Cincinnati to Open Doors of Expanded Convention Center
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 6/12/2006
The spotlight will shine on Cincinnati June 22 as the city opens the doors of its newly expanded, renovated and renamed convention center.
The city and the Greater Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau that evening will celebrate the opening of Duke Energy Center, formerly known as the Cincinnati Convention Center and then Cinergy Center (Cinergy and Duke Energy have merged).
The event will feature a ribbon cutting and free concert, with music by Rusted Root and Dukes of Groove, among other groups.
Since April 2004, the convention center has undergone a $135 million expansion, renovation and reconfiguration that has increased the center's total space by 30 percent. The additional 34,900 square feet of exhibit space brings total exhibit space to 196,800 sq. ft. The addition of nearly 11,000 sq. ft. of meeting room space brings total meeting room space to 62,875 sq. ft. The center now offers 40,000 sq. ft. of ballroom space, up from the previous 30,000 sq. ft.
"Cincinnati is back big time. They've got a great hotel package. The community is very strongly behind the convention industry," said Tom Mobley, senior vice president of convention centers for venue management firm Global Spectrum. The Philadelphia-based company recently landed a three-year contract from the city to manage the center's maintenance, security, event coordination and event marketing and sales.
PennWell's Coal-Gen will rotate to the venue Aug. 16–18.
Richard Baker, group publisher for PennWell, said, "Cincinnati's geographic central location, coupled with the fact that it's in the center of the coal-burning area of the United States, makes it an ideal location for a conference like Coal-Gen. But the enthusiastic reception from the people at Duke Energy Center, the Cincinnati CVB and the excitement our customers have for the location were major factors in our decision."
The renovation also included a series of glistening metal panels along its western façade that are visible from Interstate 75 and spell out Cincinnati in 50-ft. letters. The expansion also introduces an expanded loading dock with 17 berths and three semi-truck portals into the exhibit halls.
