How is the Boston convention business doing as it rebounds from the pandemic? Officials affiliated with the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority used phrases like "surges in demand," "through the roof," "off the charts," "coming back strong" and "maxed out" during a report to the board Thursday. The convention business, predicated on having large groups of people from all over the country and world gather indoors, was rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic and derailed by government-mandated gathering limits. The MCCA saw business start to bounce back in 2021 and Convention Marketing Center Executive Director Milton Herbert Jr. said Thursday that "we're…

Conventions are making a comeback where the books at the state’s largest event halls boast the busiest season in five years. “We’re definitely climbing back up,” said David Gibbons, executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm and a huge amount of pent up demand. People want to get back. There’s definitely a desire and a want to get back to meetings.” Conventions resumed last July and Gibbons said it’s been a gradual ramp-up. With 118 events already booked, Gibbons said it…

With the worst days of the coronavirus pandemic receding, more convention centers are expected to seek U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act awards, and in the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, the first convention center to achieve the designation, they have a template for navigating the process. The SAFETY acronym stands for “Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies” and the act went into effect in 2007. It gives facilities the opportunity to limit their liability in the event of a terror attack, as long as specific risk mitigation measures are taken and documented. Officials with the Massachusetts…

A NEW FERRY SERVICE between East Boston and South Boston is launching on Monday, but it’s not quite what transportation advocates think of when they envision Boston Harbor as a blue highway. The new service between Lewis Wharf Mall and Fan Pier is being launched on a pilot basis by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, which already operates a ferry between Lovejoy Wharf at North Station and Fan Pier. The cost of the North Station ferry is picked up by employers in the Seaport; the cost of the East Boston one-year pilot is being picked…

The Springfield Thunderbirds are staying at the MassMutual Center for at least the next four years. The AHL franchise and the downtown arena announced an extension of their agreement that began in 2016. The two parties had been working without a finalized agreement for the 2021-22 season which begins Oct. 16 at home against Hartford. The agreement runs through the 2024-25 season and includes a mutual option for 2025-26. “We are proud and excited to keep the MassMutual Center, AKA “the Thunderdome,” as our home for the foreseeable future,” Thunderbirds Managing Partner Paul Picknelly said in a release…

From the new hits to the classics, dozens of displays are back at Fan Expo in Boston. "It's amazing, it's good as it's ever been, and we're really enjoying this year," Chris Deluca, one of the attendees said. This is the first public convention at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center since the pandemic began. The event was canceled last year. The Boston convention center space once served as a field hospital, but now it's resuming normal operations. "I've been dreaming for Comic-Con to come back, and it finally has," Xander Chartier said. Whether…

David Gibbons is seeing something in and around the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center that he hasn’t seen in more than 16 months: conventioneers. The conventions and meetings industry was one of the first to close when COVID-19 hit, and it has been one of the last to return. But that long-awaited reopening is finally here, with the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society, the first true business convention Boston has seen since the pandemic began. “A lot of business needs to be in person,” said Gibbons, executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. …

The Lawn on D in Boston is slated to reopen for an eight season on Thursday, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority announced. The grassy, outdoor space will be operating under COVID-19 regulations set by the state and the city, but several big changes are in store compared to last year. The Lawn’s famous swings and lawn games will be back, along with live music on weekends. Table reservations are no longer required and visitors will be able to order food and drinks directly from the bar. Thursday’s launch will feature food, drinks, and lawn games starting…

Call it the light at the end of the Ted Williams tunnel. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Kim Janey announced that pandemic restrictions will be lifted as of May 29. The move paves the way for the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority to welcome groups back at full capacity by next week. In reality, the calendars for top-notch venues including Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, The Lawn On D, Powered by Citizens Bank, the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center and the MassMutual Center in Springfield reveal a slow trickle before the dam bursts…

Boston businesses are hoping to cash in when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted in the city and across the state on May 29. The Newbury Boston, a newly-restored and renovated hotel across from Boston Public Garden, started welcoming tourists, business leaders and wedding parties. "We were scheduled to open in 2020," said Carlos Bueno, managing director for The Newbury Boston. "The phones, our guests and our associates have been very active. So far for this year, we have about 20 weddings already confirmed." The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center is hosting a volleyball tournament this weekend, while the nearby Lawn on…

CIC Health announced on Monday that it surpassed 1 million COVID-19 vaccines administered at its mass and community pop-up vaccination sites that operate throughout the state. CIC Health sites include Gillette Stadium, the Hynes Convention Center, the Reggie Lewis Center, Fenway Park, and multiple community pop-up sites. “As we approach our one-year anniversary, I am incredibly proud of the Herculean efforts by CIC Health and our trusted partners to safely and effectively vaccinate residents of the Commonwealth,” said Tim Rowe, CIC Health co-founder, and CEO. “We are humbled to have played a role in getting 1 million shots in…

More than 200 sailors are helping administer shots at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. When Anna Wales sat down for her vaccination shot, she didn't expect that the person holding the syringe would also be wearing camouflage and boots. “I was surprised, definitely. I didn't know that they were a part of this clinic,” she said. Many of the sailors are from a Navy hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia, deployed two weeks ago to the vaccination site at the Hynes Convention Center. “A lot of good food here. I love it. I'm going to gain…

Residents of twenty communities in Massachusetts that are most disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 will be able to participate in “Red Sox Week,” an initiative Governor Charlie Baker announced Wednesday to encourage residents of those cities and towns to get their COVID-19 shots. As part of the program, 20,000 first-dose appointments at the mass vaccination site at the Hynes Convention Center will be reserved for residents of the 20 communities from April 19 through April 25, Baker said. The 20 towns and cities is a subset that meets certain CDC criteria as well as experiencing high COVID-19 case rates, the state…

