COVID-19: London's RBC Place braces for bleak 2020 after strong 2019
RBC Place London drove nearly $20 million in economic impact for the city last year. The city-owned convention centre even hosted one half of the Junos weekend last year.
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RBC Place London drove nearly $20 million in economic impact for the city last year. The city-owned convention centre even hosted one half of the Junos weekend last year. The 2019 annual report, made public recently, breaks down the numbers:
Juno buzz among 300-plus events
There were 323 events held at RBC Place in 2019, including London Comic Con, a bevy of professional conferences, and even a beer festival. Of those, 22 events spanned multiple days, generating nearly one-third of total event revenue and more than 10,000 hotel-night stays in London. The centre played host to the Juno Gala – a 1,400 person precursor to the nationally broadcast Juno Awards – handing out many awards at the star-studded Saturday night event. “Canada’s best musicians and performers were in the room,” said Lori Da Silva, chief executive of RBC Place.
New name, new style
In June, the convention centre inked a new, 10-year agreement with Royal Bank of Canada for naming rights, rebranding as RBC Place. With the new name came renovations for the now 27-year-old building. The ballroom was closed from late June through to early September, as the roof was replaced and new carpets installed. The colour scheme was changed and the space updated at the same time, Da Silva said.
By the numbers
$18.4 million: Economic impact produced by activity at RBC Place in 2019, including money spent at hotels, restaurants and at the centre itself
107,120: Called “delegate days,” this figure is the number of people who crossed through the doors at RBC Place, counting returning guests. Someone who attends a three-day conference accounts for three delegate days.
68%: The amount of time throughout the year RBC Place was in use
10,531: Number of nightly hotel stays driven by conventions
Down year-over-year
The 2019 results are down from the previous year, when the facility reported $21.3 million in direct economic impact, 12,135 hotel stays, a 74 per cent utilization rate and 126,995 people through the doors. Da Silva chalked the decreases up to a particularly strong 2018, coupled with the months-long closure for repairs in summer 2019.
Bracing for the pandemic’s force
It’s clear next year’s numbers will take an even bigger hit. RBC Place was locked up on March 15, 2020 and has been mostly empty since then (though security and facility staff are still on site). Hundreds of events have been rescheduled for later this year and some bumped back into 2021 or 2022. Three-quarters of employees have been laid off, including servers, porters, and kitchen staff. In the meantime, kitchen facilities are being used to produce more than 100 lunches a day for those in need, through a partnership with the London Food Bank and other community agencies. “We’re very happy to have a purpose,” Da Silva said. The unexpected closure also is allowing for odd jobs and maintenance that isn’t possible when RBC Place is running at full capacity, including heating repairs and replacing fire panels.
COVID-19
Each day we will have a rundown of our latest coverage on the London-area fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic
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