Convention and exhibition centers from Florida to Wisconsin to Colorado are investing heavily in the future of in-person events through multimillion dollar renovations that will expand available meeting space, upgrade tech offerings, and ultimately attract more meetings and events business to their respective cities.
While most of these construction projects were in the works before the pandemic, they are being undertaken at a crucial time for the events and hospitality industries, which are still struggling to recovery from the catastrophic effects of the past 20 months. These renovations will not only enhance the experience of future organizers and attendees, but they will also help support the recovery of their local economies.
This past June, the Las Vegas Convention Center officially opened its new expansion and marked the return of large-scale trade shows to the city with Informa’s World of Concrete. Meanwhile, the Colorado Convention Center in Denver and the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee recently began work on their respective expansions, which are projected to have a significant economic impact.
Wisconsin Center District (WCD) President and CEO Marty Brooks shares that “the expansion project of the Wisconsin Center will have an almost immediate direct impact on Milwaukee residents through our aggressive disadvantaged business enterprise goals of 25% minority-owned businesses, 5% women-owned businesses, and 1% disabled veteran-owned businesses required for professional services.”
He adds that the WCD has also committed to a 40% Residents Preference Program, which means that City of Milwaukee workers will be earning a minimum of $40 million in construction wages.
“Once open the expanded Wisconsin Center will host not only larger events but, more meaningfully, multiple, simultaneous, and overlapping events,” he says. “As one event is moving in, another can be in full swing, therefore maintaining a steadier stream of heads-in-beds for the local hoteliers and table-turns for the food and beverage industry.
“This consistent deliverable of out-of-town visitors will bolster the local and state-wide economy. It is anticipated that the expanded Wisconsin Center will bring in $12.6 billion over 30 years, attract an additional 100,000 out-of-state visitors annually, and support 2,300 full-time equivalent jobs throughout Wisconsin. Industry-wide anticipation for the expanded Wisconsin Center is high, and bookings are already taking place through 2028.”
Similarly, the Colorado Convention Center’s new build is expected to generate an additional $85 million annually for the city of Denver, and will add around 2,000 new hospitality jobs. Rachel Benedick, Executive Vice President of Sales at VISIT DENVER, notes that the expansion “will allow Denver to continue to be a leader in the meetings, conventions and hospitality industries for years to come – capturing larger gatherings that were not able to meet here before and bringing new visitors to stay and play in our community, further bolstering our economy.”
Sustainability is another key focus of these new builds as the industry continues address its environmental impact, which, moving forward, will be a competitive advantage for venues that are able to demonstrate their eco-friendliness.
“One of the most exciting opportunities that this project allows is the chance to be as green and sustainable as possible,” says Brooks of the Wisconsin Center build. “Sustainability and green initiatives have been at the forefront of planning since the beginning. In addition to ample natural light, a freshwater display installation, and operational efficiencies in the project's construction and design, the Wisconsin Center is working toward LEED Silver certification for the project and the facility. Other features will include rooftop solar, water retention plans, and composting and food waste management in our executive kitchens.”
Many recent and upcoming convention center upgrades will be particularly important and relevant for post-pandemic events. For example, several are investing more in outdoor spaces — New York City’s recently renovated Javits Center now includes an expansive outdoor event space and farm, while the Colorado and Wisconsin Center are both adding rooftop terraces — which are attractive for events and have the added benefit of being safer should Covid, or any other infectious disease, be a concern.
Technology improvements will similarly enable event organizers to more easily integrate virtual and hybrid elements to their events as needed. “The expanded Wisconsin Center is being built with maximum IT and A/V flexibility for clients and guests,” explains Brooks. “Single-mode fiber will be installed throughout the facility for stronger, faster connections to support video and other high-speed data, giving the event planner total flexibility in both their in-person and virtual presentation capabilities.”
In addition, the center will include strategically placed ports for both planned and pop-up presentations, and there is expected to be WiFi6 and 5G coverage throughout the facility.