Engineers, civil rights leaders and science-minded teens will be among the thousands of visitors who converge on metro Detroit this year for conventions — yet another a sign of momentum in a resurgent downtown.

The new Little Caesars Arena sports and concert venue, a revitalized riverfront and scores of restaurants and retail shops have created a national buzz about the city, hospitality experts say.

"There's a lot more positive national press and there's a lot more positive local press and that really helps us," said Judy Booth, director of sales and marketing for the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. "Meeting planners across the country are very curious about what's going on in Detroit. Look at where we were five years ago. How does a city go from complete bankruptcy to a must-see destination?"

Among the groups coming to see Detroit are:

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, an organization that sponsors youth robotics competitions, which will hold its 2019 FIRST Championship at Cobo Center from April 24-27;

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which is bringing its 110th national convention to Cobo from July 20-24;

The National Society of Black Engineers, which holds its 2019 Annual Conference at Cobo March 27-30.

FIRST, which initially visited Detroit in 2018, is projected to bring 50,000 visitors this year. Another 8,000 are expected to attend the NAACP convention and 13,200 turning out for NSBE. The NAACP hasn't held its convention in Detroit since 2007, while the NSBE hasn't met in the city since 1995.

"We're certainly seeing an uptick in interest in meetings of all sizes," said Dave Beachnau, senior vice president of sales, marketing and sports for the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. "It's a byproduct of (how) the conversation about Detroit has certainly changed."

One measure of increasing interest is the requests for proposals meeting planners send to cities they're considering as convention destinations. From 2017 to 2018, DMCVB responded to 13 percent more RFPs, Beachnau said.

Landing a convention means millions of dollars in revenues from out-of-towners for hotels, restaurants and other businesses.

Convention delegates contribute $265 a day, on average, while leisure travelers generate $178 a day, according to the DMCVB.

"Any time you bring in large numbers of people … there is going to be that spinoff, where restaurants are going to see a larger amount of business and museums (are, too)," Beachnau said.

Major convention player Cobo Center increased events booked from 166 to 244 and revenue from $5.5 million to $13.8 million from 2013 to 2018, Cobo General Manager Claude Molinari said. The center forecasts revenue of $14.25 million for 2019.

"We've got a very strong 2019," Molinari said. "The facility has undergone a massive renovation (and) the city of Detroit — especially Midtown and downtown — has metamorphosized."

In 2015, Cobo completed an upgrade that brought 25,000 additional square feet of exhibit space and upgraded IT capabilities. The 2.4-million-square-foot facility now has 750,000 square feet of exhibit space and 10 gigs of bandwidth.

The center, home to the annual North American International Auto Show, will host Youmacon, an anime convention expected to bring 21,000 attendees to the city from Oct. 30-Nov. 3. Also on tap for the center is the SAE International WCX World Congress Experience, projected to bring together 12,000 automotive engineers, manufacturers and suppliers April 9-11.

Events at other major metro Detroit destinations include: