Convention Center Expansion: Denver is Back on the Map

By Vanessa VanderZanden -- Tradeshow Week, 7/5/2004

The Colorado Convention Center broke ground in April 2002 on a $300-million expansion that will double the facility's size when it has its grand opening Dec. 6. The center is adding 292,000 square feet of exhibit space to bring the total to 584,000 sq. ft., all on one level. The venue will now offer 100,000 sq. ft. of meeting space on one level, and two ballrooms, one 35,000 sq. ft. and the other 50,000 sq. ft. In addition, there will be a new 5,000-seat auditorium and a 1,000-space parking garage.

Billing itself the sixth-largest convention center west of the Mississippi, the entire complex will take up more than 2 million sq. ft. "We'll be able to take on a whole other league of shows," said Greg Lowry, director of sales with the CCC.

And there will be room for existing shows to grow. He said shows have been booked for 2006, '07 and '08 in strong numbers, with the first high-profile event to fill the entire complex being related to the NBA All-Star Game 2005 on Feb. 16 at the nearby Pepsi Center. Pre-game fanfare and after-game parties will take place at the convention center.

One hundred meeting planners were flown in to act as consultants on what would be their dream convention center back when the project was in its design stage. Heeding their suggestions, architects created a 600,000 sq. ft. exhibit space that can be divided into six halls if necessary. In addition, the planners said they wanted a theater where they could have key speakers and events in conjunction with their shows.

"It was one of the best committees I've ever been on," proclaimed Scott Graham, meetings and expositions director for the Christian Booksellers Assn. He described how the initial design plans were redrawn to include more pre-function space because of feedback from planners like himself.

His organization's annual CBA Intl. Convention outgrew the center back in 1995, but now will return in July 2005. It will be the first show to use the entire floor space, with concurrent tradeshows, consumer shows and meetings taking place in the center prior to its arrival.

"Denver was a popular destination for us," Graham said. Because his association holds its show in the summer, "the climate is a plus." This year (June 26–July 2), the show took up roughly 150,000 net sq. ft. at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, and another 150,000 sq. ft. for additional displays and event space.

Lowry would not say how many tradeshows have been booked at the center so far, but he does not appear worried about selling space. "The conventions and tradeshow business is competitive, but our partnership with the convention and visitors bureau here is very strong," Lowry said.

"Our primary focus is meetings, tradeshows or conventions with a hotel impact," he said, pointing out that there are already 3,500 to 4,000 hotel rooms near the facility in downtown Denver, with a 1,000-room Hyatt to open in late 2005.