Pittsburgh preparing for G20 summit

PITTSBURGH, June 20 (UPI) -- The head of the Visit Pittsburgh tourism group says the Pennsylvania city is attempting to adequately prepare for the forthcoming G20 summit.

Visit Pittsburgh Chairwoman Doris Carson Williams said she orchestrated a Point Park University meeting of tourism and business officials to create an "infrastructure" capable of handling the Sept. 24-25 summit, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Saturday.

Williams said she coordinated Friday's gathering despite the fact the White House has not officially cataloged the G20 summit to date.

"They haven't given us the full rollout. Right now what we're trying to do is get our infrastructure ready so when they respond, we can be prepared," Williams told the Post-Gazette. "I was so excited and then our phone started ringing off the hook and people saying, 'What can we do? How can we help?'"

Another key concern is security at the summit as previous G20 summits have faced demonstrations worldwide.

Ellen A. Roth, whose Getting to the Point firm focuses on promoting Pittsburgh, said a successful summit could greatly benefit the city.

"It will focus the world on Pittsburgh; give us a chance to showcase our region and our very viable economic and environmental transformation. We have a wonderful story to tell," she said.