Even in these challenging times, a number of cities remain bullish on conventions, enough to keep building and expanding facilities to house them. Following is a roundup of recent openings, projects in progress and a few that plan to resume construction during more favorable economic conditions.
RECENT NEW-BUILDS
Alaska Dena'ina Civic & Convention Center
The 215,000-square-foot Dena'ina Civic & Convention Center, unveiled last October in Anchorage, is named after the Dena'ina people, the first inhabitants of the region whose original settlement dates back to the end of the last Ice Age, between 500 and 1000 AD. Today, fewer than 50 individuals remain who are able to speak the original Dena'ina language.
Combined with the Egan Center two blocks away, which offers 45,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space accessible via temperature-controlled walkways, the new $111 million structure can accommodate groups of up to 5,000. Notable features include a 25,000-square-foot ballroom with skylights, heated flooring and an outdoor terrace; a 48,000-square-foot exhibit hall, and a 65-foot-high sculpture suspended from the atrium that depicts local wildlife. Six meeting rooms with a total of 11,000 square feet of space also are available.
Mississippi Jackson Convention Complex
The $65 million Jackson Convention Complex debuted this past January. Spanning 330,000 square feet, the new facility can accommodate groups of up to 6,000. Event space includes a 60,000-square-foot exhibit hall with two full-service concession areas, hookups for high-tech lighting and two loading docks; a 25,000-square-foot ballroom; 10 meeting rooms; 33,000 square feet of lobby and registration space; an outdoor patio, and a 10,000-square-foot kitchen with its own loading dock.
The city itself is home to a growing number of attractions, including the Jackson Zoological Park (jacksonzoo.org), the Ballet Mississippi (balletms.com), and the colorful Fondren District (fondren.org), with its eclectic mix of antique and clothing shops, restaurants and live music venues.
New Mexico Santa Fe Convention Center
Last September, the 72,000-square-foot Santa Fe Convention Center opened for business. The venue features 11 meeting rooms, a 17,925-square-foot ballroom, 3,139 square feet of prefunction space within the lobby and 11,139 square feet of outdoor event space.
Designed to LEED Silver specifications, the convention center has a number of sustainable features. For example, all timber used on the exterior of the building was rescued from a forest fire in New Mexico's Sacramento Mountains; a roof garden provides natural insulation and water conservation, and light sensors are used throughout to conserve electricity.
In the heart of downtown, the center is within walking distance of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum (okeeffemuseum.org), the New Mexico Museum of Art (nmartmuseum.org), the award-winning Los Mayas Restaurant (www.losmayas.com) and much more.
North CarolinaRaleigh Convention Center
Last September, the new Raleigh Convention Center welcomed its first attendees. The 500,000-square-foot facility offers a 32,617-square-foot ballroom divisible by three; 20 meeting rooms spanning a total of 32,000 square feet; and an exhibit hall that can accommodate up to 790 booths, a 12,000-person banquet or up to 15,000 theater-style. An 11,500-square-foot reception area and a 4,100-square-foot lobby featuring floor-to-ceiling windows provide space for mixers and casual gatherings. The center is in the process of seeking LEED certification.
The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (visitraleigh.com) offers a multitude of suggestions for day trips, museums, sports, restaurants and nightlife.
PennsylvaniaLancaster County Convention Center
At press time, the $174 million Lancaster County Convention Center and Marriott Lancaster at Penn Square were just weeks from a grand opening, following some construction delays. The integrated facility offers a total of 90,000 square feet of space, which includes a 45,000-square-foot exhibit hall and two 9,000-square-foot ballrooms.
The Marriott Lancaster at Penn Square, which features 300 guest rooms, and the convention center together offer wireless Internet throughout; two business centers; a variety of concession areas; a fine-dining restaurant that seats up to 100 people and includes a private section; a lounge area; an exercise room, and two spa treatment rooms.
Another feature of the complex is the Stevens & Smith Historic Site, a new interactive museum and restoration project honoring the work of slavery abolitionists from Lancaster and the surrounding area.
MexicoPuerto Vallarta International Convention Center
This past March, the Puerto Vallarta International Convention Center opened along Mexico's Pacific coast, surrounded by a 247,500-square-foot outdoor plaza with landscaped gardens. The 161,000-square-foot building features a 53,800-square-foot divisible ballroom that can accommodate groups of up to 5,000. For breakouts and smaller gatherings, 4,800 square feet can be divided into three spaces, each of which can host 25 people.
Translation booths, a business center and offices are available as well, as are multiple loading docks, wireless Internet, a 150-person cafeteria, a VIP lounge and a box office.
