The promise of 1,001 new hotel rooms, the Nokia Theatre and about a dozen restaurants and entertainment venues opening by year’s end at the new L.A. Live complex near Staples Center has helped the city’s convention bureau book a record 53 future conventions during the fiscal year that ended June 30.

That’s a 29 percent jump over 2007. Hotel room reservations are up 22 percent. Downtown boosters — busy mailing “Reborn.

Industry experts say there’s no risk of Los Angeles dethroning Las Vegas as the convention capital. And even Anaheim has nearly three times as many hotel rooms close to its convention center. Even so, convention officials point to the increased bookings as a sign that downtown Los Angeles may have finally beaten its rap as a bad area for conventions.

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