned corridor.
They envision a conference center with about 50,000 square feet of exhibit space, up to 25,000 square feet of small meeting rooms and up to 25,000 square feet for banquet functions.
But the conference center has never progressed beyond the talking stage.
No developer has come forward and no site has been selected, though the area south of Long Term Parking Lot C (west of Airport Boulevard and north of Century Boulevard) is most often mentioned.
The proposed overhaul of Los Angeles International Airport may provide an opportunity to build the conference center as part of a revamp of the adjacent Century Corridor.
Nothing will happen, though, until details of L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s airport overhaul plans are released next year.
Fine is a staff writer with the Los Angeles Business Journal.
