Construction Activity: A Dozen New Centers Open

By Rachelle Crum -- Tradeshow Week, 9/20/2004

Twelve new convention centers are projected to open and 10 venues will complete expansions in the next year, making this the most active period of the next three years.

New facilities completed by July will total 2.2 million square feet of exhibit space. The venues set to expand during this period are expected to add 994,700 sq. ft. of new exhibit space.

This substantial increase in space signals a promising boom in facility space and a chance for lower-tier cities to show off their new offerings for tradeshow managers.

Certain to grab attention in coming months is Denver's Colorado Convention Center, which will nearly double both its exhibit and meeting space by December as part of a coordinated effort by several Denver institutions to compete for top-tier events.

Upon completion, the facility will offer 584,000 sq. ft. of contiguous exhibit space and 100,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, establishing it as the sixth-largest facility west of the Mississippi River, said Greg Lowry, the SMG-managed center's sales director.

The $268-million expansion also includes a lecture hall, ballroom and 1,000-space parking garage.

The Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau has already added several employees to its sales staff to extend the city's reach for new business, said Jill Strunk, the bureau's public relations manager.

The center's expansion allows Denver to "go after 80 percent of the business that's out there," Strunk said. "Denver offers the total package."

The city's reputation for safety and service, and the center's proximity to downtown (within two blocks) are key selling points, she added.

The city's intimacy is also a prominent drawing point, Lowry added. "We're not the largest center, but we're a great size for Denver. Conventions can come here and be treated as a unique and special organization citywide," Lowry said. "They are the biggest show in town."

A 1,100-room Hyatt Convention Center Hotel to be built next to the convention center will open in December 2005.

On the East Coast, two of southeastern Virginia's seaside cities — Virginia Beach and Hampton — are preparing to go head-to-head competing for tradeshow sales with new facilities 30 miles apart, both set to premiere in 2005.

The first phase of the new Virginia Beach Convention Center will open in June with 56,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, a 31,000 sq. ft. ballroom and 19,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. But that is only the beginning, General Manager W. Courtney Dyer said. By January 2007, 516,000 sq. ft. of total space will be available at the facility, including an additional 94,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space.

Neighboring Hampton will open its new facility — Hampton Roads Convention Center — by spring 2005, offering 108,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space.

The Virginia Beach center will replace the 24-year-old, 188,000 sq. ft. Virginia Beach Pavilion Convention Center, which will be demolished in June.

The new facility will allow Virginia Beach the opportunity to attract new business and bring back some tradeshows, Dyer said, insisting shows that outgrew the Pavilion's space are now returning. "I think people are waiting for us to open the doors," he said.

Dyer said the region that includes both Virginia Beach and Hampton is often misunderstood. With 1.2 million residents in southeastern Virginia, he said, Virginia Beach "is not just a sleepy little beach town. The clients that we have brought here have been surprised to see what Virginia Beach has to offer."