Hartford Business Journal

18 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JULY 28, 2025 FOCUS | Meetings & Conventions Over its two decades in existence, the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford has hosted some 3,000 events and more than 6 million visitors. Now it must reinvent itself for a new era. Contributed Photo 'Trying to Pivot' At 20, the CT Convention Center is at a crossroads remote meeting technologies for the businesses that had previously used the Convention Center for two- or three-day in-person events. And while that business is slowly rebounding, it still hasn't reached its previous levels. It's also complicated by another pandemic-era dynamic. "COVID wiped out some 700 (hotel) rooms in downtown," Freimuth said. "Plus, it impacted hotels in the region. Recapturing that is difficult." That means even if the Convention Center can once again attract the number of overnight business guests it used to host, there aren't enough places for them to sleep. "It's a bit of a catch-22 in that you need a certain level of hotel rooms at certain price points to book certain events," he said. "But, unless you book those events, it's hard to under- write the cost of the hotels." And that dynamic has meant the Convention Center has had to get creative in recent years with the mix of business it attracts. "We're trying to pivot, so to speak, and generate more food and beverage business, some more local-type meetings and banquets, and then doing these ticketed public shows," Costelli said. He's referring to highly successful public events like the recent immer- sive show "Beyond Monet / Beyond Van Gogh." The Convention Center has partnered with a Canadian company, Paquin Entertainment, to bring such events to its exhibition hall, and it's not just hosting them — it By Harriet Jones hjones@hartfordbusiness.com T he Connecticut Convention Center turned 20 this year — a milestone that comes as both the Hartford landmark and broader convention industry confront new challenges. One man with a little perspective on those headwinds is Michael Costelli. He's been general manager at the Convention Center since it opened in 2005. "There had never been a convention center in Connecticut of this size," he said in a recent inter- view. "It took a little time to gather some momentum. It was not only trying to go out and sell ourselves where there had never been such a building, but it was also training and teaching staff." But that momentum built, and the staff eventually came on board. In fact, Costelli says, more than half of his current staff have worked at the facility for more than a decade. He has 82 full-timers, and an additional slate of 270 casual employees he can call on for special events. Over its two decades, the Conven- tion Center has hosted some 3,000 events and more than 6 million visitors. Developer Len Wolman was part of the team that came up with the vision for having a convention center in Hartford as part of what was then the Adriaen's Landing development. "Right between New York and Boston is just an incredible location," he said. "You can draw from both Massachusetts and New York into Connecticut. We do that with tour- ists every summer, and we have the same opportunity when it comes to business." The facility is costly to operate and has typically run an annual deficit, covered by state appropriations. In fiscal year 2026, it's projected to post a $5.6 million shortfall. But Michael Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Devel- opment Authority, says the state has more than recouped that money over time through visitor spending and job creation tied to the facility. "Generally speaking, it produces more in tax revenues than the oper- ating subsidy has been," he said. "Excise taxes, hotel taxes, parking taxes, sales taxes, employment taxes, payroll. These tax generations go into the state budget." 'Catch-22' But that math was severely chal- lenged — along with the very survival of the Convention Center — by the COVID-19 pandemic. The building closed to the public during the lock- downs, and the companies that were the backbone of its business took their meetings online. "We worked with the National Guard in getting (the) facility open as a 600-bed field hospital," Costelli said of the early pandemic days. "Thank- fully, it never had to be used." After that, the lower lobby was converted into one of the largest vaccination centers in the state, allowing Costelli to keep many of his staff busy. But the challenges would continue long after the lockdowns ended. The pandemic spurred innovation in Mike Costelli

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