The Phoenix Convention Center celebrated years of service to the downtown Phoenix community on Friday with a block party dedicated to its 40th anniversary.
The event was held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Third Street between Washington and Monroe streets, and included free food samples and a cornhole tournament that benefited the Phoenix Community Service Fund Drive.
More than 30 vendor booths, both business and nonprofit, were set up along the block by groups including the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Arizona Rattlers.
At noon, convention center Interim Director Debbie Cotton, Mayor Greg Stanton, Vice Mayor Michael Johnson, Deputy City Manager Rick Naimark and Greater Phoenix Conventions and Visitor Bureau President Steve Moore provided a brief presentation focusing on the center’s community impact and economic importance.
“The activities that go on in these two buildings are incredibly important in the short run for our economy, and also incredibly important in the long run to build the economic vitality of this community. And it can’t be done except in partnership,” Stanton said.
Johnson emphasized the significance of community partnership and described the convention center as a key representation of the downtown Phoenix community.
“This (the convention center) has been the heart and the centerpiece of downtown Phoenix. It’s the middle between our sports. It’s with the arts district that we have here on the other side. It’s mixed with our hotels and our restaurants. This is the centerpiece that we have that stands out in the city of Phoenix to bring everything that we have here together,” Johnson said in his speech.
Throughout the 40th anniversary celebration, vendors were able to present themselves to consumers that had never heard of their business. Keith Chandler, an events and administration program coordinator at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, said the event introduced him to downtown businesses.
“I got to sample some great food that I’ve never had before, (and) also visit with some people that I didn’t even know had businesses downtown and offer some great services,” he said.
Chandler was also running a booth representing ASU at the block party with the hopes of making his own impression on the downtown Phoenix community.
Another vendor, Copper Blues Rock Pub & Kitchen, was represented at the celebration by the general manager Shannon Brown.
“(The convention center is) hugely important for downtown Phoenix,” Brown said. “We’re a new business venture. We have a rock pub and kitchen and a comedy club downtown. It’s a new market for us, so what the convention center brings in is invaluable.”
Brown said the convention center provides her business between 6,000 and 15,000 attendees each weekend.
Journalism student Courtney Bannon said the 40th anniversary celebration was helpful for her as a downtown resident.
“I think it gathers a lot of people together and kind of attracts attention to local businesses, which is cool because I wouldn’t have known any of this stuff existed,” she said.
Contact the reporter at alyssa.c.clark@asu.edu
