HARLINGEN — The city is ready to start booking events for the $16.7 million convention center.
Last night, city commissioners approved rental rates aimed at making the 44,436-square-foot facility “competitive” with other convention and event centers in the area.
The city needed to set the rates to launch a marketing program aimed at promoting the center.
Now, the rates’ approval will allow the city’s Convention & Visitors Bureau and BC Lynd to begin booking events and reserving the convention center, expected to open around January 2019.
City Manager Dan Serna has said events are booked a year or more in advance.
At last night’s meeting, Brandon Raney, chief executive officer of BC Lynd Hospitality, the San Antonio firm that will operate and staff the convention center, told commissioners he worked with a consultant and city staff to develop the rates.
The rates include discounts for nonprofit organizations and rates for renters whose food and beverage orders meet minimum requirements.
Consultant HVS Hospitality believes the rates are “comparable” with those of 20 Texas convention centers, Raney told commissioners.
“I’d like to commend them on the amount of research that went into this to make sure we’re competitive,” Commissioner Tudor Uhlhorn said.
For about two months, commissioners have been waiting to approve the rental rates.
In February, they postponed the rates’ approval to allow Raney to propose other rates.
The newly-approved rate schedule offers different prices for the convention center’s main ballroom, smaller meeting rooms and outdoor pavilion.
Under the rate schedule, nonprofit organizations will receive a discounted rate of $4,500 for rental of the convention center’s 16,200-square-foot ballroom, whose so-called “best available rate” charges $5,500 for the main hall.
The schedule sets discounted rates that range from $1,200 to $160 for the rental of smaller meeting rooms.
Discounts will also be available to renters whose food and beverage purchases meet minimum requirements.
“Standard and discounted rates could be reduced or eliminated at the discretion of the operator if the group meets the food and beverage minimums …,” the schedule states.
For the ballroom’s rental, the food and beverage minimum is set at $9,000.
The schedule sets the food and beverage minimum from $2,000 to $300 for smaller meeting rooms.
The schedule sets parking rates at $5 per car.
As part of an agreement, BC Lynd, which is building a 150-room Hilton Garden Inn to be attached to the convention center, will operate and staff the facility, splitting any profits or incurring any deficits with the city.