Local leaders eye cash from convention
Officials promote region's riches
The Democratic National Convention is three months away, in Boston. But Patrick Apel, executive director of the Plymouth County Development Council, is already envisioning how Plymouth County will benefit.
Apel can see it now: Hillary Clinton, or some other politician, standing at Plymouth Rock or some other historic site, talking about something, anything, that will bring cameras -- and nationwide exposure -- to ''America's Hometown."
''If I'm manning the [DNC hospitality] booth at the press area and run into anyone, I'm going to mention" the area's photogenic nature, he said. ''There's a lot of opportunity for politicians to come down here and use the region as a backdrop to convey whatever message."
Apel said he has been working with other tourism officials, town officials, and business leaders from Quincy and the Cape Cod area through a network arranged by US Representative William Delahunt. The goal, said Apel, is to make sure the South Shore is visible during the convention, which takes place July 26-29.
DNC officials have estimated that 35,000 out-of-towners and their wallets will come to Boston. Regional officials and business leaders want to ensure that they get a piece of the potential economic pie.
The convention will pump $154.2 million into the Boston area, including Suffolk, Norfolk, Middlesex, Essex, and Plymouth counties, according to a study undertaken by the Boston Redevelopment Authority and Boston's Office of Budget Management, with help from University of Massachusetts economists. An estimated $61.6 million will be spent on hotels, food, retail, entertainment, and transportation, according to a press release released earlier this month by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino's office.
The Boston Marriott in Quincy, the Sheraton Braintree, and the Best Western in Quincy have set aside blocks of rooms for the convention, according to officials at the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is in charge of convention housing.
The Plymouth County Development Council has been working on a three-pronged strategy that involves seeking media attention through the hospitality area that will be set up at the convention, and via video e-mail that council officials hope will be sent to delegates. A website is being created to tout Plymouth County, Quincy, and the Cape and Islands, Apel said. He also believes city residents may be looking for a way to escape the congestion of the convention. Also, there is a heavy push to draw people who live in Boston as well as the ''spill over" of tourists who won't be able to find or afford a hotel room in Boston during the convention.
Delahunt pulled together the networking group to ensure that the region benefits from the convention, said Corinne Young, Delahunt's Quincy-based district representative.
''We're very excited this is timed perfectly with a long-term tourism effort the congressman has embarked on," she said. ''If we're not smart and coordinated, we may miss out on opportunities.. . . We're trying to tie the region together."
The working group will distribute a postcard to convention attendees and Delahunt wants to host as many as three convention-related events in Quincy, said Young. The group also plans to continue to collaborate after the convention to improve tourism, she said.
Celeste McGlone, executive assistant to Quincy Mayor William J. Phelan, said the members of the local convention group hope Quincy can even benefit from Boston's expected traffic woes.
''Transportation is a big component of this DNC.. . . Quincy is at a distinct advantage, having a harbor shuttle in place, so we're putting that into our appeal," McGlone said. ''We're just poised to receive people and we're hoping if there are any frustrations in the Boston area, people might consider coming south."
Hotel officials working with the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau to house convention attendees have been required to ensure that a majority of their rooms would be available during the convention, said Cory Chambers, Boston Marriott director of sales at the 464-room hotel. Chambers said he was ''not sure" how much the hotel will benefit.
''We're hopeful and optimistic we'll see robust business over that week," he said. ''But there is also some caution over the fact that we don't expect other business demand that week. It might be a wash . . . or, we might come up short."
Either way, the opportunity to be on the convention map is great for public relations, he said. ''As a new hotel, that is one of the things you're always striving for.. . . Whenever you have a high-profile event like this the upside is it brings positive PR to the city," Chambers said.
Sandy Coleman can be reached by e-mail at sbcoleman@globe.com. 