Spinning tales of the positive side of Pa. Convention Center

The Pennsylvania Convention Center has a new strategic communications manager. She says the job will be a challenge since the facility has received quite a bit of negative coverage.

Over the past few years, the stories coming out of the Convention Center in Philadelphia featured complaints about how expensive it is to run a convention at the facility.

Newly hired strategic communications manager Deirdre Childress, who spent much of her career at the Philadelphia Inquirer, says her job is to explain how the center is improving.

“We have really missed a lot of opportunities. One of the things we haven’t pushed enough is the 8 percent fee reduction for exhibitors and that is huge,” said Childress.

Childress says moving from print journalism into public relations will give her an opportunity to help bring more business to the city.

“If I can do anything at all to stimulate business and the economy, that’s my goal,” she said.

The hospitality industry is responsible for about 56,000 jobs in Philadelphia.