www.HartfordBusiness.com • January 21, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 3
Newsmakers
EDITORIAL
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BUSINESS
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H. Scott Phelps
W
ill H. Scott Phelps' retirement stick
this time?
Phelps, who came out of retirement in
2014 to lead the Connecticut Convention & Sports
Bureau (CTCSB) as president, retired again on Dec.
31. He previously served as president and chief
executive of the Greater Hartford Convention and
Visitors Bureau for more than
three decades.
As he leaves his position at
CTCSB, Phelps notes that in
fiscal 2018, the organization
brought in close to $55 mil-
lion in spending by visitors,
which generated over $3.6
million in Connecticut taxes,
an 8.6-to-1 return on the
state Department of Eco-
nomic & Community Development's investment in
the bureau.
Looking back at his time leading CTCSB,
Phelps said he is most proud of raising the or-
ganization's return on investment, building and
diversifying the bureau's public-private partner-
ships and working to make the Hartford-based
organization more relevant statewide.
Why are conventions and sporting events seen
as a potent source of economic development?
Visitors to conventions, meetings and sports
events spend lots of money — dollars that are
earned elsewhere to be spent here. These are
fresh new dollars to our state that will be spent
multiple times, supporting hospitality industry
jobs and generating substantial new Connecticut
tax revenue.
In Connecticut, what do you see as the largest
growth opportunities for sports venues, conven-
tion halls, etc.?
Event planners are attracted to Connecticut's
location and demographics, since we are conve-
niently between New York City and Boston, with
easy access from car, bus, train or plane.
More than 23.5 million people live within a
2.5-hour drive to our state's capital — a major
selling point for conventions, trade shows and
sporting events that need to draw participants
and sell tickets. We also are seeing the establish-
ment of creative new venues to meet the demand
of growth sports: the four-court Oxford Pick-
leball takes advantage of the demand for more
play space, and the 11-field Fastpitch Nation Park
will open this spring in Windsor as the largest
fastpitch softball complex in the Northeast.
Cities across the country have given large tax
incentives to professional sports teams that build
stadiums in their municipalities. Do you think
these cities get a good return on that investment?
There are some models of stadium construc-
tion that have made sense, while others have not
worked out as well, and it depends upon the indi-
vidual community. I believe that the most impor-
tant thing a professional sports franchise brings to
a community is "pride of place."
If a city is the home of a professional team, it
suggests that you have a certain infrastructure,
capabilities and image. This is huge when working
with promoters and planners as it conveys that you
are at a level where you can handle meetings and
events with ease, and it promotes new business
growth as well.
VERBATIM
Healthy pay raise
"This important decision is a reflection of our respect for our staff and a product of
our core value of integrity that calls us to 'do the right thing.' "
Hartford HealthCare CEO Elliot Joseph on the health system's decision to
raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour.
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former President, Connecticut
Convention & Sports Bureau
H. Scott Phelps