ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.
While area businesses continue their recovery post Hurricane Sandy, several positive indicators show Atlantic City’s resiliency as it continues into the New Year.
The number of conventions, tradeshows and meetings held at the Atlantic City Convention Center in December 2012 increased by 20%, with the addition of two more shows compared to December 2011. That resulted in a 5% increase in both room nights and delegates and an increase of 2% in delegate spending for a total of $9,841,231 in December 2012.
The number of public shows remained steady in December 2012, with delegate spending increasing 50% to $125,357 in December 2012 compared to $83,732 in December 2011. Despite an 18% decrease in the number of public shows at the Convention Center in 2012 compared to 2011, the number of room nights generated increased by 31% year-to-date 2012 versus 2011.
The number of shows held at individual hotel properties in December 2012 substantially increased post-Hurricane Sandy compared to December 2011 when there were no weather-related effects. The number of shows year-to-date increased by 24% from 75 in 2011 to 93 in 2012, which resulted in an increase of 43% in the number of delegates attending in 2012 as compared to 2011. Despite a significant drop in attendance at Boardwalk Hall in December 2012 over December 2011, 2012 year-to-date attendance saw a positive increase of 9% over 2011.
