Authority wants to study renovations to Benton Convention Center

The Forsyth County Tourism Development Authority said Friday that it has made its top priority the hiring of a consultant to recommend renovations to Benton Convention Center.

The authority said it is willing to provide money to hire a consultant, which could cost about $50,000. Board Chairman Joe Potter urged city officials "to expedite the effort" for the center, which opened in 1969.

The latest significant facelift came in October 2006 when the city of Winston-Salem paid $2.6 million for renovations that included new carpeting, an upgrade to the sound system inside and a new entrance, new landscaping, a new electronic sign outside and a wireless Internet system.

Richard Geiger, president of Visit Winston-Salem, said he would encourage the city and those involved in the center to "not take anything off the table" in terms of options, including gutting the building to its walls. That sort of renovation could cost tens of millions of dollars, Geiger estimated.

By comparison, the center cost $3.05 million to build. The north expansion was completed in 1986 at a cost of $12.1 million.

Noble Investment Group, an Atlanta company, manages the city-owned convention center. Under the deal signed in 2004, the city subsidizes Noble for operating losses. Noble owns the nearby Marriott and Embassy Suites hotels, and operates both hotels and the convention center as the Twin City Quarter.

"We are in favor of a consultant study to make recommendations on what can be done to enhance the Benton center's competitive position in state and regional markets as a convention destination," said Roy Croop, senior vice president of asset management for Noble.

"As technology and media change, it will continue to be very important to look at upgrading amenities, including Internet access, both wired and Wi-Fi; sound and lighting production capabilities; signage; reader boards; and other informational platforms.

"As new venues enter the state and regional marketplace, up-to-date technologies and refreshed finishes at the center would help to retain current business levels and contribute to increasing our share of convention business," Croop said.

Martha Wheelock, an assistant city manager, said the city council is responsible for making decisions about hiring a consultant and providing new money for renovations.

When the city entered the agreement with Noble, the hope was to reduce the center's losses. By operating both the hotels and the convention center, Noble could shift staff members from one to the other as they were needed, and offer bundled deals for groups that would stay at the hotels and use the center for their events.

Wheelock said the city provides $250,000 each year to address capital priorities that city staff and Noble management staff agree upon.

Wheelock said Mayor Allen Joines and city staff have met with Geiger and Potter to discuss ways "to keep and make the convention center competitive for seeking business. They did express their primary concerns are technology-related.

"The Citizens' Capital Needs Committee has addressed and prioritized some of the structural/maintenance needs of the facility as a part of review of existing capital needs requests for future bond consideration. There are convention center facility-related items included in a priority list, but none are related to technology."

Shortly before the 2006 renovations, the city replaced the brick façade on the north end of the convention center at a cost of $1 million and replaced the heating and air-conditioning system at a cost of $2.8 million.

Those upgrades, while appreciated, only served as Band-Aids, according to TDA board members.

Vivian Burke, the city council's representative on the TDA board, said the center is not meeting the needs of the tourism industry. She said she has heard complaints about the food and the setup.

Debra Conrad, a board member and a Forsyth County commissioner, said that "it's not hard to sell the negative of the convention center."

Chief among the limitations is technology and the loading docks, she said. For example, the center's wireless service struggles to handle events with heavy Wi-Fi demands.

That limitation, Conrad said, has played a role in the center and the city not being able to attract the state's annual biotechnology conference back since its only visit in 2006.

Given the budding biotechnology hub in Winston-Salem, having the conference return is a priority because it could help attract tenants to Piedmont Triad Research Park.