The Globe contacted all 27 members of the panel, known as the Convention Partnership, and about half responded.
A majority of those said they were in favor of expanding the convention center, or leaned toward recommending an expansion after a year’s worth of public meetings. They suggested the project would make Boston one of the nation’s top destinations for meetings.
“All of the event planners pointed to the fact that the center needs to expand its exhibit space and needs additional hotel rooms,’’ said Richard Dimino, a member of the partnership and chief executive of the business group A Better City. “They were then asked if we took those steps, would they come to Boston, and 100 percent of them said yes.’’
But several panel members are not convinced that a costly expansion would lead to more convention business for Boston. They have asked the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority to provide better data on the number of visitors the larger facility would attract, how many jobs it would create, and how much tax revenue it would generate for city and state coffers.
“Clearly there are costs here, so we need to see the benefits laid out in a detailed and realistic way,’’ said Michael Widmer, a member of the panel and president of the business-backed Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. “We need to be sold on the jobs and economic gains, otherwise it’s not a persuasive argument.’’
The Convention Partnership was appointed by city and state leaders to review the expansion proposal and recommend to the governor and legislative leaders whether it should move forward. Its members are business executives and public officials. The panel’s report is being drafted under the direction of convention authority executive director James Rooney and is expected to be filed later this summer.
One longtime critic who has followed the proceedings said he’s not surprised the panel is favoring an expansion.
