Mass. Convention Center lands biggest event to date
The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority is throwing its biggest party ever -- in 10 years.
MCCA officials said this morning they have landed the biggest event in the agency's history, an annual scientific meeting of the American Urological Society, a 105-year-old professional association based in Baltimore. It will be held over 10 days in May 2017 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in South Boston and draw 17,500 attendees.
Measured by how many nights' worth of hotel stays the event will generate, authority executive director James E. Rooney said it's the biggest event in the agency's history, expected to fill 48,000 hotel room-nights. (A room-night equals one person booking a hotel night; five room-nights can be one person staying for five nights or five people staying for one night.)
The previous biggest future booking landed by the agency was the 2016 American Society of Anesthesiologists meeting, expected to generate 38,400 room-nights, Rooney said. The biggest event in Boston's history for the hotel business is estimated to be the 2004 Democratic National Convention, which accounted for over 60,000 room-nights.
The urologists association associate executive director, Janet Skorepa, said the group was excited to bring the meeting to Boston. "As a thriving center of medical activity—from the local area hospitals to the dozens of academic programs and research facilities—Boston is a natural host city for an event like ours,” Skorepa said. "I’m confident that its location will attract medical professionals from across the country, as well as our growing international membership.”
(By Peter J. Howe, Globe staff)
