Faith-based events increase at R.I. Convention Center

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Convention Center hosted 50 percent more faith-based events this past fiscal year than it did in fiscal year 2014, the agency announced Friday, boosting hotel traffic downtown.
This weekend, the center welcomes more than 2,000 people into Providence for History Makers 2015, a gospel and religious speaking event.
“When the economy soured in 2009 and 2010, we experienced a decrease in the number of corporate meetings and conferences,” said Larry Lepore, general manager of the Rhode Island Convention Center. “To make up for that loss, we saw an opportunity in the faith-based market and assigned a sales person to solely work in tandem with the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau.”
Not only is that “hard work is coming to fruition,” he said, but growth in faith-based activity is expected for fiscal 2016.
In 2012, the Convention Center hosted four religious events and in 2013 only one. Since then, 11 faith-based events brought more than 2,500 people into Providence in fiscal year 2014. In fiscal year 2015, the number more than doubled to 26, with just under 10,000 people coming to the city.
The trend points to many smaller faith-based organizations outgrowing their space and looking for a larger facility to meet.
“This vertical market tends to be flexible in terms of timing, which allows us to book them during slower periods in the building and downtown Providence,” said John McGinn, senior sales director at the center. “For example, we hosted a Pentecostal group of 2,000 people during Easter weekend this year, which resulted in hundreds of room nights for local hotels.”

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