RECENT EXPANSIONS
ArizonaPhoenix Convention Center
In January, the Phoenix Convention Center's North building opened, hard on the heels of a newly renovated South building and the opening of the West in 2006. The center now spans a gargantuan 2.7 million square feet, with a total of 900,000 square feet for meetings and exhibits.
The expansion, like the rest of the center, takes its design from the rugged Arizona terrain and incorporates materials such as stone and native metals. The North building alone offers 635,000 square feet of event space, with 56 meeting rooms, a 45,000-square-foot ballroom with a private entrance, and two large exhibit halls whose respective 312,000 and 190,000 square feet of space are contiguous. In addition, the North building uses sustainable technology, such as solar paneling and a water-harvesting garden.
Other features at the facility include a business center, a chef's tasting room, fully air-conditioned loading docks, a food court and a collection of art worth about $3.2 million.
Last October, the 1,000-room Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel opened just one block from the center. The property features 80,000 square feet of its own meeting space, an outdoor pool and sundeck, a lobby bar, a restaurant, a fitness center and an Internet café.
CaliforniaPasadena Convention Center
This past April, the Pasadena Convention Center completed a $150 million expansion that includes approximately 55,000 square feet of exhibit space and a 25,000-square-foot ballroom divisible by 10. The center's 18 breakout rooms were fully renovated, and new catering facilities were added. The center also features the 3,000-seat Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
FloridaOcean Center
In Daytona Beach, a $76 million expansion of the Ocean Center, completed in February, has doubled the facility's size to 205,536 square feet, which includes an additional 164,000 square feet of exhibit space, 36 breakout rooms, an art gallery and 672 parking spaces (for a grand total of 2,065).
CanadaVancouver Convention Centre
Breathtaking views of forests, mountains and water through floor-to-ceiling glass windows are reason enough to visit the Vancouver Convention Centre in British Columbia. This past April, the facility tripled its capacity with the unveiling of an $883 million expansion, bringing total meeting, exhibit and prefunction space to 473,523 square feet, including a 55,000-square-foot ballroom and 52 individual meeting rooms.
The center, designed to merit LEED Gold status, has a six-acre "living roof" complete with a bee colony; a marine habitat built into the foundation; and a water recycling and treatment system.
NEW-BUILDS IN PROGRESS
North CarolinaWilmington Convention Center
Nearly nine years in the making, the Wilmington Convention Center finally will open for business in August 2010. The building is designed to resemble a ship's sail, in homage to Wilmington's founding as an early maritime center along the Cape Fear River.
With space to host up to 1,500 people, the new facility will include a 12,000-square-foot ballroom, 30,000 square feet of exhibit space, 6,150 square feet of meeting space and more than 15,000 square feet of prefunction space.
Under construction next door is a 157-room Hotel Indigo, which should open at the same time as the center.
TexasIrving Convention Center at Las Colinas
Work has begun on a new $137 million, 275,000-square-foot convention center and entertainment complex in Irving, to open in December 2010. The development will feature a 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a 20,000-square-foot ballroom and 20 conference rooms of 1,000 square feet each, all able to handle conventions of up to 4,000 people. Plans call for a 3,400-seat concert venue, 10 restaurants, a cinema and retail stores. A convention center hotel being developed next door will add nearly 400 rooms and 15,000 square feet of meeting space by late 2011.
CanadaNiagara Convention & Civic Centre
By April 2011, the 288,000-square-foot Niagara Convention & Civic Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario, will open just 500 yards from the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, arguably the most impressive of Niagara's three cascades.
The facility will offer an 82,000-square-foot exhibit hall and a 17,000-square-foot ballroom as its largest gathering spaces; smaller meetings and breakouts will be able to use 26,500 square feet of space, while a 1,000-seat live performance theater and 27,000 square feet of prefunction space will be available to accommodate private events.
IN PROGRESS/PENDING
CaliforniaAnaheim Convention Center
Officials at the 1.6 million-square-foot Anaheim Convention Center hope to expand with a new 250,000-square-foot wing, to complement the center's existing 815,000 square feet of exhibit space. Preliminary details include an additional 200,000 square feet for meetings and exhibits and a three-star hotel. A 2012 completion had been projected, but at press time construction was delayed.
Fairplex, the L.A. County Fair, Hotel and Exposition Complex
Financing has been approved for a $28 million conference center expansion at Fairplex, the L.A. County Fair, Hotel and Exposition Complex in Pomona. A 50,000-square-foot addition to the fairground's existing 35,000-square-foot exhibit hall will be built; the new space will seat about 1,000 for a banquet. Fairplex officials hope to begin construction in August and finish in time for the 2010 L.A. County Fair, to be held in September.
