The Buffalo Niagara Convention Center hosted the New York state bar examination this past Tuesday and Wednesday, an event that brought more than 3,200 would-be lawyers to Buffalo, creating a projected $2 million economic impact.

At the same time, the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs is holding its annual meeting at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo, bringing in more than 400 visitors.

Combined with the normal business and seasonal bookings, the two events have filled most of the 2,000 hotel rooms in downtown Buffalo and some suburban locations.

"We're definitely on a run," said Ed Healy, Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Center vice president.

Both the bar exam and the Negro Business and Professional Women's bookings came from a bidding process run by the CVB staff.

The bar exam will also be given in Albany, Saratoga Springs and New York City later this year. While the bar exam is given annually in Buffalo, the difference this time is the volume of participants. This marks the first time the bar exam has been held in the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. It has been previously held in a number of Western New York locations, including the Statler Towers.

Diane Bosse, Board of Law Examiners chair, said last year the group tested 440 people in Buffalo, compared to the 3,232 it had registered as of mid-June for the exam.