In Pittsburgh, dozens and dozens of downtown businesses closed during the G20 Meetings, September 24-25, 2009. Those that stayed open, saw minimal benefit.
“It’s like a ghost town. I don’t know why we opened today,” said the owner of a fast food restaurant. “We’ll be throwing out over a thousand dollars in perishable food. There just aren’t any customers. We’ll be closed for the second day of the G20. It’s too bad, Friday is usually our best day.”
The city of Pittsburgh left it up to individual businesses whether to remain open during the two-day summit, most chose to close.
“We know it’s an inconvenience,” Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato said. “It will be a win for all the businesses. If more people come here because of this, every single business will get the benefit.”
BUT, that’s a big IF.
Hosting an International event of the significance of the G20 will, in the short-term, be a major expense and inconvenience for business. But will it be a small price to pay for long-term economic benefits? Only time will tell.
Leaders at this summit have declared the G20 to be the pre-eminent circle of global leaders, supplanting the G8. As a result, the resort town of Huntsville, Ontario – will likely host a G20 event next June. The lack of tangible short or medium term benefits for hosting such an event in early summer should be a concern to business leaders.
Meeting the needs of journalists and media
Huntsville, in the heart of Muskoka is cottage country with ample opportunities for outdoor adventure and nature tours. Unfortunately, media at events like this don’t arrive early or stay late. They come to town to do their job and leave once that job is complete. Anyone considering offering special packages for journalists or delegates of the G20 will be very disappointed in the response of these short-stay visitors.
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