Job Fair Canceled Because of Crowds

by Dollars and Sense

A weekend job fair at a Dedham shopping center was postponed today after organizers became concerned that a flood of job seekers would snarl traffic and create safety problems.

"The volume of expected attendees was much larger than we had initially anticipated," said David Fleming, marketing director for W/S Development, which was planning to host the job fair tomorrow at the new Legacy Place retail and entertainment complex.

Fleming said his firm and Dedham officials became concerned when they started receiving a high volume of telephone calls about the event, which they did not advertise. He said W/S Development is now searching for a different venue for the event, which will be re-scheduled for a date within the next few weeks.

The event was expected to connect job seekers with 14 retailers that plan to hire hundreds of workers before they open stores in Legacy Place this summer. The retailers include Apple, City Sports, L.L. Bean and Showcase Cinema De Lux.

The high level of interest in the event drew parallels to a recent job fair in New Hampshire, where officials were overwhelmed with more than 10,000 attendees. They had initially expected 5,000.

Legacy Place, a 675,000 square foot complex with restaurants, stores, a cinema and other attractions, is scheduled to formally open Aug. 20., although L.L. Bean will begin operating July 24, Fleming said. Once fully open with 80 stores, the complex is expected to result in the hiring of about 1,500 people.

Labels: jobs, unemployment

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5/31/2009 11:43:00 AM