Palm Springs CC Opens Its Expansion
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 2/13/2006
The expanded Palm Springs Convention Center has opened with a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony attended by nearly 400 people.
The $34 million project expanded the SMG-managed facility to 261,000 square feet, including 120,000 sq. ft. of contiguous exhibit space and a carpeted exhibit hall divisible into five sections. Before the expansion, the convention center had 77,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space.
The expanded facility offers 19 meeting rooms of various sizes, including a 20,000 sq. ft. ballroom, an 18,000 sq. ft. lobby with mountain views, a 12-bay loading dock, an outdoor function area, high-speed Internet access throughout the facility and on- or off-site catering.
Jim Dunn, the facility's general manager, said a soft opening was held in September, but a number of individual projects were still being completed. By the time of the Jan. 17 ceremony, all elements of the expansion were finished, he said.
The center is next to the 410-room Wyndham Palm Springs Resort with more than 30,000 sq. ft. of additional meeting space, and one block from the new $95 million Spa Resort Casino, a 228-room full-service resort with a casino, spa and hotel amenities. Another 2,700 hotel rooms are within walking distance of the convention center, as is downtown Palm Springs. Palm Springs Intl. Airport is five minutes away.
Mayor Ron Oden and city council members officiated at the ceremony, which was followed by an open house, reception and tours. Speakers included John Adams, SMG regional vice president; Jeff Beckelman, president of the Palm Springs Desert Resorts Convention & Visitors Authority; and Mark Bellinger, general manager of the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism.
