‘Vetting’ the convention center: Big test for Tinley Park, expansion project

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

It’s go time for the Tinley Park Convention Center on Saturday, as the newly overhauled facility takes center stage-playing host to the National Council of Corvette Clubs’ 52nd annual convention.

Big is what village officials wanted, and big is what they’re expected to get over the next week at the convention center, which is expected to lure at least 700 Corvette enthusiasts from 40 states to Tinley Park and the Southland. It’s the biggest event ever at the newly expanded convention center.

Already, officials say, hotels are booked solid, restaurants are busier and, well, there are going to be many more Corvettes in town over the coming week.

“I don’t know if the beer will sell out at the Jewel, like it did when the Grateful Dead were in town,” Trustee Dave Seaman said. “But we do expect to see (retail) activity busier than normal.”

That’s just what village officials were banking on in August 2009 when they decided to give the convention center a massive upgrade. They hope the convention spurs the kind of economic boost village officials were looking for when they settled on the $22 million expansion and renovation project.

The convention center, 18501 S. Harlem Ave, underwent an overhaul that gave it an extra 24,000 square feet of exhibition space — for a total of more than 58,000 — and an extra 9,000 square feet of meeting space. Mayor Ed Zabrocki has said the expansion, once completed, would make Tinley Park a player for between “70 to 75 percent of the potential conventions” possible, compared with the 40 percent to 42 percent it was eligible for previously.

And now, the payoff for Tinley Park.

Convention organizers Dave Heinemann and Larry Pagliaro, of the convention host, the Windy City Corvette Club, started planning this convention in 2008 and beat out Grand Rapids, Mich. A major factor, said Hal Bellamy, president of the National Council of Corvette Clubs, was free and ample parking at the convention center for trailers that carry prized Corvettes to town.

Heinemann and Pagliaro wanted to promote local businesses with the convention. Organizers have stressed ties with local businesses — all the signs and trophies came from such businesses.

“That’s why we’re having a Corvette show in downtown Tinley Park on Sunday at the start of the convention so people can get downtown and see the places to visit,” Heinemann said.

Village officials are banking on extra tax revenue from all the purchases made by visitors. But they also are eager to see how the newly expanded convention center handles the biggest show to date, Seaman said.

Hotel managers and restaurant owners anticipate cashing in on the Corvette show, which is the type of convention officials had in mind before the expansion. All those visitors need places to stay and eat, bringing “at least a half-million dollars” into the Southland, said Jim Garrett, executive director of the Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Most hotel rooms in Tinley Park are sold out for the weekend, Seaman said.

Only “a handful” of rooms remained Thursday at Fairfield Inn by Marriott, general manager John Hosey said. The Wingate By Wyndham, meanwhile, has been sold out since Monday, general manager Tami Roberson said.

“We’ll get overflow from the Holiday Inn from the conventions. We’ll definitely tap into some of that business,” Roberson said.

Curtis Wierbicki, owner of Tin Fish, an upscale seafood restaurant, also at 183rd Street and Harlem Avenue, has already seen an impact.

“We’ve already had some Corvette convention walk-ins (Wednesday) night,” Wierbicki said. “They can eat dinner here, and breakfast at The Egg and I.”

Conventions can lead to “national exposure,” he said, noting that happy customers will talk up places they enjoyed.

“That’s a beautiful thing for us,” Wierbicki said.

Jason Garofalo, owner of The Egg and I, a breakfast/lunch restaurant across the street from the convention center, said he’s expecting a lot of overflow traffic.

The Corvette show will be an audition of sorts for the revamped facility, as well. Other convention groups considering Tinley Park will keep close watch on how things go, Garrett said.

“We’ve all got to work together on this one,” he said.

Walking into the convention center Thursday, checking final details, Heinemann said, “It feels good it’s finally here.”