Kansas City will host the national convention for Shriners International in 2020.
Shriners International, Visit KC, and Mayor Sly James announced the news on Thursday.
An estimated 20,000 visitors are expected to attend, staying in thousands of hotel rooms. An expected financial boost is nearly $18 million.
"Kansas City has all the facilities we need and a first-class convention center," said Jeff Sowder, imperial potentate with Shriners International, in a release.
It was 1976 the last time the organization, which runs a network of children's hospitals in the United States, Canada and Mexico, held its convention in Kansas City.
Visit KC heads up tourism and hospitality for the area. Ronnie Burt, president and CEO, says the "process has been in the works for well over a year," and gives credit to the city's growing amenities.
Burt argues that the anticipated addition of the 800-room Hyatt, east of Bartle Hall, has made the city more competitive. The convention hotel is slated to open in 2018.
He also lists "the streetcar, the hotels, and the location, and the walkability, and the vibrancy of the Power and Light District" as positioning Kansas City as "the right destination for this convention."
And, he adds, "There's a population of over 58 million people that can drive Kansas City within a day."
Earlier this month, Visit KC announced four other convention bookings in Kansas City between 2017 and 2021, expected to each bring between 3,500 and 7,000 visitors.