They line up by the hundreds each hour, dutifully masked and spaced 6 feet apart along the vast corridors of the Hynes Convention Center — a vaccination site supersized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This is the White House vaccine push at work in Boston. Residents eager for a shot and a return to normalcy, are ushered into a post-pandemic world by hundreds of Navy sailors in face shields and camouflaged uniforms. They plug away with needles, smiles, and factory-like precision at scores of stations in the site’s cavernous “Vaccination Hall.” “It’s nice,…

Governor Charlie Baker received the COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday afternoon at the mass vaccination site at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston and said the state’s outpacing national averages for vaccinating vulnerable residents including seniors and communities of color. The Republican governor shortly after 2:30 p.m. removed his blazer, rolled up the right sleeve on his golf shirt and got his first jab in his right shoulder. His second shot is slated for the end of the month. “I pre-registered, was notified last week that I was now eligible to make an appointment, and I did,” Baker…

The Boston Convention & Exhibition Center will host its first big event since the COVID-19 pandemic wiped the facility’s slate clean a year ago, by drawing thousands of people to the South Boston complex in May for a youth volleyball competition. The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority said state health secretary Marylou Sudders approved the event’s safety plan on Friday. The MCCA is getting around the strict pandemic-related limits on indoor events — the state now limits indoor meetings to 100 people, while the city of Boston goes further with a 60-person cap — because this one is…

Massachusetts is set to receive thousands more doses of COVID-19 vaccines each day, providing a notable boost to the constrained federal supply that Governor Charlie Baker has said is the greatest limitation on the state’s efforts to inoculate all eligible residents. Federal and state officials announced Friday that the Hynes Convention Center in Boston will soon begin receiving 6,000 additional federal doses daily, adding to the 1,000 daily doses the state has been supplying to the site. The news comes as coronavirus cases in Massachusetts are beginning to tick up again, and as the rate of vaccinations wavered up…

With the start of the Major League Baseball season four weeks away, Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday that the high-capacity vaccination site at Fenway Park will be moved to the Hynes Convention Center in Boston before Opening Day. Baker, who was touring a vaccination site for seniors at the Lawrence Housing Authority, said the convention center in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood will open March 18, while shots will continue to be administered at Fenway Park through March 27. Anyone scheduled for a second dose at Fenway Park beyond that time frame will have their appointment honored at Hynes, Baker said,…

Western Mass. businesses are celebrating the easing of restrictions that Governor Charlie Baker announced on Thursday. The MassMutual Center has waited almost a year for this news. They'll be able to reopen next month as long as coronavirus cases continue to go down. "Overall, it's great news. People have been waiting for a long time for this kind of news to happen. I think the opportunities are great. I think people are looking forward to attending events and going places," said Massachusetts Convention Center Authority's Director of Communications Nate Little. Little reacted to the MassMutual Center…

The American International College men’s ice hockey team clinched the top position in the Atlantic Hockey Conference for the third consecutive season. Quarterfinal games are scheduled for the MassMutual Center on March 12-14, 2021. AIC’s position as the first team to finish with the best points percentage for three consecutive seasons is unprecedented in the history of Atlantic Hockey since the conference was founded in 2003. The team is ranked sixteenth in the most recent United States College Hockey Online (USCHO) poll and fifteenth in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. “We are incredibly proud to…

After the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority demolishes the 50-year-old Civic Center Garage, the new parking structure it builds at 41 Harrison Ave. won’t have blank walls facing the sidewalk like what’s there now. It might have a coffee shop on the corner, or other retail, David Gibbons, executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, in a telephone conversation Wednesday following the announcement of redevelopment plans that were in the works for decades. “How do you make a garage not a monolith?” he said. “You sacrifice some parking spaces on the first floor…

It’s the time of the year for spooky movies, and the City of Boston has you covered. For three nights in late October, Boston residents can attend Halloween-themed drive-in movies for free at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Mayor Martin J. Walsh said in a statement Thursday afternoon. Showings will begin at 6 p.m. each night from Oct. 22 to Oct. 24. The series will feature family-friendly Halloween movies such as “Halloweentown,” “Hocus Pocus,” and “The Addams Family.” After the family-friendly movies, there will be showings of “Get Out,” “Psycho,…

The NCAA announced Wednesday that the MassMutual Center in Springfield has been selected to host a 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Regional, marking the first time the event has been held at the MassMutual Center. American International College and the University of Massachusetts will serve as host schools for the event. “We are extremely excited to be hosting the NCAA Division I Men’s Regional Ice Hockey Championships in 2024,” Sean Dolan, general manager of the MassMutual Center, said in a statement. “We are looking forward to partnering with both the University of Massachusetts…

Hyatt Place Boston/Seaport District opened its doors today, becoming the fourth Hyatt Place hotel in the Boston area. The new hotel features the Hyatt Place brand's intuitive design, casual atmosphere and practical amenities, including free Wi-Fi and 24-hour food offerings, in addition to a curated art collection. Located just steps away from Boston's Harbor waterfront, the 297-room Hyatt Place hotel is a collaborative effort with McWHINNEY, a national real estate investment and development firm. The project's design team included local architect, Arrowstreet and interior design group, Group One Partners. Hyatt will serve as the hotel'…

