14 Jan 2014
Philadelphia, January 13, 2014…The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), together with the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and its new facility management company SMG, today announced the auction of a Philadelphia convention package valued at more than $1 million. The announcement took place at the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Convening Leaders annual meeting in Boston and is an opportunity for a convention group to experience the expanded convention center under SMG, the nation's top convention venue management group, while raising money for high-level meetings industry education. Only one city is featured annually and sold to the highest bidder; past auctions have featured Orlando, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington, D.C. and San Diego.
“We are thrilled to partner with PCMA on the city-wide auction, which gives us the chance to showcase Philadelphia as the complete package for meetings, conventions and tradeshows, as well as to introduce our customer-focused partnership with SMG, the new facility managers of the Pennsylvania Convention Center,” said Jack Ferguson, president and CEO of the PHLCVB. “Equally important, is the opportunity to support the initiatives of PCMA as the leader in providing high quality education, resources, and networking opportunities to the meetings industry and its continued advocacy for our industry.”
This year's package in Philadelphia includes space at the Pennsylvania Convention Center for a meeting to be held between 2015 and 2025, a complimentary board dinner for up to 15 people at one of Philadelphia's celebrated restaurants, a board retreat led by Decision Strategies International from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, and a $10,000 donation to a foundation or charity of the winning bidder's choice among other offerings. Bidding starts at $75,000 and the auction will remain open until November 30, 2014 — unless a bidder utilizes the "Buy It Now" option for $125,000, in which case the auction will be immediately closed.
"Philadelphia is a first-class convention destination and was the host for our extremely successful Convening Leaders 50th annual meeting in 2006. Their participation in the Citywide Auction further reflects their continued commitment to our industry," said PCMA President and CEO Deborah Sexton. "In partnering with PCMA, Philadelphia will be showcasing their modern renaissance city and state-of-the-art expanded convention center. The Citywide Auction offers planners an incredible deal, in a top ranked city, while supporting educational resources for all PCMA members and our industry."
"The PCMA auction designation is an opportunity for conventions to meet in Philadelphia with greater confidence, knowing that SMG's best practices are in place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center," said Lorenz Hassenstein, General Manager at PCC for SMG. "We are delivering on our promises of improved customer service, streamlined labor management and overall ease of doing business at this state-of-the-art facility.”
The citywide auction is one of a number of strategic initiatives being implemented by the PHLCVB, Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority (PCCA) and SMG to showcase Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Convention Center as an easy and great place to make great experiences and business happen. For more information on the auction, visit www.pcma.org/conventioncenterauction.
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Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), www.discoverPHL.com, a private non-profit membership corporation, is the official Tourism Promotion Agency for the City of Philadelphia globally, and the primary sales and marketing agency for the expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center. The PCVB competes with its counterparts worldwide for convention and tourism business. The organization has departments dedicated to the multicultural, sports, and life sciences markets. The PHLCVB incorporates the short code PHL, an open source graphic identifier for the City of Philadelphia into the Convention & Visitors Bureau brand identity. The graphic identifier and other assets for use by public, private and non-profit organizations can be found at www.PHLpartners.com. To request a login, email phlpartners@discoverphl.com
