The bad news: The American Heart Association had to look elsewhere for its 2009 convention — expected to bring in 33,000 to 35,000 delegates and their accompanying $107 million economic boost — when it became clear that its hometown of Dallas wouldn't be able to deliver a downtown convention center hotel.

But that bad news may have helped to shock the Dallas City Council, where attempts to build a headquarters hotel have consistently expired for more than 20 years, into action. In February, the Council voted to authorize spending $500,000 in Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau funds on a purchase option agreement for a potential hotel site.

According to Phillip Jones, chief executive of the Dallas CVB, at least 80 groups representing $800 million in direct spending have said that they would not consider hosting an event in Dallas until a convention center hotel was under construction. “We have a short list of the top 10 groups that we think we could book in the next 18 months if we can get this project moving forward,” he says.

The City Council's move appears to have been sufficient for the American Heart Association. Jones has said that the association has tentatively scheduled its event for Dallas in 2013 and 2017, so long as the city builds a hotel adjacent to the convention center.

Related article:
Meetings in Texas