--- title: "Thursday Buzz: Boston’s Events Get a Major Upgrade" id: "24314" type: "post" slug: "thursday-buzz-bostons-events-get-a-major-upgrade" published_at: "2014-07-31T16:01:13+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T12:25:03+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/07/31/thursday-buzz-bostons-events-get-a-major-upgrade/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/07/31/thursday-buzz-bostons-events-get-a-major-upgrade.md" excerpt: "The skinny on a just-passed $1 billion plan to revamp the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Also: A Wall Street Journal reporter highlights just how many brand-focused hashtags are occupying user feeds." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "conferences" - "event planning" - "Meetings" - "venue expansion" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Thursday Buzz: Boston’s Events Get a Major Upgrade The ink is still fresh from Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick’s signature. [Courtesy of that pen (opens in a new tab)](http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_politics/2014/07/patrick_signs_1b_convention_center_upgrade_bill) , “An Act Relative to the Expansion of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center,” or H. 4308, will pave the way for an expansion of the city’s largest events venue by 1.3 million square feet—an increase of more than 50 percent. Officials noted that the upgrade could encourage more international events to come to the city. “Our economy is grounded in knowledge-based industries, and the ability to host events and thought leaders from major international corporations in Boston is something a world-class city needs to be able to do,” Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Executive Director James Rooney [told The Boston Globe, per MassLive (opens in a new tab)](http://www.masslive.com/news/boston/index.ssf/2014/07/massachusetts_gov_deval_patric_2.html) . [As Meetings Focus notes (opens in a new tab)](http://www.meetingsfocus.com/NewsEvents/IndustryNews/IndustryNewsDetails/tabid/138/ArticleID/24141/Default.aspx) , the new law helps MCCA with its “Top 5” campaign—a strategy launched in 2009 to make Boston one of America’s top five cities for conferences and events. (According to the 2013 edition of *Cvent*‘s “Top 50 Meetings Destinations in the United States,” [Boston currently ranks 18th (opens in a new tab)](http://www.cvent.com/rfp/top-50-meeting-destinations-8f37858e7c5c48b893fe0c1e429710d8.aspx) .) The expansion, which will allow the city to host multiple large-scale events at once, will be paid for with funds from the state’s existing 5.7 percent tax on hotel rooms, according to the *Boston Herald*. In other words, no new taxes. ### Who’s Actually Following Hashtags? > Hashtags hashtags everywhere! What’s behind this ad trend?Is there really much to be said about [#unseenacne (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/unseenacne?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > ? [http://t.co/j3Euib6XMe (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/j3Euib6XMe) > via [@wsj (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/WSJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — erica phillips (@ericaephillips) [July 30, 2014 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/ericaephillips/status/494473375238983681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) For many organizations, it’s not enough to ride along with common, popular hashtags like [#tbt (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23tbt&src=typd) (Throwback Thursday) or industry-specific hashtags like [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23assnchat&src=typd) . They want to create their own. But are those efforts in vain? To explore that question, *Wall Street Journal* reporter Erica E. Phillips [followed the conversations (opens in a new tab)](http://online.wsj.com/articles/blinded-by-the-blizzard-of-hashtags-1406676440) sparked by all of the hashtags she came across during a single day. All in all, she was hit by 60 brand-related hashtags, and the results weren’t exactly spectacular. “In nearly every case, the immediate responses on Twitter to non-network ads were slim to none,” Phillips wrote. “I examined the chatter during the 20 minutes following each hashtag’s appearance on television and only one, [#pretzellovesongs (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/pretzellovesongs?src=hash) , elicited more than one substantive response.” Most of those hashtags were focused on entertainment or promotional campaigns, but the central point holds true for associations: Hashtags are hard. But that’s not to say they’re impossible to conjure up; after all, [we’ve written about #assnchat’s success before](http://associationsnow.com/2014/04/social-media-roundup-assnchat/) , and hashtags focused on industry events and conferences remain successful. *(ht @[EEPhillips_WSJ (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/EEPhillips_WSJ/) )* ### Other good reads **For those less versed in Twitter’s minutiae,** Ignite Social Media Community Manager John Patterson [highlights one trick (opens in a new tab)](http://www.ignitesocialmedia.com/twitter-marketing/one-twitter-trick-using-arent) that your association may not be aware of: Twitter cards. **Trying to boost productivity?** *Inc.com*‘s John Brandon [has a few ideas (opens in a new tab)](http://www.inc.com/john-brandon/6-unconventional-ways-to-be-more-productive.html) . Our favorite: Switch offices every few days. **“Content is king,” Bill Gates once said.** But is that really the case anymore? Blogger Colleen Dilenschneider [says it isn’t (opens in a new tab)](http://colleendilen.com/2014/07/30/six-reasons-why-content-is-no-longer-king-and-what-now-holds-the-throne/) . Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signs the bill allowing for the expansion of the facility. (photo by Kenshin Okubo / Flickr) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) [Morgan Little](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Morgan Little is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Tags: [#conferences](https://associationsnow.com/tag/conferences/) [#event planning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/event-planning/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#venue expansion](https://associationsnow.com/tag/venue-expansion/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoAshley Cobb Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/ashley-cobb-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoJenny Teeson, CHSE Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/jenny-teeson-chse-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoLakisha Woods, CAE Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/lakisha-woods-cae-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoKevin Hesser Shares His Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/kevin-hesser-shares-his-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2014%2F07%2F31%2Fthursday-buzz-bostons-events-get-a-major-upgrade%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !