When they were first built, the main convention and trade show facilities in Las Vegas; Memphis, Tenn.; and Calgary, Alberta, were in sync with the demands of the marketplace—but that was decades ago. Ambitious renovation and expansion projects now under way in these cities are bringing their aging centers into the current era, adding not just space, but addressing environmental and social concerns important to new generations of customers and attendees.

Las Vegas

Originally built in 1959, the mammoth Las Vegas Convention Center has been expanded many times over the years, but the current in-progress makeover is certain to be its most transformative yet. The Las Vegas Convention Center District has embarked on a US$1.4 billion project that goes far beyond the usual addition of exhibition space, but emphasizes new design elements, pedestrian access, enhanced meeting areas, updated technology and sustainability.

The result will be the creation of a convention center that for the first time harmonizes with and reflects the unique character of the city, according to Steve Hill, president and COO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).

“We felt it was important that the convention center have the same look and feel as the entirety of the destination,” he says. “Las Vegas is an iconic place. Right now, the convention center is very functional, but it is not iconic. We want it to have the same world-class look and feel as the rest of the city.”

Phase two of the expansion is on target for completion in January 2021, just in time to welcome the convention center’s largest customer, the Consumer Electronics Show. This phase, which will extend the center out to the Las Vegas Strip on land once occupied by the Riviera Hotel, will add 1.4 million square feet to the existing facility, including a 600,000-square-foot, clear-span exhibit hall and three floors of meeting rooms. It will also feature a number of arresting design elements, including a silver metallic ribbon-like roof and glass-walled atrium hung with iconic imagery, including replicas of the famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign and the marquee of the Stardust hotel.

Phase three of the expansion will involve the complete renovation of the existing 3.2 million-square-foot facility, with completion projected for 2023. The phased approach is designed to ensure that no business will be displaced during the construction process.

According to Hill, the project is designed to answer customer requests for more exhibition space, but also to make the facility more attractive to groups whose demands include quality meeting space for educational sessions.

“Over the past number of years, our facility customers have asked for us to expand, so obviously the additional 600,000 square feet of new exhibit space is important,” he says. “But another priority is to increase the ratio of meeting space to exhibition space—it’s currently one-to-seven, but that will go up to one-to-four in the new facility. This will be more in line with what our customers can find elsewhere.”

While the convention center will not target corporate meetings, it does plan to pursue association business, according to Hill.

“We had not focused on associations in the past, largely because of the meeting-to-exhibition-space ratio,” he says. “We weren’t set up to handle their needs for education programs. And since we don’t have full-facility shows in-house all of the time, there will be opportunities for association groups to meet here.”

In planning the renovation and expansion, the LVCVA consulted with meeting and trade show planners about what they wanted to see in terms of technology, food and beverage and sustainability, Hill says. Among the chief innovations will be a “people mover” system where 16-passenger trams will ferry people through tunnels running underneath the convention center complex.

“We are a mile-and-a-half campus and we know some people can’t or don’t want to walk that far,” he says. “This will allow attendees to move easily throughout the facility.”

Sustainability will also be a priority for the improved facility, which will be LEED certified and include a solar rooftop that will supply some of its energy.

Although Las Vegas has been ranked as the top trade show destination over the past 25 years, Hill says it’s important to stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly competitive market. One way to do this is by keeping the convention center in step with the many other infrastructure improvements constantly taking place in the city.

“The destination as a whole is adding 3 million square feet of new convention space and we’re also building a new football stadium,” he says. “We understand the importance of meetings and we are responding to an outpouring from the meeting industry about what they want to see in Las Vegas.”

Among those who agree is Matt Dadey, CMP (MPI At Large), event planner for the Las Vegas-based American Gem Society.

“We need to update all properties frequently to compete with other cities that are doing the same,” he says. “As more hotels and convention centers open around the country, our destination will not always be one of the few that can host large citywide conventions. This convention center update will help Las Vegas stay relevant in that space.”

