Contribute#

The Convention City Almanac is an open reference. 32 cities scored, 16 dimensions measured, every claim sourced.

What We Need#

Score your city. If your city isn’t in the dataset, score it. The methodology explains the 16 dimensions, the formula, and the participation test. You need: availability (how many weeks/year), scale (how much capacity), and evidence (specific facilities, not vibes).

Challenge a ranking. The CommonScore is a compass, not a directory. If a city feels too high or too low — if your lived experience says the ranking is wrong — that’s the most valuable feedback. Tell us why and we’ll recalibrate.

Add what’s missing. Know a maker space, tool library, or community institution that would change a score? The kind of facility that shifts the needle — not a single venue, but a network or institution that represents real participation infrastructure.

Financial research. Convention center bond documents, audited financials, lodging tax data. The Seattle section shows how deep this can go — but most cities have only a CommonScore, not a financial profile.

Walk the block. What does the neighborhood around the convention center feel like at 7pm on a Tuesday? Field observations with photos are worth more than desk research.

How to Contribute#

GitHub: The almanac source is at github.com/ivantohelpyou/convention-city-almanac. Fork, edit, submit a pull request.

Otherwise: Open an issue with your contribution. Include sources for every factual claim.

Standards#

• Every factual claim needs a source. URL, document title, page number where applicable.
• Participation, not consumption. The CommonScore measures what you can do, not what you can watch. A restaurant is consumption. A food stall you operate is participation.
• Italicize unverified claims. If you haven’t confirmed it yourself, italicize it. Someone else will verify.
• Date your entry. Things change. An entry written in 2026 may need updating in 2027.

Questions? Open an issue.