Two conventions pull out of Reno facility

Two conventions formerly held in Reno will relocate to other regions, says Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority.

Organizers of the 2009 Volleyball Festival will relocate to Phoenix. And the Hearth Patio and Barbecue Expo has booked its 2011 event in Salt Lake City; the expo is also shopping other locales for its 2013 and 2015 conventions, which had originally been scheduled to take place at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

According to the RSCVA, the 2008 Volley-ball Festival generated approximately 17,000 room nights and the 2009 HPBExpo generated just under 10,000 hotel room nights.

Ellen Oppenheim, RSCVA president and chief executive officer, said, "It is important for both the RSCVA and the community to focus efforts on developing new convention clients to minimize the impact of losing this business."