New Raleigh CC Opening Dodges Hanna

Hours before the first raindrops started to fall from Tropical Storm Hanna, which bore down on the North and South Carolina coasts just more than a week ago, the $221 million Raleigh Convention Center had its ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“This is a milestone for Wake County and Raleigh, and (the center) will re-establish us in the meetings community in the Southeast,” Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker said at the ceremony.

The facility, he added, already had 17 conventions booked in the first nine weeks after it opened.

Dodging a tropical storm is one thing, but Meeker said there was a time back in 2002 when plans were initially discussed for the center and almost tabled.

“It was six months after Sept. 11, the economy was down and tourism was down,” he added. “We said, 'Let's just hunker down and try to weather this storm.'”

Shovels finally hit the ground in February 2006, and two years later, the city had the new center it desperately needed.

“Raleigh honestly hadn't been on anyone's radar map until a few years ago,” said Denny Edwards, president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Planners are just starting to realize what we have here. Word is spreading.”

Even so, there were some planners who, as they described it, took giant leaps of faith and booked the center sight unseen for their events.

The first official group to occupy the center was the Natl. Agents Alliance, an insurance group, which had 1,500 attendees at its NAA Leadership Conference last week.

“I booked the meeting nine months ago, and they were making big promises on how they were sure it would be completed,” said Andy Albright, NAA's president and CEO. “It was close.”

Albright, whose organization is based in nearby Burlington, N.C., said he was drawn to the center because of its easy access to hotels, including the new 400-room Raleigh Marriott City Center that recently opened next door and another 300-plus room Sheraton Raleigh Hotel around the corner.

“We wanted to do (the meeting) around here, and there just wasn't a facility until now,” he added.

Another group that took an even greater leap of faith when it booked the center without setting foot in it beforehand was the North Carolina Reading Assn.

According to Jean House, NCRA's conference planner, the association booked its annual meeting, which typically attracts 1,200 to 1,400 attendees, at the new center for 2011-2018.

“We booked it on faith; (the center) wasn't even done,” House added.

One thing that clinched the deal, she said, was the center's location.

“There are a lot of educational museums here, and that would appeal to teachers,” House said.

Edwards said the venue has appealed to three main markets so far, all of which mirror the surrounding community that includes what's referred to as the Research Triangle Park: science and technology, higher education and health care.

“These three markets really seem to be attracting the most for us,” he added. “The state association market is really our bread and butter.”

Edwards said the bureau will sell the center 18 months out, and the center itself will sell events 18 months in.

“It's really a joint effort between both staffs,” he added.

Laurie Okun, Raleigh CC's director of sales and marketing, said there were 246 events on the center's books before the doors opened.

“A lot of it was based on trust,” Okun added. “The specs were outstanding ... and people who see it now say, 'This is more than I imagined.'”

Edwards added, “(The bookings are) almost double what was anticipated. It's a great local story.”

The center has 150,000 square feet of exhibit space and 19 meeting rooms, including a ballroom with a 31-foot ceiling. “The ballroom is getting the most acclaim,” Okun said. “It is pretty much blowing people away.”

Another feature that has received praise, she added, is the 'shimmer wall' on the front of the building – a structure that covers the air-conditioning unit and shimmers when small metal pieces on hinges are blown by the wind.

As far as future bookings are concerned, she added, “I hope this pace continues.”