Trust us, we're professionals.

If you build it they will come.

Knoxville will be a destination attraction.

Sing it, with feeling.

Anyone know how many meeting, convention centers, etc there are within 1 hour drive of downtown Knoxville?

It seems like there is a significant number.

Including everything, Rothchilds, Expo Center, Joe's meeting center and bait shop, etc.

Seems like something MPC might have. I assume someone keeps tabs on this.

Part of the problem is that Sevier Co. and Pigeon Forge are beating us up pretty good on the convention business, because they're like, you know, a tourist destination.

The only time it has been used for the purposes for which it was hawked to the city heads was when IBM had their annual shareholders meeting in, of all places, Knoxville, Tennessee.

IBM is notorious for holding their annual meetings in places very hard to get to, very far off the beaten path to escape the financial press and their recalliant shareholders, and a place which is not cost effective to travel to. By selecting Knoxville, they were able to meet all of their objectives and those are circumstances the convention center management team SMG should not be pround of at all. When they charge non profits $14.00 for a dozen Krispy Kremes and do not allow charities to bring in any food or drink from the outside whatsoever (including build out and tear down of the event) they don't really ingratiate themselves to the user base and the Knoxville Expo Center and Rothchild's have seen rapid growth since the opening of the Knoxville Convention Center.

I'd hope they would name it after Victor "Victory" Ashe in his honor. It is somewhat emblematic of his tenure in office, plenty of gradiosity, sashay, but very little in substance.

Bare Smokies Bear Market Has Researchers Seeking New Quarry
Failing to hit the black in bear studies, scientists will stalk the rare, elusive "convention center profit margin" instead

From APB reports. KNOXVILLE - For the first time in 42 years, because of a lack of funding, students and faculty with the University of Tennessee won't be heading to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to monitor the black bears. Instead, they'll be taking the trolley to the World's Fair Park in search of the seldom-seen "profit margins" rumored to haunt the habitat of the Knoxville Convention Center.

Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, adjunct professor with UT's Department of Cryptozoology (formerly the Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries), and the project's supervisor, said the shift in his team's focus came as no surprise. He explained that funding the study of black bears is unprofitable, whereas finding deficit funding for convention centers with chimerical rationales for existence appears to be a growth industry...

Just think, we could have had the minor league baseball stadium instead. ... Bill Haslam is being unfairly blamed for this fiasco. He also is blamed for selling off the Candy Factory and Victorian Houses. Seems Bill can't win on this discussion board. - s.

He also is blamed for selling off the Candy Factory and Victorian Houses.

Really? Who did it then?

Haslam's White Elephant is the Ten Year Plan. Ask him how he ducked out of a 55 minute Council meeting last night so he wouldn't have to face some people from the Teaberry area.

He cut and run. He won't face people about the Ten Year Plan.

Haslam sold 'em, and I suspect he would have sold the Convention Center too if there had been a buyer. I agree with the decision to sell those properties to eliminate the upkeep and return them to the tax rolls. (I hope they're on the tax rolls.) - s.

jon lawler has been spotted looking at it for permanent supportive housing.

Maybe we could, on a semi-temporary basis, turn at least part of this thing into something we could charge admission for, like a children's museum, or a science museum.
Its not like we're using all this space anyways.

East Tennessee loves flea markets. What a place for another flea market!

End the contracts, allow it to be booked for free, clients would need to provide their own services and pay a clean up fee.