Union leaders reflected on an unprecedented year that has thrust the economy’s “essential workers” into the COVID-19 spotlight, as they gathered outdoors around Massachusetts Monday for drive-in movie screenings and other unconventional Labor Day celebrations. “This year is certainly going to go in the history books, and not just as the year of the pandemic. It will be the year of the essential worker,” Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh told the crowd at a Greater Boston Labor Council rally in the parking lot behind the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. For years, the…

The city of Boston will host free drive-in movie showings on Wednesday evenings through the rest of July. Organized by the parks and recreation department and the mayor’s office, the series will offer family-friendly double-features on an LED screen, the mayor’s office said in a statement. At the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center parking lot on July 8, audiences can see “Moana” at 6 p.m. and “Yesterday” at 8:30 p.m. On July 15, “Frozen II” will play at 6 p.m. and “Jurassic Park” at 8:30 p.m. At the Wentworth Institute…

What does it mean to go out to eat now? With Phase 2’s launch on Monday, it means eating outside on patios, sidewalks, parking lots — and now, on sprawling lawns. The Lawn on D, the expansive green space next to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, will reopen Friday at noon as a massive outdoor restaurant. While the space has previously served as a hangout where people could gather for live music, lawn games, and special events, the lawn is now filled with 180 tables that can seat 700 guests for table-side service. So what’s…

Amid claps and cheers, the last two COVID-19 patients treated at Boston Hope were discharged Tuesday from the field hospital set up at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in the Seaport District. Joseph Murphy, 68, of Weymouth, and Oger Julien, 78, of Malden were cheered on by nurses as they left the facility set up by the state, city, Partners HealthCare and the Boston Health Care for the Homeless. Julien was the final patient released at about 5 p.m. after spending eight days at the hospital. Murphy, who loves music, was the second-to-last patient released after spending 36 days at Boston Hope.…

We know how difficult things have been both personally and professionally.  The last few months we've experienced something we haven't seen before in our lifetime.  But we also know that travel always recovers.  Our industry is strong. Our industry is resilient.  And when you're ready, Boston is ready for you! When you're ready to plan your event, remember that Boston offers a unique opportunity for you. As a city that has been at the forefront of American thought leadership for four centuries, Boston blends its history with cosmopolitan spirit…

A coronavirus field hospital at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center will begin the process of closing down as health officials continue to observe a decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations, Gov. Charlie Baker said on Tuesday. The 1,000-bed field hospital, which came online in early April ahead of an anticipated surge in patients, will no longer be accepting new coronavirus admissions, as officials overseeing the operation have determined the site is “no longer necessary,” Baker said. The facility, dubbed “Boston Hope," will stay online until all patients are safely discharged, Baker said. “Over…

The Greater Boston Labor Council and MA AFL-CIO sponsored a May Day Car Rally outside the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center to support essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rally began at the UPS facility in South Boston and ended outside Boston Hope, the 1000-bed field hospital created inside the BCEC. Teamsters Local 25 Trade Show Division workers, who performed the build-out for the Boston Hope, along with nurses, physicians and other field hospital staff, stood outside on Summer Street as hundreds of cars drove by in a show of support for their work in the face of danger. The…

As registered nurse Bridget Sullivan walks up and down the rows of patient pods at Boston Hope, the rhythmic noise she makes is unmistakable. "You can hear my gown swishing, and all my PPE," she says. Her personal protective equipment is a gown or white full-body suit, N95 mask, gloves and face shield. And even though it can be uncomfortable, Sullivan is grateful to have it. She's wrapping up another 12-hour shift in the respite shelter for people who are homeless and have the coronavirus, located in the Boston Hope field hospital at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.…

On Wednesday afternoon the state of Massachusetts was roaring with a lot of noise overhead as the 104th Fighter Wing flew over several locations in a show of support during this COVID-19 pandemic. Pilots with the 104th Fighter Wing began their day flying over Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis around 12:00 p.m. to pay tribute to frontline workers and those battling COVID-19. Their day over Massachusetts ended above Baystate Noble Hospital in Westfield nearly 45 minutes later. Originally slated to start over Gillette Stadium, where the newest class of Mass. State Troopers were being sworn in, the 104th Fighter Wing…

The expansive national NAACP convention that was set to take place this July in Boston has been postponed due to the coronavirus, local branch president Tanisha Sullivan announced. “The convention is being postponed, and while the national office will make the appropriate announcement within the coming weeks, we will continue with convention planning, understanding that it just won’t be for July,” said Sullivan during a virtual NAACP membership meeting this week. The 111th annual convention for the racial advocacy group was set to take place July 25-29 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.…

Bridget Sullivan and Dr. Peter Smith helped lead the transformation of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center into a home and hospital for hundreds. The field hospital has been named Boston Hope. Sullivan, who is the director of nursing for the side of the facility serving those who are homeless and have tested positive for COVID 19, described the challenge. “Just trying to figure out the logistics (and) the space,” she said. “Planning the staffing and training." "We got it up and running and took our first patients three or four days after we learned that we were…

In response to COVID-19, a 1,000-bed facility with telehealth services was established within a week in Boston, thanks to a partnership between local, state and private entities.  The facility, called Boston Hope, is split into two 500-bed halves: one for COVID-19 patients, who otherwise might overload local hospitals, and one for the unsheltered population, a group at high risk of infection. The project, which began construction in early April, was a joint effort between the city of Boston, the state of Massachusetts and the Boston-based nonprofit Partners HealthCare. The latter entity operates the facility, which is housed within the…

As he stepped off a small jet into the Massachusetts snow on Saturday morning, Army Chief of Staff General James McConville raised his elbow to give air bumps to members of the state National Guard who were there to greet him. The most senior officer in the Army, McConville has been in war zones around the world. Now, the Bay State native is fighting a different kind of war — and this time, the battleground is at home. “What’s different about this is that it’s a fight against an invisible enemy,” McConville said at…

