Thank God for religious conventions

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Thank God for religious conventions. In an average year, the tourism forecast for Fort Collins would be rather bleak under these economic conditions.

We foresaw some of these changes and focused efforts and resources on securing convention business for this summer, primarily in the religious market. Being an odd-numbered year, we will see the return of Campus Crusade for Christ International, which will hold its summer training conference in Fort Collins, having met here for more than 40 years.

Even this longstanding event was in question recently, and a coordinated effort by Colorado State University, city, community and CVB interests worked to keep Campus Crusade coming back. This long-standing event is one of the major drivers of restaurant and retail spending, with participants staying here for two months and peaking at 7,000 attendees.

This summer also will mark the return of the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses to Fort Collins and the Budweiser Events Center. We will host three weekends this year, and four in 2010, business that has been away from the city for a couple of years. Although the meeting is held at the Budweiser Event Center, organizers are loyal to their host, sending their hotel bookings to Fort Collins first.

It won't be a record year for tourism in this economic climate. But we feel the group business coming this summer will help close the gap.

Thank God for religious conventions.

Jim Clark is executive director of the Fort Collins Convention & Visitors Bureau.