Currently, the fairground offers approximately 325,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space within eight halls, a horse-racing track and grandstand, 12 acres of carnival grounds, and a variety of parks and plaza areas. The on-site 247-suite Sheraton Suites Fairplex Hotel adds another 11,000 square feet of meeting space.
San Diego Convention Center
The San Diego Convention Center Corp. is taking steps toward growing existing space by 225,000 square feet. Last September, the company leased 8.5 acres of land and water adjacent to the building, which is earmarked for an expansion as well as a water transportation center and a 500-room hotel, all to finish in 2014. In February, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders formed a citizens' task force to evaluate public opinion, financing options and design plans.
The center currently offers 615,000 square feet of exhibit space, 204,114 square feet of meeting and banquet facilities, and 284,494 square feet of prefunction space.
IndianaIndiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium
By late 2010, a $275 million expansion of the Indiana Convention Center will debut in Indianapolis. The addition includes 254,000 square feet of exhibit space, which, when combined with the new Lucas Oil Stadium next door, brings total exhibit space to 749,100 square feet. The expansion also boosts total meeting and ballroom space at the convention center to 175,475 square feet.
Surrounding the complex is Indianapolis' revitalized downtown. Eight hotels can be accessed via skywalks, and the Circle Centre offers more than 100 shops and restaurants.
Also within walking distance: more than 50 major attractions, 200 restaurants and, by 2011, 27 hotels with more than 7,100 rooms.
Mississippi Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center
A $57 million expansion of the Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center in Biloxi opens this month with a 375,000-square-foot exhibit hall added to the current 180,000 square feet for meetings and events. A new lobby and a parking garage are in the works.
NevadaLas Vegas Convention Center
A planned expansion of the 1.9 million-square-foot Las Vegas Convention Center was put on hold in March, due to the economy. The three-phased $890 million Master Plan Enhancement Program, originally set for a 2011 completion, includes renovations, new meeting space, and a new lobby and concourse area. A potential revised construction timeline will be considered in the spring of 2010.
New YorkJacob K. Javits Convention Center
At long last, New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is poised for a major revamp. In March, a $463 million renovation and expansion was approved by the Empire State Development Corp. Though modest in comparison to previous proposals, the new plan seeks to add 100,000 square feet of space, including 40,000 square feet for exhibits.
Renovations will include a complete replacement of the roof and exterior curtain wall and installation of energy-efficient technology. The center will remain open during the work; following the plan's final approval by the state's Public Authority Control Board, construction could begin immediately. The expansion is slated for a 2010 completion; renovations should finish by 2013.
Attendees should take advantage of the proximity of the Hudson River and explore the city's shoreline and skyline via NY Waterway Tours (nywaterway.com). Excursions depart from a dock just across the street from the center.
North CarolinaCharlotte Convention Center
In the spring of 2010, the Charlotte Convention Center will debut a 40,000-square-foot ballroom with a capacity of 2,500 for a banquet and 5,000 theater-style. Opening along with the ballroom will be the connected, 130,000-square-foot NASCAR Hall of Fame Complex.
At present, the center offers 280,000 square feet of exhibit space, 90,000 square feet of meeting space (spread among 46 meeting rooms) and a 35,000-square-foot ballroom.
Ohio Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center
Though a construction timeline had not been set at press time, steps have been taken toward building the Cleveland Convention Center, to be connected to a new medical mart facility. In May, Mayor Frank G. Jackson sold the project to the county, which will develop it in conjunction with Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. Plans call for a medical merchandise mart with 120,000 square feet for permanent showrooms, a 300,000-square-foot trade show floor to house temporary exhibits, and a conference center of 100,000 square feet. In the interim, the city's Public Auditorium will be renovated to host events.
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia's Pennsylvania Convention Center is set to unveil a major expansion in 2011, at which point the center will offer 541,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, a 60,000-square-foot ballroom and 154,000 square feet of meeting space spread over 73 meeting rooms. The total amount of meeting and exhibit space will increase from 624,000 to 1 million square feet.
Within steps of the facility, attendees can enjoy superior Thai, French or Italian cuisine; Philly's vibrant Chinatown neighborhood lies just to the east.
Washington Washington State Convention & Trade Center
At press time, the planned $766 million expansion of the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle was put on hold, due to insufficient support from the state legislature. The original targeted finish for construction was 2015, but the WSCTC now speculates at least a year's delay. About 210,000 square feet of exhibit space would be built above Convention Place Station, one block from the existing center. Center officials hope to garner more support at the next legislative session, in July 2010.