The bayfront location and beaches of Padre Island make Corpus Christi one of the top tourist destinations in the state. But a convention center that some say is too small may be putting a damper on Corpus Christi's visitor trade.
Business leaders hope to change that in 1997 by beginning plans and obtaining funding to expand the existing convention center.
"There are a number of groups that used to come here but can't anymore because they are too large," said Keith Arnold, chief executive officer of the Greater Corpus Christi Business Alliance.
"There are also groups for which the convention center just isn't large enough to compete. Many are professional people with large discretionary incomes. We are losing a lot of money in hotel room nights, and money that would be spent in restaurants and shops," he said.
The Bayfront Plaza Convention Center, 1201 N. Shoreline Dr., is a 200,000-square-foot facility with a 76,000-square-foot exhibit hall. "Sometimes we are our own worst enemy," Pierce said. "When groups have their conventions in Corpus Christi, they always have record-breaking attendance because everybody likes it so much. Then if the convention center is too small for them, they look at another city the next year. If they go to that city, they usually don't have as many people."
Pierce said that ideally, she would like to see the convention center double in size. "Expanding it just a little might solve the problem right now, but it wouldn't solve it five years from now," she said.
Corpus Christi's convention center competes with facilities in cities of the same size and with the same number of hotel rooms. It also competes with other resort communities, such as South Padre Island, and with larger Texas cities including Fort Worth, Dallas and San Antonio.
"Some state associations rotate their conventions between several different cities, and we have been taken off many rotation lists because of our size," she said.
Elsa Hansen, sales manager at the Holiday Inn-Emerald Beach, said expanding the convention center "could mean millions of dollars and hundreds of room nights.
"Now I go out to solicit business and then find the convention center can't accommodate them," Hansen said. "Other people come and find the convention center is too small and say they can't come back next year."
Pierce said the convention center booked about 300 conventions in 1996, bringing 152,000 delegates to the city. She estimated the average delegate spent $155 per day in Corpus Christi, and stayed in the city for three days. There is plenty of undeveloped land in the area to allow for expansion, Pierce said. "But negotiating prices is a whole different thing," she said.
"I would certainly hope that the landowners would be fair and equitable due to the positive impact this would have on the community, particularly if they have other businesses," Arnold said.
Pierce said expanding the convention center exhibit hall by at least 40,000 square feet, constructing additional meeting rooms and creating more auditorium space are top priorities.
Arnold said the business alliance is not certain how much an expansion might cost. "We are in the study stage now," he said.
Pierce said that the expansion might be funded through the proposed half-cent economic development sales tax. The Community Progress Partnership would allot around $153 million for a variety of community projects, including expanding the convention center.
"If not, we will just have to find other means," Pierce said.