I remember all of those talks from the platform we used to hear about being generous, when going to the conventions and setting a good example for the Watchtower Society. Yet the Watchtower does (not) show that same generosity, even to the point of allowing the convention owners to (break even).
http://www.caller.com/ccct/editorials/article/0,1641,CCCT_840_3395328,00.html
http://www.caller.com/ccct/editorials/article/0,1641,CCCT_840_3395328,00.html
********************************************************************************************
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Latone charged that the managers of the arena were unwilling to cut a deal that would make it possible for the religious group to meet here and thus lost a chance to host a convention that promised to bring big bucks to the city. Latone intimated that the reluctance to make a deal broke faith with one of the selling points to voters, that the arena would give the city a chance to get bigger conventions than before. ********************************************* The initial reaction of City Hall seemed to underscore the point. "The arena is not a convention center," City Manager Skip Noe said. "We have to break even." ******************************************** No, the arena is not a convention center, but it was presented to the voters as a facility that could be used in conjunction with conventions. And the voters went along. On Sunday's Viewpoints Page, Noe more fully laid out the city's view of how the arena will be used and conventions are, we are glad to hear, very much a part of the arena's business. Noe wrote that the city had promised to run an operation that wouldn't need a taxpayer subsidy, would serve as a venue for concerts and athletic events, and "yes, we have conventions on the books." ****************************************************************** The issue, as we understand it, is fitting conventions within the goal of breaking even on arena expenses. The indications are that perhaps some conventions can't meet that formula. The 2005 Jehovah's Witnesses gathering, it seems, couldn't and that seems reasonable. ***************************************************************** There is an expectation that the first year of any operation involves some feeling out of what will and what will not work. What needs to be clarified is what formula will determine when the city will be willing to cut a deal to win convention business. Noe wrote that if the business is good enough, "we will have to find a way to cover the cost of arena operations by other means." However that formula is determined, it is important that conventions, as well as big shows, Rayz games and the Islanders, be part of the mix. This keeps faith with the voters who wanted it all. |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The initial reaction of City Hall seemed to underscore the point. "The arena is not a convention center," City Manager Skip Noe said. "We have to break even." No, the arena is not a convention center, but it was presented to the voters as a facility that could be used in conjunction with conventions. And the voters went along. On Sunday's Viewpoints Page, Noe more fully laid out the city's view of how the arena will be used and conventions are, we are glad to hear, very much a part of the arena's business. Noe wrote that the city had promised to run an operation that wouldn't need a taxpayer subsidy, would serve as a venue for concerts and athletic events, and "yes, we have conventions on the books." The issue, as we understand it, is fitting conventions within the goal of breaking even on arena expenses. The indications are that perhaps some conventions can't meet that formula. The 2005 Jehovah's Witnesses gathering, it seems, couldn't and that seems reasonable. There is an expectation that the first year of any operation involves some feeling out of what will and what will not work. What needs to be clarified is what formula will determine when the city will be willing to cut a deal to win convention business. Noe wrote that if the business is good enough, "we will have to find a way to cover the cost of arena operations by other means." However that formula is determined, it is important that conventions, as well as big shows, Rayz games and the Islanders, be part of the mix. This keeps faith with the voters who wanted it all. |