Craft Shows, City Recreation Programs Lead Convention Hall Use

CAPE MAY — While the most frequent use of the old Convention Hall was city recreation programs, the highest attendance in the building was for craft, antique and art shows.
City Construction Official Bill Callahan presented a report of attendance and activities in the old Convention Hall to the city’s newly formed Convention Hall Project Team at a Wed., Aug. 8 meeting. He used figures supplied by the Department of Civic Affairs from the past five years, coming up with an average of annual attendance and days of use.
Based on his findings, Callahan said the building was used more as a community center than a convention building.
The highest percentage use of the old Convention Hal annually was for city recreation programs, a total of 88 days representing 27 percent of use with 2,100 participants attending with an average attendance of 23 persons per day.
The second highest percentage use was dance events including dances, lessons, rehearsals and workshop representing 21 percent of use, a total of 69 days with 20,700 participants with an average daily attendance of 300 persons.
The third highest percentage use of Convention Hall was for stage shows including concerts, theater, fashion shows and variety shows representing 17 percent of use, a total of 54 days with an attendance of 21,600 persons, an average attendance of 400 persons per day.
Other uses:
•Exhibit Shows: craft, antique, art: 15 percent of use, a total of 48 days with 41,000 participants with average attendance of 853 persons per day.
• Roller Skating: 12 percent of use, a total of 40 days with 5,500 participants with average daily attendance of 135 persons.
• Teen Dances: 3 percent of use, a total of 8 days with 969 participants with average daily attendance of 121 persons.
• Social Affairs: proms, parties, fundraisers, receptions: 3 percent of use, a total of 9 days with total attendance of 5,000 persons or 555 per day.
• Recitals: 1 percent of use, a total of 3 days with 3,000 participants with an average attendance of 1,000 per day.
Average days of use per year was 323 with 100,069 participants.
Callahan said users of Convention Hall included Mid Atlantic Center for the Arts, Cape May Jazz Festival, Kiwanis Club, dog training club, Chamber of Commerce and New Jersey Audubon.
City Manager Bruce MacLeod asked if the old Convention Hall had been capable of hosting conferences, would those type of meetings been included on the list of uses? Callahan said it was likely.
MacLeod said the list included the type of events the old building was capable of hosting. He said everyone on the project team understood a new facility would accommodate all the traditional uses of the old hall.