Boston’s newest medical facility — a pop-up field hospital at the city’s cavernous convention center — has already treated more than 100 coronavirus patients in the past week and could reach capacity in the coming days as the state’s COVID-19 cases peak. The already high demand for beds in the temporary facility known as Boston Hope is a sign of the magnitude of the pandemic, even as doctors and state officials say social distancing measures are helping to slow spread of the virus. The site has 1,000 beds for patients with coronavirus, 500 for those who need…

Teri Trotman of Dorchester has worked intermittently at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) since 1994. As a member of the UNITE HERE Local 26 food service workers union, Trotman is a veteran of the industry, having logged countless hours at the center preparing banquets in addition to some banking and bartending work. Last week, after the South Boston facility was temporarily transformed into the “Boston Hope” COVID-19 field hospital, Trotman didn’t think twice about returning to a workspace that was now on the front lines of the pandemic. “They gave us the opportunity, and I…

Thousands of daffodils will be placed around entrances to Boston area hospitals Friday to show the city’s appreciation for medical workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic on the front lines. More than 300 daffodils were placed outside the Boston Convention Center, known as the Boston Hope Medical Center since it has been converted into a coronavirus field hospital. For the past six years, daffodils have lined the 26.2 Boston Marathon course to inspire runners and show the city’s resiliency. The marathon has been postponed until Sept. 14 due to the pandemic so the flowers were repurposed. …

To prepare for an expected surge in coronavirus cases this month, Boston leaders are setting up a new medical center for COVID-19 patients at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in the Seaport. The facility will be called Boston Hope Medical Center. The city of Boston shared a video Saturday of crews setting up the space, which is one of several new medical centers being set up across the state. Boston Hope will have 1,000 beds, six acute care suites, 52 nurse stations, 48 bathroom facilities, and a physical therapy suite, according to the city. Half of the beds will be…

As limits on large gatherings continue amid the COVID-19 pandemic, New England Cannabis Network has scheduled its Boston convention for December. NECANN was slated to run on March 20, 21 and 22 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. In early March, organizers announced the event would be postponed because of the COVID-19 crisis. The convention, called the East Coast’s largest cannabis industry event, is now slated for Dec. 10 - 12. Last year’s convention had an attendance of more than 9,000 people. More than 10,000 were expected to attend this year, NECANN said last month. …

Gov. Charlie Baker has authorized the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority to convert the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, in South Boston’s Seaport District, into the second coronavirus field hospital in Massachusetts. Baker made the announcement last week in Worcester after touring the DCU Center, which is already being converted into a COVID-19 field medical center. The governor said he is also planning to put up field hospitals in different parts of the state, depending on the level of care needed during the anticipated surge in coronavirus cases. “There are going to be, ultimately, strategies for…

Boston's first field hospital opens Friday at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center to support local hospitals as they manage a surge in COVID-19 patients. Boston Hope is a 1,000-bed medical center for those recovering from COVID-19. Five hundred of the BCEC beds are designated for the city’s homeless population, and the other 500 are designated for noncritical patients. The Boston Hope Medical Center is a four-way collaboration between the state, the city, Partners HealthCare and Boston Health Care for the Homeless. Kevin Whitner, a patient care leader at Newton-Wellesley Hospital said they have already seen a surge…

The Boston Convention and Event Center will open Friday as Boston’s first coronavirus field hospital. The move comes one day after the state’s first coronavirus field hospital opened in Worcester. The BCEC, which will be referred to as the Boston Hope Medical Center, is equipped with 1,000 beds. Half of the beds are dedicated to COVID-19 patients and half are for the homeless. The goal is to serve patients who no longer need acute care in order to lighten the load of coronavirus patients at actual hospitals. Staffing the hospital is still a concern.…

A 1,000-bed field hospital set up at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center will begin accepting patients Friday, providing additional support for local hospitals strained by the coronavirus outbreak. Anticipating a surge in COVID-19 cases in the coming days, Gov. Charlie Baker said during a news conference at the State House Thursday that this his administration worked collaboratively with Boston officials and community partners to provide an additional 1,000 beds for infected patients at the new field hospital. Partners HealthCare will lead clinical care efforts at the field medical station. The makeshift facility will be called “Boston…

From atop the newest field hospital in Boston hangs a sign that says “Boston Hope”. In anticipation of a surge in COVID-19 cases, Governor Baker announced the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center will be turning into the Boston Hope care facility. The allusion to Boston Strong, a phrase that united a city devastated by tragedy and brought back the spirit of strength to millions of people, now shines a different light on the perseverance of Bostonians affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. ‪It’s an unprecedented effort coming just six days before the Marathon Bombing anniversary next Wednesday.…

The state is bracing for a possible surge. The first two convention centers converted into temporary clinics to take the pressure off hospital intensive-care units are coming online. Worcester’s DCU Center opened its 250-bed facility to a limited number of patients Thursday. On Friday, the field hospital at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center opens, bringing online 1,000 beds to be split between homeless and non-critical COVID-19 patients. A third facility is in the works at Joint Base Cape Cod. Combined, the facilities will increase the state’s hospital capacity by 1,500 to 2,000 hospital beds. Health care workers are…

For the last five days, workers from Teamsters Local 25 have filled the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center with rows of walls and curtains. Where it was empty a week ago, the floor will now bustle with medical rooms a thousand deep – a new field hospital to care for patients with COVID-19. Raised over the rooms is a blue and yellow flag with the hospital’s name: Boston Hope. While Teamsters Local 25 is used to building inside Boston's convention center, the union local president, Sean O’Brien, says this project felt different. It was personal. “When…

