The Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority (PCCA) recently announced that the existing contract with its labor supplier, Elliott-Lewis Corporation, will be changed to eliminate the 8 percent management fee that has been charged to exhibitors for supplying unionized labor at the Philadelphia Convention Center (PCC).
The agreement will be effective July 1, 2012.
“We listened to our customers and we took their needs seriously,” said Ahmeenah Young, president and CEO of the PCCA. “We are definitely excited about sharing this new development.”
The elimination of the 8 percent fee is an initial step in the transition to a new business model that will continue to lower labor costs in an effort to attract new business to the convention center.
The announcement was made on April 3 at Meeting Metropolis, an event designed to showcase the newly expanded PCC to meeting planners and decision makers from the convention industry.
The $787 million expansion, which was completed on March 4, is the largest public works project ever undertaken by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. With the capability to host two conventions simultaneously, the PCCA expects visitor traffic to soar to an estimated 1.5 million per year.
There are a number of additional steps that will be fully implemented at the PCC by July 2012, all of which support the customer-centric focus that is at the core of the convention center’s plan. The PCCA Board of Directors and management team have worked diligently with Elliott-Lewis, to review and restructure policies that will make for a smoother operation in the new state-of-the-art facility. The elimination of the labor management fee is but one step in the right direction.
“We know that the 8percent fee has not been particularly well received by our customers,” said Gregory J. Fox, chairman of the Board for PCCA. “The elimination of the 8 percent fee is in the best interest of the customer and will make the Pennsylvania Convention Center, much more competitive so more planners choose to meet here and, just as important, choose to return”
