It's Your Business: Redevelopment of Bloomington's south side, convention center needed

Monroe County is a special place. Our natural environment, Indiana University and downtown Bloomington make it a strong destination to live, work and visit. The Monroe Convention Center provides a venue to accommodate and encourage gatherings. Topics can be related to education, training, celebration, entertainment, business, government, fundraising, recognition, public shows and nonprofit events. Event attendees are visitors and local residents. It is a multipurpose space that supports the hospitality industry in our community. It is an economic, cultural and social driver that has potential for more and better impact.

The Monroe Convention Center quickly recovered post-pandemic and currently hosts 400 events per year. The majority of those events are coordinated by local residents, businesses, government and nonprofits for a variety of needs. Conferences and conventions, while smaller in number of events, fill a very important role in filling hotel rooms and boosting patronage in our restaurants on weekdays where leisure demand for these services is lower. As event attendance continues to grow, it is encouraging to see convention center expansion steps underway.

We have a strong destination but our current convention center is woefully undersized to accommodate demand. Our downtown restaurants, services, retailers and entertainment venues need increased business especially Sunday through Thursday and in the summer months to stabilize business. Conference attendees are the perfect audience to help with this. Visitors help support the variety of amenities in our community.

More on downtown:Will Bloomington permanently close Kirkwood Avenue? Here's what we know

Redevelopment of the south side of downtown is long overdue. Encouraging connection to the community in facility design, signage and safe, walkable pathways is important. We have the opportunity to tell our Monroe County story through a newly designed venue to service convention and civic interests. As a public venue the Monroe Convention Center should reflect the pride we have for our community.

There are many new sustainable, technical, functional, health and safety advances since the current 1923 building was remodeled in 1991 into a convention center. Planners and organizers tell us the biggest gap in our current offerings is the addition of a large, flexible space for multi-day conventions, exhibits, performances, non-traditional sporting events and public consumer shows such as art markets. A host hotel is needed to provide overnight room blocks and parking to accommodate attendees to provide a reliable experience. We owe it to our community to be a leader in a venue where we are proud to host events. We are so excited by the progress and appreciate all who are coming together to make it happen. Of course, we all want it to be the best it can be for many years to come.

Thank you to the Monroe County commissioners and county council as well as the city of Bloomington mayor and city council in establishing a Capital Improvement Board to focus on the new building. Thank you for support from volunteers with the Monroe Convention and Visitors Commission and Food and Beverage Commission as well as Visit Bloomington and Downtown Bloomington Inc. It is encouraging to see progress and communication between all to get this project completed.

Talisha Coppock is executive director of Monroe Convention Center and executive director of Downtown Bloomington Inc.