A field hospital at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center is expected to start caring for coronavirus patients Friday, officials announced. Clinical care for people diagnosed with COVID-19 will be provided at the center, located at 415 Summer St., Partners HealthCare said. The facility will have 1,000 beds available to patients, and the health care provider will oversee much of the operations. Partners is collaborating with Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh in the effort dubbed “Boston Hope," according to a statement released Thursday. “I’d like to extend my thanks to…

This city’s convention center typically draws vibrant crowds for trade shows and exhibitions, but seemingly overnight it now looks ready to handle a pandemic. Row after row of hospital beds line the 50,000-square-foot floor. Cabinets along the perimeter hold critical drugs and medical supplies. A trailer of portable showers stands at one end of the room, a movable X-ray machine at another. This MASH-style field hospital in the DCU Center will be ready to accept its first patients Thursday — one of three pop-up hospital sites to treat the fast-rising numbers of people in Massachusetts sickened by coronavirus. …

A massive undertaking to transform the Boston Convention center’s cavernous showroom floor into a temporary hospital for coronavirus patients in just four days got underway this weekend and could have the space ready as early as this week, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said Sunday. “We don’t need it today, but as you can see the numbers surging. As these numbers surge there will be a need for additional beds, and that’s what will activate the convention center,” Walsh said at a press conference Sunday in front of city hall. Workers from trade…

A field hospital for coronavirus patients is being set up inside the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The BCEC, located in the city's Seaport District, is normally busy this month, hosting a number of conventions. However, those events were canceled weeks ago. Now, with city and state officials expecting a major surge in COVID-19 cases to arrive soon, the venue will be home to a 1,000-bed hospital. Construction crews were busy raising temporary walls on Sunday, and have about four days to assemble the field medical center. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said the BCEC will be home to nonacute…

New England's largest Teamster's union is transforming the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center this weekend into a field hospital to serve as overflow for city hospitals during the coronavirus crisis. Teamsters Local 25 members in the Trade Show Division, who are normally setting up various trade shows at the convention center, are now creating a complete medical center and installing critically-needed backup beds for those affected by COVID-19.   Local 25 teamsters from Waltham Lumber are also part of the initiative and have been delivering building materials to the center this week in support of the massive effort. Massachusetts…

Union workers on Saturday started to fill the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, transforming the space from a venue into a 1,000-bed field hospital amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the Teamsters Local 25 in the Trade Show Division usually set up trade shows at the center. But Saturday, they started installing backup beds that will help to relieve the pressure on Boston hospitals during the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Local 25 Teamsters from Waltham Lumber are also part of the initiative. They have been delivering building materials to the center this week. …

Several places around Boston are making changes to parking rules for residents and medical professionals amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Renaissance garage, Boston Common garage and Prudential Center garage have reduced rates for those with a medical identification. Bluebikes is offering free 30-day passes for hospital staff and first responders. For resident parking, if you have a valid permit you can park in a metered or two-hour space without having to pay the meter or worry about a time limit. When it comes to parking around restaurants, the Boston Transportation Department is creating temporary pickup zones for businesses that have…

How hard is it to be a goalie? After an emergency backup goalie made his NHL debut over the weekend, CBS Evening News sent Steven Hartman on a mission to answer that question. The Springfield Thunderbirds just so happened to have an answer. Hartman made his way to the MassMutual Center earlier this week, interviewing Thunderbirds goalie Chris Driedger before suiting up in T-Birds apparel. Henrik Borgstrom took a few shots with the reporter in goal, showing just how challenging it is to play between the pipes. On Saturday, emergency backup and Zamboni driver David Ayres earned a win in…

You don't get an opportunity like this every day. Here's how Boston could seize the moment. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you’ve got a few hundred million squirreled away to splurge on a skyscraper. On top of that, you’ve got access to an impossibly large chunk of land—six acres—in the middle of Back Bay, just steps from the Prudential Center and the city’s shopping district, not to mention access to the Orange and Green lines. Finally, you’ve got carte blanche to…

Mayor Marty Walsh sent a letter to Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony's president and chief executive officer, Friday after the entertainment giant announced Wednesday that it would be canceling its appearance at PAX East while citing fears about exposure to COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. "We felt this was the safest option as the situation is changing daily," company officials wrote in a statement posted Wednesday. "We are disappointed to cancel our participation in this event, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern." Read Here

The plan to sell off the Hynes Convention Center raises a natural question: What would go in its place? We now have a glimpse of what could go up on the nearly six-acre site — or at least what officials at the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority envision for the Back Bay location. At a board meeting on Friday, the convention center authority discussed a new report showing the potential for a 2.3 million-square-foot project — largely consisting of office space, but also including shops and restaurants along with 650 housing units. Think something on the scale of the John Hancock Tower —…

SPRINGFIELD — The legendary Harlem Globetrotters set the normally ice covered floor of the MassMutual Center on fire with a dazzling performance of basketball skills Tuesday evening with a game against the Washington Generals as part of their world tour. The team holds 22 current world records and introduced the long-range four-point shot from the 30-foot mark and beyond which was created in 2010. Hundreds of fans of all ages lined the court for a meet and greet prior to the game. Read Here

The largest Boston hotel since the 1,144-room Boston Marriott Copley Place opened in 1984 is aiming to be a destination not only for business travelers using the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center across the street but for locals or tourists. “What I think is happening with the opening of this hotel is that D Street and Summer Street will become Main and Main,” said Mike Jorgensen, the recently minted managing director of the under-construction Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport at 450 Summer Street. The 21-story, 1,054-room hotel with 52 suites is due to open in June 2021. It will be Boston…

