Well it seems that unintended effects of HB2 is a gift that keeps on giving. In the past seven days according to the Wake County Visitors Bureau…
Wake County’s economic losses resulting from the controversial new law known as HB2 have quadrupled over the last seven days, according to the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Just on April 11th alone, the county lost $730,000 when four groups canceled plans for events in Wake County. In addition, two other events were canceled, and another has been scaled back since then as reported on Monday.
The bureau estimates that the changes cost the county an additional $2.4 million in economic spending, bringing the total of estimated losses to $3.1 million because of HB2.”
The biggest single cancellation to date has been from the Community Transportation Association of America, which canceled plans to bring 1,000 in June 2018 for a one-week event. This would have booked a total of 2,511 room nights and projected spending would have been an estimated $1.7 million! The Washington, D.C.-based group/association will now hold its event in Baltimore.
And what else could go wrong?
This:
Fewer Hotel room bookings….
Organizers of a planned “Record Store Day,” which aimed to piggyback on the success of the Hopscotch music festival, canceled a three-day event in September. The bureau estimated Record Store Day would draw 126 people, prompt 560 hotel room bookings and generate $191,000 in economic spending.
Record Store Day organizers will instead hold the event in Baltimore, said Carrie Colliton, director of marketing for the Department of Record Stores and co-founder of the event.
“Record stores are a place of joy and discovery, and their doors are open to everyone,” Colliton wrote in a statement, adding that the event may not return to Raleigh until there is corrective legislative action. “We look forward to showing off Raleigh and the true spirit of North Carolina after the repeal of HB2.”
Meanwhile, the National Black Heritage Championship Swim Meet plans to hold an event in Cary late next month. About 3,000 people were expected to attend and book 1,500 hotel room nights, but event organizers say more than 100 hotel room reservations were recently canceled due to HB2.
All together, the bureau estimates that $28 million in potential visitor spending is in jeopardy as a result of cancellations due to HB2, up from an estimate of $24 million last week. The bureau reports that leaders of seven events, five of which are considering the Raleigh Convention Center between this year and 2020, may decide to go elsewhere because of HB2.
The bureau didn’t release the names of the seven events that may go elsewhere but did release details of their event plans and email snippets from event organizers. Combined, the seven new events in jeopardy would bring 4,425 people, 7,889 hotel room night stays and about $5 million in economic spending over the next four years, the bureau said.
This is the result (and this will continue to snowball as time goes on) when you have extremists running the state government and passing legislation that is out of tune with the needs and wishes of it’s state’s constituents. North Carolina is fighting tooth and nail to regress over 75 years, and to turn back the progress in that time that has been made in just a few short Tar Heel Teabilly Taliban legislative control in 6 years.
But don’t tell Governor McCrory that:
“I walked into a buffet restaurant, African-American buffet restaurant, and the people just welcomed me with open arms and said, ‘Thanks for protecting us.’ I got back in my car, and I got a call from someone in corporate America going, ‘Man, you’ve got to change this. We’re getting killed,’ ” McCrory said.
SNIP
McCrory didn’t directly address the economic consequences of HB2, saying only that there’s a disconnect between corporations and everyday people.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article72510252.html#storylink=cpy
It would appear that it is Governor “Disconnect” McCrory that has the big problem here.
Cooper, 2016
Be safe out there….