Wick Allison Pulls Himself Out of the River, Ctd.

A Dallas Market Center-loving FBvian objects to Mayor Leppert’s contention in today’s DMN about Harlan Crow’s motivation in the hotel fight:

The Mayor, at least according to his column, thinks that the market center is a direct competitor with the City of Dallas and the DCVB for conventions and tradeshows. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Mayor clearly needs a quick lesson in the business of tradeshows and conventions. Let me oblige: we are complementary not competitive. The Mayor’s enthusiasm has again outreached his logic.

The market center, now 20% owned by the Crow family by the way, works hard together with the DCVB to attract and maintain tradeshows and conventions. We conduct nine major wholesale markets per year that attract more than 200,000 visitors. These markets take place, by design, across all of the market center buildings because the permanent showrooms are here. This type of trade event could not take place at the convention center.

Our venue for small format trade events and consumer shows is Market Hall, which at 210,000 square feet and 49 years old is not exactly comparable to the 1 million square foot convention center. Market Hall hosts local events such as the Dallas Boat Show or Safari Club—each one important and together drawing several hundred thousand people but hardly an international convention or trade event that could (and should) be hosted by the convention center.

We are proud that we create and manage events that contribute mightily to the local economy (to the tune of about $1 billion). However, the Mayor’s claim that the Dallas Convention Center is somehow in direct competition with the market center is both ill informed and shooting inside the fort. We always appreciate the chance to work with and to educate our local leaders—but he didn’t ask.