To hear Raleigh officials tell it, the new convention center being
constructed downtown will bring jobs and prosperity to the community by
cashing in on the convention and trade show business. But a new report
by the Brookings Institution refutes those optimistic claims. In a
commentary published in the Raleigh News & Observer, Chad
Adams used the report’s data and conclusions to point out that the
roughly $212 million in taxpayer dollars required to build the Raleigh
facility will be put into a declining industry whose attendance remains
at 1993 levels. Yet at the same time, public investment in convention
centers has created a glut of space that has many centers operating at
a loss. “Raleigh residents would be wise to review what’s being
promised and ask for sound, independent data to support it,” Adams
concluded. Read the Brookings report here.