The 2020 New England Boat Show will be held February 8 through 16 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Now in its 65th year, the nautical extravaganza feaures a roster of boating’s best known names and brands, showcasing more than 700 new boats and watercraft. Read More

BOSTON, Mass., USA: Yankee Dental Congress was held Jan. 30 to Feb 1 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Attendees were able to catch up on C.E. credits, hear from colleagues and learn about such topics as digital dentistry, dental sleep medicine or pain management. In the exhibit hall they could check out all the industry’s latest technology and products. Read More

When the New England Boat Show drops anchor in Boston at 10 a.m. on Saturday dozens of boat manufacturers, as well as boat dealers – including many from the Lakes Region – will be offering a virtual pleasure cruise for boating enthusiasts. The show, now in its 65th year, will run for nine days, wrapping up on the Feb. 16, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in the South Boston Seaport. Read More

If Massachusetts doesn't move swiftly on a $500M expansion to its largest convention center, Boston could lose out on an additional $2.5B in private real estate development, the state's top convention executive says. Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Executive Director David Gibbons is pushing the state to approve a sale of the Hynes Convention Center in Back Bay to fund a $500M expansion of the newer Boston Convention Center & Exhibition Center in the Seaport. The plan calls for roughly 200K SF of convention-related space, including a 100K SF exhibit hall, a second ballroom and smaller meeting…

The Boston RV & Camping Expo set an all-time attendance record, according to a report by the New England RV Dealers Association (NERVDA), which oversees the show with Paragon Group. According to a press release, attendance for rose to 17,202, surpassing the previous record of 17,104 attendees for the event which ran Jan. 24-26 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Several factors contributed to the success of the show, including spring-like weather in the middle of January in Boston. Carolyn Weston, group director of Outdoor Lifestyle Events for Paragon Group, noted, “We had a good feeling on Friday when we…

When ferry service between North Station and the Seaport began a year ago, it was billed as a one-year pilot program, a test run. Now, in year two, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority is no longer just trying out the service. In fact, it’s doubling down. Shannon McDermott, the MCCA’s transportation director, briefed the authority’s board on Thursday about the renewal of the privately-funded ferry service. She talked about how the agency is negotiating to buy a third vessel from NY Waterway, to augment the two it leases through…

They've handed out an assortment of Gloucester-landed seafood delicacies to thousands of visitors and consistently promoted the city as a source of unrivaled fresh seafood and as a historic fishing community. They've weathered a show-closing blizzard and strung the Gloucester narrative on billboards along Route 1, featuring the city's current fishermen and lobstermen for all the motorized world to see. And two years ago, drawing upon their burgeoning international friendships, they had to borrow a monkfish from the visiting contingent of Scottish fishermen to complete their Gloucester Fresh seafood display at a VIP tasting. Fortunately, the Scots…

The forecast? Festive. The American Meteorological Society will celebrate its 100th year during a multi-day gathering that kicks off Sunday in Boston, according to the group’s website. The site says the society’s annual meeting will be held from Jan. 12 to Jan. 16 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Here’s what’s on tap for weather watchers making the trip: “The 2020 Annual Meeting will be the official conclusion to the year long celebration of the AMS’s Centennial Year,” the site says. “In the past year, there have…

The children and parents awoke Sunday in homeless shelters around Greater Boston and boarded school buses, some with no idea where they were going other than to a Christmas event. As they entered the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, solemn faces broke into wide smiles and dropped jaws as they stepped onto a red carpet toward people waving and applauding them, along with extravagantly costumed characters — Disney princesses and Superman, Star Wars storm troopers and the Incredibles — all there to welcome them. Snowflake confetti fluttered. Lights sparkled. Parents dance-walked to the upbeat Christmas tunes, filming their children&rsquo…

Meeting Demands David Gibbons is executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA), whose mission is to generate significant regional economic activity by attracting conventions, tradeshows, and other events to its world-class facilities. In 2018, the MCCA hosted 315 events at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) and the Hynes Convention Center with 800,000 attendees, generating 646,000 hotel room nights and $870 million in economic impact. We spoke to David about the state of the convention industry heading into 2020. Tell us about your career, and how you came to lead the MCCA. I have spent most of my career in the hospitality industry,…

VIDEO: A Boston non-profit needs a little help for the holidays. Christmas in the City, which helps homeless families, is calling on the community for assistance.

Come July 25 of next year, more than 10,000 NAACP members from across the country are expected to convene in Boston for the national civil rights group’s 111th annual convention. Mayor Martin Walsh, Gov. Charlie Baker and other city and state officials made it clear last week they intend to roll out the red carpet for the organization. “This convention will be a milestone event in Boston’s history,” Walsh said, speaking during a Dec. 12 press conference held with Baker and NAACP officials at the Bruce Bolling Municipal Building. NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said the…

The MLK Memorial Breakfast Committee, hosts of the nation’s longest-running event honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will celebrate its 50th Anniversary and Commemorative Ceremony on Monday, January 20, 2020, from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The morning tribute will be centered around the 50th-anniversary theme, “THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES: MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER," which will feature reflections, performances, and excerpts from Dr. King’s speeches in commemoration of the 50th anniversary. Keynoting the breakfast is The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry. Bishop Curry is the Presiding Bishop and…

