Photograph courtesy of the city of Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas, marked a major milestone in the first phase of the Fort Worth Convention Center's expansion with a VIP ribbon cutting Dec. 8. Elected and tourism officials, business leaders, and construction partners gathered at the new southeast entrance, which includes a lantern box atrium lobby and a retail coffee bar called Beltbuckle Brew.
"Fort Worth provides the Texas experience that meeting planners want, and the Phase I convention center expansion and modernization exceeds those expectations," said Mayor Mattie Parker during the event. "This milestone, along with Phase II construction, will increase capacity to host conferences from across the nation, bolstering our already impressive convention and tourism industry."
Expansion by the numbers
The project is taking place in two phases, and the facility is operational throughout. Totaling 76,794 square feet, the $95 million first phase built the grand Southeast entrance and terrace; created state-of-the-art food-and-beverage facilities; brought in a new coffee bar for casual networking; created four new loading docks for a total of 11; and realigned Commerce Street to create a site pad for a future convention hotel and additional retail or restaurants.
The project emphasizes pedestrian access, improving the area's walkability and its connection to the surrounding neighborhood, which includes the Water Gardens, Trinity Metro Central Station, the new Texas A&M Fort Worth campus and surrounding hotels.
Phase II construction, estimated at $606 million, should begin in late 2026 and run through early 2030.
A banner business
Tourism is a $3.5 billion industry for Fort Worth, and is one of the city's largest employers, filling more than 30,000 jobs, according to Visit Fort Worth. In 2024, the city welcomed 11.5 million visitors, generating $251 million in state and local taxes. The convention center expansion is part of Fort Worth's larger economic development strategy to attract meetings from across the state and the nation.
"This is only the first step in a bolder future for Fort Worth as a convention destination," said Mike Crum, the city's public events director. "We've delivered Phase 1 on budget and on time, and design is almost complete for the second phase of the expansion and modernization. We will have floor plans and renderings to share within the next few months that will illustrate the big horizons ahead for Fort Worth's meeting business."