Revamp on tap for
Hynes
The John B. Hynes Veterans
Memorial Convention Center in Boston will undergo an $18
million renovation this summer, according to the Massachusetts
Convention Center Authority, the group that sells and operates the
facility. The decision came in response to a December 2006 report
by a special legislative commission that concluded the center was
still a viable facility for meetings and conventions despite
operating at an annual loss.
Work will include revamping the
center’s appearance, technological infrastructure and security. In
addition, several environmental improvements, such as more
efficient lighting, air and water systems, will be implemented.
To shore up its revenue-generating
potential, 30,000 square feet of empty corridors and office space
in and around the center will be converted into new retail and
restaurant outlets. James Rooney, executive director of the MCCA,
believes that the introduction of retail space alone will generate
as much as $1 million annually, thereby bringing the facility
closer to its goal of turning a profit. The center, which opened in
1988, features approximately 175,000 square feet of exhibit
space.
Though the upgrade to the Hynes Center
comes on the heels of the Boston Conven-tion & Exhibition
Center’s opening in 2004, Rooney said he does not foresee problems
with an overcrowded field.
“There really isn’t any competition
between the two since the MCCA owns, operates and markets both
facilities,” said Rooney. “For small or midsize events, where
attendees might get lost in the BCEC, the upgraded Hynes Center
will offer a nice fit.”
Rooney also was quick to point out that
the Hynes Center had its best year in terms of revenue in 2005,
taking in more than $10 million during the BCEC’s first full year
in existence.
In response to the announced upgrade,
the three hotels connected to the Hynes Center have expressed an
intention to implement new services, to be spelled out later this
summer. Collectively known as the Boston Convention Complex, the
properties -- the Boston Marriott Copley Place, the Sheraton Boston
and the Westin Copley Place Boston -- offer a total of more than
3,200 guest rooms and nearly 320,000 square feet of recently
renovated meeting and exhibition space.