ST. LOUIS 鈥 Enrique Oyaga has been coming to Dot Foods鈥 annual trade show here on and off for the past 15 years.
He鈥檚 aware of the crime issues downtown and has heard warnings to be careful during the conference this week. He鈥檚 not so worried.
鈥淚鈥檓 from New York,鈥 Oyaga said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see anything different.鈥
After more than 20 years at America鈥檚 Center, Dot Foods鈥 trade show is moving to Denver for the next two years. Last week, Dot鈥檚 chief executive said crime in the downtown area has been a concern, and, this year, is driving them out. But convention planners, local tourism boosters, and even Dot鈥檚 convention-goers themselves said this week that 鈥 while crime certainly plays a role 鈥 such decisions are far more complicated than crime alone.
Most companies select cities based on the size of the convention center, the number of available hotel rooms and direct flights, plus issues like downtown walkability, entertainment and restaurant verve.
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鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to have enough hotel rooms and the right kind of accommodations,鈥 said Glenn MacDonald, a professor at Washington University鈥檚 Olin Business School. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 No. 1.鈥
On Wednesday, officials at Dot Foods, a food industry distributor headquartered in Illinois, acknowledged the complicated nature of such decisions.
鈥淪everal factors led us to the decision of moving our trade show,鈥 the company said in a statement. 鈥淎ll of them are important considerations as we work to offer a great experience to our customers and exhibitors. Safety is always a primary factor.鈥
Dot Foods told the 狐狸视频 Convention & Visitors Commission last year that it wasn鈥檛 returning, the statement said.
Officials at the visitors commission, which operates the America鈥檚 Center downtown, said they have been delighted to host Dot Foods.
鈥淲e look forward to working with Dot鈥檚 leadership to win their business back to 狐狸视频,鈥 the agency said in a statement.
But such departures can be a big deal. The move threatens to undermine a key business for downtown, which relies on conventions and trade shows to fill restaurants and hotel rooms and bring foot traffic and dollars to regional attractions.
The more flights the better
Conventions are a big business for cities across the country. The events are typically planned at least a year in advance; some, like the NCAA men鈥檚 Frozen Four hockey championship, are planned five years ahead.
And they can attract thousands: Dot Foods鈥 welcomed 2,600 last year. Big ones draw tens of thousands, and select cities such as Orlando, Las Vegas and Chicago that have large convention centers and enough hotel rooms. Cities such as 狐狸视频 aren鈥檛 even in the running, said MacDonald.
Accessibility is also key, experts said. Organizations also are looking for cities that have a large flight capacity 鈥 the more direct flights the better. Having walkable cities that make it easy to get to hotels or entertainment is top of mind, as are the types of entertainment, experts said.
鈥淢illennials and Gen Zers, when they travel for a convention, they want to experience what鈥檚 unique about 狐狸视频,鈥 said Tyler Davidson, vice president and chief content director of Meetings Today, an industry publication. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 want a cookie cutter experience.鈥
Kate Walsh, vice president of employee experience at Hello! Destination Management, said that some attendees plan their summer vacations around their conferences, so hosting an event in a desirable city makes it all the more attractive.
But it鈥檚 been a tough few years for downtown 狐狸视频. Crime spiked during the pandemic. The city struggled with an uptick in speeding, random gunfire and general lawlessness.
Then, in February, 17-year-old Janae Edmonson was in town for a volleyball tournament. She and her family were walking downtown when a man awaiting trial on robbery charges sped through a yield sign and hit another car.
The crash pinned Janae between two vehicles, leading to the amputation of both of her legs.
The incident added to fears of growing crime downtown, and created an uproar that eventually led to the resignation of the city鈥檚 top prosecutor.
鈥業t鈥檚 an armpit鈥
But crime hits downtowns across the country, both experts and local boosters point out.
Just Tuesday, for instance, after the Nuggets won the team鈥檚 first NBA championship.
狐狸视频 is infamous for its murder rate, which is five times that of Denver, according to FBI statistics. General crime here is about twice that of Denver鈥檚, said Bobby Boxermann, a criminology doctoral student at the University of Missouri-狐狸视频, who studies the issue.
But comparing the cities directly is difficult. Denver is a consolidated city and county; 狐狸视频 has long been divorced from its leafy suburbs.
Moreover, say experts, crime isn鈥檛 always a top concern for event organizers.
It鈥檚 not typically part of the discussion when booking sporting events, for example, said Marc Schreiber, president of the 狐狸视频 Sports Commission. Event officials look for venue size and the condition of the facility, as well as the likelihood the host city can sell tickets 鈥 and what expenses cities will offer to cover.
Still, he said, the pandemic鈥檚 impact on downtowns across the country has been a talking point for the industry. 鈥淭hese challenges aren鈥檛 necessarily unique to 狐狸视频 ... (but) they are very real and need to be addressed,鈥 Schreiber said.
Dot Foods, headquartered in Mount Sterling, Illinois, with an office in Chesterfield, has held its 鈥淚nnovations鈥 trade show for customers and suppliers since 1998. On its website, Dot Foods touts the invite-only event as an experience for companies to grow their business and make connections.
As entertainment for attendees, the Dot Foods website suggests just three attractions in 狐狸视频: the revamped Union Station entertainment complex on Market Street downtown, The Armory gaming and dining venue in Midtown 鈥 and a private Counting Crows concert.
This week Dot Foods said it understands no city is immune to crime. Its attendees asked the company to look for a new location, it said.
鈥淲e are not giving up on the 狐狸视频 area as a location to host our events, but we鈥檙e looking for measurable improvements in safety before we come back,鈥 the company said in its statement.
Some of those attending this week鈥檚 conference, which ends on Thursday, weren鈥檛 so sure crime was the problem here.
Sean Hale and Jonathan Burness, from Saskatchewan, Canada, said they felt safe walking from their hotel to the baseball game earlier this week.
鈥淔rom what I have seen of the city,鈥 Hale said, 鈥淚 would come back.鈥
Others weren鈥檛 likely to return.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an armpit,鈥 said Keith Branham of Indianapolis. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel safe down here.鈥
Namratha Prasad and Alex Vargas of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.