With the 2007 Pittsburgh International Auto Show canceled, representatives of VisitPittsburgh and Downtown hotels are scrambling to accommodate the Learning Disabilities Association of America, which is scheduled to hold its 44th international conference at the convention center Feb. 14-17.

"That's the one we're paying the most attention to right now," said Bob Imperata, executive vice president of VisitPittsburgh.

The event is expected to bring 1,500 to 2,000 people to Pittsburgh, where the association is headquartered but has never held one of its conferences.

According to Mary Clare-Reynolds, the association's meeting planner, Pittsburgh was never a viable option because it preferred to have its meetings in the same building as its overnight rooms.

"Pittsburgh didn't have a hotel that could accommodate us," she said. "But the convention center and two hotels -- the Westin and the Hilton -- put together a deal for us."

Now, those groups are looking at another deal.

"The convention center people have been wonderful," Ms. Clare-Reynolds said. "We've been in constant contact since the collapse, and they've helped us map out as far as Plan B, Plan C and Plan D."

The first thing they did, she said, was reserve all available space in the Westin. But that won't be enough to accommodate all the educators, parents, researchers and psychologists who will attend. Other arrangements ware needed to house another 200 sessions.

The group had to move last year's event from New Orleans, because of Hurricane Katrina. "Our conference will go on as scheduled," Ms. Clare-Reynolds said. "It just might have meetings in another location. We realize that we do have to have other options. And Plan A is still out there. We still hope to use the convention center."