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Big-Time Boosters

 by James Fink

 Wednesday, November 3, 2010
 

A team of Buffalo hospitality and preservation supporters recently spent several days in Austin, but they weren’t there for Texas barbecue or to catch a taping of “Austin City Limits.”

They were there to promote the fact that Buffalo will host the 2011 annual meeting of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Austin was host city this year.

Led by the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau, the team talked up Western New York while closely observing the four-day event.

“Now the rubber hits the road,” said Ed Healy, CVB senior vice president. “Everything we did up to this point was a prelude of sorts. Now we’ve got less than one year and counting.”

The 2011 meeting will be a golden opportunity to cement this region’s position in lucrative preservation and architecture tourism circles, Healy and others said. The National Trust will be in Buffalo Oct. 18-22 and more than 2,000 people are expected. The meeting is projected to have an immediate economic impact of at least $3 million.

“Buffalo is on the radar screen,” Healy said. “We’ve got the goods, but we want to knock people’s socks off when they get here.”

For the past four years, the Buffalo CVB has maintained a booth at National Trust trade shows, a key part of the yearly gatherings. This year, the booth was triple in size and manned by the likes of Healy, CVB President Dottie Gallagher-Cohen and Senior Vice President Mike Even. Also on hand were community volunteers such as Catherine Schweitzer and Robert Skerker, co-chairs of next fall’s event; Mary Roberts, Martin House Restoration Corp. executive director; and Henry McCartney, Preservation Buffalo Niagara executive director.

They say they spent hours talking about the city to catch the eye of preservationists and architecture buffs.

“This is our chance to really sell Buffalo as a city of architecture,” Healy said.

While much of the convention planning will be handled by National Trust staff, local leaders will have some input. Shea’s Performing Arts Center will host at least one of the opening events, and Kleinhans Music Hall is booked for award ceremonies. Other locations are being scouted, as well.

Said Healy: “The goal is have people go back home raving about Buffalo – not only raving about Buffalo, but whetting their appetite so they come back for a second or third visit.”