Study Outlines Potential Impact of Convention Center-Hotel in Bentonville

A convention center and hotel in Bentonville would give the vendors and suppliers that call on Wal-mart Stores Inc. the perfect place to gather for business and networking.

That’s according to Kalene Griffith, president of the Bentonville Convention & Visitors Bureau, the organization that commissioned a feasibility study by Chicago-based consultant Hunden Strategic Partners.

“Our vendors and suppliers are hosting large meetings in surrounding cities and states,” Griffith said. “We would like to host them in Bentonville.”

The Hunden study, still in the final stages of development, shows that a convention center-hotel in Bentonville would generate hundreds of new jobs, millions in new tax revenue, and spark a micro-economy in goods and services.

“An overnight visitor spends three times what a day visitor spends,” Griffith said.

Early estimates are that the convention center-hotel could cost around $150 million. The Bentonville report estimates that the center would create nearly 200 jobs in year one, and by year five, would produce as many as 357, from direct, indirect and induced sources. Likewise, in year one, the convention center-hotel would be expected to generate $10 million in net new spending, and by year five, over $22 million, from direct, indirect and induced sources.

“A convention center is an opportunity to attract visitors to Bentonville to support and enhance our local economy,” Griffith said. “These visitors who might not otherwise come to Bentonville play an important role as consumers of goods and services sold by local businesses.”