Potato conference moves to Tri-Cities

Moses Lake event at Kennewick center in 2009

COLUMBIA BASIN - One of Moses Lake's largest events is moving to the Tri-Cities next year.

At a special meeting Thursday, the Washington State Potato Conference and Trade Show board voted unanimously to relocate the 2009 event to the Tri-Cities Convention Center in Kennewick, instead of in Moses Lake, its base since its inception 47 years ago.

"This is a very deliberative board," stated conference board chair Mike Dodds. "We did research, ran numbers and engaged in a lot of discussion to reach this decision."

The board also set the 2009 event dates for Jan. 26 to Jan. 28. The board will address location of the 2010 event at a later date.

Citing decreasing attendance numbers, Dodds noted in March the conference board had received proposals from the convention center, TRAC, Big Bend Community College and the Grant County Fairgrounds.

Last week the board narrowed the search to the convention center and the community college. Community college President Bill Bonaudi was not available for comment.

Dodds said the board's leading criteria were the benefits to the Washington potato grower. Each year, he said, the board heard from attendees and exhibitors that they wanted the trade show to be in the same location as the conference program, and have better facilities.

Since 2006, the conference has been conducted at the college's ATEC Building and the trade show in the Ardell Pavilion at the fairgrounds.

The board assigned members to committees and tasks to begin work with the facility and Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau. Dodds said the board acknowledged the event will cost more in the Tri-Cities, but expected it would generate more income as well.

Fairgrounds Manager Bill West said he was not shocked by the news.

"It seemed like from the start of them talking at the end of the (2008) conference they were aimed toward giving someplace else a try," West said. "I'm sorry, I'd like to have them back and I hope we can get them back. We felt like we made them a good, fair offer and above that, I think we've done everything we can do. We certainly will be welcoming them back if they decide to give us a try again."

Columbia Basin Herald Publisher Harlan Beagley said he hoped to join others, such as the college, the fairgrounds and the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, in a committee to try to bring the conference back in 2010. A similar committee was formed in 2004 to bid to keep the conference in Moses Lake, he noted.