The Hynes Convention Center is officially on the market. The board that oversees the property on Thursday selected brokerage firm Colliers International to market the property to potential buyers. The move marks a major step in the state’s bid to sell off the Hynes to fund expansion of the Seaport convention center. Over the coming months, Colliers International will conduct a market-analysis into the kinds of development the 5.8-acre John B. Hynes Convention Center site can support, a high-profile transaction that Massachusetts Convention Center Authority officials expect to draw global interest. “We appreciated, and were impressed by,…

Boston will take center stage next year as the city is set to host the 111th annual NAACP National Convention, shining attention on the city during a presidential election year. “The eyes of the world will be on Boston during that week in that convention, because of the conversation that will be happening in our city,” Mayor Martin Walsh said at a press conference Thursday where state and local officials and NAACP leadership spoke about the convention. “Our city is succeeding and always has because of resilience and the contributions of our black community here in Boston,…

BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel Prize laureate, made an appearance at the Massachusetts Conference for Women in Boston on Thursday. Yousafzai has been a lifelong advocate for women’s education. In 2012, she was shot by the Taliban for speaking out when she was 15 years old. While speaking at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Yousafzai said countries around the world need to work toward providing girls with education. “There are 130 million girls who are out of school right now,” she said. “They do not have access to a classroom. They do…

The sale of the Hynes Convention Center should be a lucrative deal for Colliers International, the brokerage picked on Thursday to handle the transaction. But it could also become one of the trickiest deals for the company’s Boston office to pull off. Yes, we’re talking about a 5.8-acre property in the heart of a booming city. But it is by no means a slam dunk — or a blank slate. Getting the Back Bay business community to buy in could be tough: Opinions there seem to range from cautious optimism to outright skepticism about the looming…

Governor Charlie Baker and Mayor Martin J. Walsh on Thursday offered new details on funding and dates for the NAACP National Convention in the Seaport next year. Baker said $200,000 in state money earmarked for the Boston NAACP chapter would go toward the convention. Walsh said he expected that $3.5 million to $4 million would be raised privately to support the event, and that he hoped most of the money would be spent on hiring local businesses, such as vendors and caterers, run by people of color. The conference, July 25-29 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, is expected to draw 10,000 attendees. …

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – It’s been 19 years since the Springfield Boys & Girls Club first started attracting large crowds with its Festival of Trees. Crowds continued Saturday, the second day of the Festival of Trees hosted by the MassMutual Center. The decorated trees are donated by companies and individuals. They’ll be raffled off on December 15 at the conclusion of the long-running festival. Tammy Kasperowski and her family have been trying to win one of the decorated Christmas trees for the past 10 years, and she’s not giving up. “Each tree has a different beauty…

Hundreds of volunteers joined United Way’s 20th Annual Thanksgiving Project at 20 locations, including the Merrimack Valley, to distribute more than 200,000 pounds of food in over 11,000 individual packages. United Way distributed more than 750 meals in partnership with Merrimack Valley Family Services, Greater Lawrence Community Action Council and Emmaus. Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera volunteered distributing meals at Merrimack Valley Family Services and state Sen. Diane DiZoglio and state Rep. Andy Vargas joined Haverhill City Councilor and Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce President Joseph Bevilacqua to distribute meals at Emmaus. This year, the United Way has seen a significant increase in…

SPRINGFIELD – ‘Tis the season and yes it is. The annual Festival of Trees fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield will be held Nov. 29 – Dec. 15. at the MassMutual Center for the second time in its 19-year history. For years the event was held at Tower Square and has since moved into a larger venue. The 17-day event raised $230,000 last year according to Vincent Borello, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield. A private showing was held at the MassMutual Center on Sunday for donors and sponsors and their family with more than 400…

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Fallen Worcester firefighter Lt. Jason Menard was remembered and honored by his community and fellow comrades Saturday evening. The Springfield Police Department and the Fire Department faced off in a hockey game at the Mass Mutual Center. All the money raised will go to Lt. Menard's family. "The recent passing of Lt. Jason Menard has affected all of us who live in the state of Massachusetts. It especially hits home with people like me that have family members who are firefighters that risk their lives every day for the safety of others. We want…

Ride Above the Streets Bill James Founder and CEO, JPods JPods are an overhead network of ultralight vehicles that carry people and cargo from origin to destination using a tenth of the energy of cars, trains, and buses. Solar collectors at the top of the rails gather the energy to power the networks, which look something like Ferris wheel cars hanging from monorails. Our vision is that it will start at places such as Logan Airport, where it will connect the terminals to the T station, hotels, and car rental building. Then it will spread. Within four years, you will…

SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Thunderbirds are proud to partner with the National Hockey League’s Hockey Fights Cancer initiative for their game this Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7:05 p.m. against the Providence Bruins inside the MassMutual Center. Founded in 1998 by the NHL and the NHL Players' Association, the Hockey Fights Cancer initiative unites the hockey community in support of cancer patients and their families, with assists from players, coaches, officials, equipment managers, front office staff, corporate partners, and fans. For a second straight season, and with the support of the American Hockey League and the NHL, the Thunderbirds will be…

Developers are starting to eye the 5.8-acre Hynes Convention Center property that state officials want to sell to the the highest bidder — prime real estate some want transformed into a performing arts center. “Whatever goes there will be important for the thriving commercial environment in the Back Bay,” said Martyn Roetter of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay. Boston Lyric Opera spokesman John Michael Kennedy told the Herald such a center would be welcome. “There is absolutely a need for a performance space that is modern and has the technology and custom amenities that modern…

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Springfield Thunderbirds don’t normally take to the ice before noon, but Wednesday’s game was played at a special time at the Mass Mutual Center for an audience of Springfield school children. The Thunderbirds and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms faced off before a crowd of 4500 Springfield children from third grade to high school. The game began at 10:30 this morning to accommodate the student’s schedule. Thunderbirds President Nathan Costa told 22News, “A lot of these kids from the Springfield public schools don’t have a chance to come to…

Nearly 2,000 Marines and supporters gathered to celebrate the 244th birthday of the US Marine Corps in an emotional event that honored veteran Marines and welcomed new ones, the organizer of the event said. The Marine Corps birthday luncheon is held every year on Nov. 10, said Tom Lyons, the founder and chairman of the Semper Fidelis Society of Boston. The Semper Fidelis Society organizes Boston’s celebration, which was held this year in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in South Boston. “I think for Marines, it’s all about tradition,” Lyons said. “It’s…

Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Executive Director David Gibbons talks about plans to expand the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in the Seaport and sell the Hynes in the Back Bay to pay for it. What went into the decision and what does the region have to gain from these changes? (Published Friday, Nov 8, 2019)

The Boston Society of Architects (BSA) was established in 1867, thus making it one of the oldest and largest chapters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The BSA currently consists of nearly 4,500 members and produces content for numerous programs and publications, including the ArchitectureBoston Expo (ABX) and ArchitectureBoston magazine.  The group’s ABX 2019 conference takes place this week at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, Massachusetts, from November 6-7, 2019. The expo is the largest building and design trade show and conference in the Northeast and is expected to attract approximately 8,000 architects, builders, contractors, and design professionals,…

SPRINGFIELD -- The Red Sox are officially coming to Springfield in January. The Sox will host their annual Winter Weekend fan event at MGM Springfield and the MassMutual Center from Jan. 17 to 18, officials said at a press conference Wednesday morning. The two-day festival will include a Town Hall event, autograph sessions and photo opportunities with players, coaches and team alumni as well as panel discussions on a variety of topics.   “This is an event we hope creates lifetime memories for Red Sox fans here in Springfield and for people who will come from all over the region for…

This weekend at the Lawn on D, it’s time to get your pumpkin on. After a fun-filled summer and spring, it’s time for the Lawn to shut down for the season — but not before pulling out all the stops for the annual Halloween spectacular, the “Pumpkin Palooza.” All through the weekend, the Lawn comes alive with family-friendly music, games, circus performers, costumes and, of course, plenty of pumpkins. The weekend begins with a TGIF that runs all day Friday. No formal events are scheduled, but it’s the season’s last…

One of Martha Sheridan’s first tasks as Greater Boston’s new tourism chief was to ask lawmakers for a bigger piece of the hotel tax pie. That didn’t get far: Another budget season, another round of level funding. So Sheridan returned this month, with a different ask: Let hotels impose their own assessments, on top of existing room taxes, to raise millions for tourism promotion. This idea might have traction. The concept of tourism taxation districts has kicked around the State House for a few years but hasn’t gone anywhere. Sheridan…

The plan to finally expand Boston’s largest convention center at the expense of its aging, smaller one in Back Bay has moved to the State House.  State Sen. Nick Collins (D-First Suffolk) and state Rep. David Biele (D-Fourth Suffolk) filed legislation Friday to consolidate Boston’s convention space to an expanded Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in the Seaport. The nearly 500K SF expansion would hinge on selling the Hynes Convention Center in Back Bay, according to the Dorchester Reporter.  The bill, which follows a plan passed by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority last…

BOSTON — One month after the Baker administration launched a new effort to sell the Hynes Convention Center and use the proceeds to fund an expansion of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC), the legislative framework for that plan emerged. Sen. Nick Collins and Rep. David Biele, both South Boston Democrats, filed bills Friday that would grant authorization for the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) to follow through on votes it already took toward implementing the sale and expansion. In statements provided by Baker’s office, the two lawmakers described their legislation as a key step in the…

SPRINGFIELD — The Harlem Globetrotters will bring their all new show, “Pushing the Limits,” to the MassMutual Center during school vacation week on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020 at 7 p.m. Tickets are now on sale at www.MassMutualCenter.com and at the MassMutual Center box office. Tickets start at $26.50. Group discounts are available. The Magic Pass Pre-Show Event, which is available for $22 and $17 for groups, will offer families a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend time on the basketball court with the Globetrotters. A VIP Bench Experience package is also available for $309.50 and includes a seat on the Globetrotters’ bench, backstage…

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Conventions coming to Springfield are expected to inject an additional $1,700,000 into our local economy. According to the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, this month, back to back conventions are bringing thousands of visitors into Springfield. They’re coming for conferences on everything from foreign language to EMS. According to the Mass Mutual Center, they have around 13 events this month and are expecting around 7,000 guests to attend just those at the convention side of the center. Businesses nearby said it does bring a nice boost in customers. “There was a big convention on the weekend…

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Hockey is back in Springfield. The minor league team for the Florida Panthers, the Thunderbirds, kicked off the new season at the Mass Mutual Center. It’s the first time in four seasons that the Thunderbirds opened the season at home and they opened in front of a sold-out crowd. Thousands gathered in downtown Springfield to see the Thunderbirds face off with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, both veteran fans and some new ones. "This is my first game and I just want to have some fun, and hope the Thunderbirds win," Longmeadow resident Xander…

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Thunderbirds kick off their 2019-20 campaign at home against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Saturday, and coach Geordie Kinnear is ready to go. "I enjoy this time of the year because I look forward to the process and the daily grind of getting better every single drill and every single workout," Kinnear said regarding the team's season opener. "More importantly, though, I think a fast start is essential. Being at home, we have an identity that there's an expectation on how we want to play versus teams that come in. We're going to…