Memphis

First opened in 1974, the Memphis Cook Convention Center will emerge in fall 2020 as a reimagined facility with upgrades that include hotel-quality finishes and amenities throughout. For the first time, the building will take full advantage of Mississippi River and city skyline views from outdoor terraces, glass-enclosed concourses and floor-to-ceiling windows letting in natural light at every level.

There will also be 46 meeting rooms, a 28,000-square-foot ballroom; a column-free, 118,000-square-foot main exhibit hall; and a flex space that converts to a 67,500-square-foot ballroom, the largest in the region. In addition, the renovation will also feature public art reflecting the city’s musical heritage, digital wayfinding and additional loading docks for easier load-in and load-out.

“Back in the day when the convention center was built it was all about exhibit space,” says Jeff Homad, vice president of convention sales and services for the Memphis CVB. “Now people want quality meeting and breakout space, along with casual places to gather. We’re addressing all of this, including great foyer space with natural light and a lot of informal seating.”

Along with the river and city views, the convention center will convey a sense of Memphis’ unique heritage, he adds.

“Music is at the heart and soul of what Memphis is all about and we’re going to convey this through $1 million in commissioned public art that will rotate every six months,” Homad says. “Schoolkids will be able to come through and see it when meetings are not going on. This won’t just be a dormant building.”  

Tech updates in the form of greatly increased bandwidth and ample charging stations are also a major part of the upgrade, he says.

Among the major goals of the renovation is to expand the type of meetings coming to Memphis, which already offers the advantages of convenient drive and air access, Homad says.

“Right now, we’re heavily into SMERF, but we want to start going after groups who want hotel-quality meeting space, including national and regional associations and corporate business requiring peak room nights of 700 to 1,200,” he says. “We especially want to go after healthcare meetings, which makes sense as we have great medical facilities like St. Jude here. Agriculture and businesses like FedEx are also big, so there are a lot of vertical markets to pursue.”  

Also boding well for meetings growth is hotel development in the city, including a new, 500-room Loews hotel set to open a block from the convention center in late 2023.

“With the Sheraton Memphis, which is adjacent to the center, we’ll have 1,100 hotel rooms close by,” Homad says.

Among local meeting planners who are enthused about the convention center renovation is Nancy W. Foy, CMP (MPI Tennessee Chapter), manager of meetings and events for International Paper. She believes it will make Memphis more “dynamic and attractive” to attendees.

“Memphis has all the components for a great destination—food, nightlife, attractions, location and affordability—but our center was the one thing that lagged a bit behind,” she says. “Renovations to the center will give Memphis a competitive edge.”

Calgary

A planned expansion of Calgary’s BMO Centre will elevate the southern Alberta city to first-tier status among Canadian meeting destinations, says Greg Newton, director of business development for the Calgary Stampede Meetings and Events, which operates the facility.

While still in the planning stages, public and private funding has been secured for the project, which is expected to double the size of the 285,000-square-foot BMO Centre upon completion in 2024. The facility, which is part of Stampede Park where the famous Calgary Stampede rodeo takes place every July, currently includes a 12,000-square-foot ballroom and various meeting rooms. In addition, Stampede Park also offers numerous exhibition halls and event spaces.

“It’s an exciting time for Calgary, which has been an underserved market,” Newton says. “Most of the expansion will be new meeting and ballroom space, although there will be some exhibition space, too. Once completed, we’ll be the largest convention center in Western Canada and second only to Toronto.”

Janelle Gignac, marketing and communications coordinator for Meetings + Conventions Calgary, a division of Tourism Calgary, agrees that the expansion will have a huge impact on the city’s status as a meetings destination.

“It’s a real game-changer for us,” she says. “Currently, we’re turning away 12 to 14 large events a year, so this will enable us to capture that business.”

The expansion is occurring at a time when Calgary has been adding exciting new offsite venue options for groups, Gignac says. These include the downtown Central Library, which is winning accolades for its stunning architecture and offers various spaces for meetings and events. Another is Studio Bell, home to the National Music Centre, a concert venue and museum showcasing Canadian musicians.

While Calgary currently hosts predominately regional events, much of it related to energy and engineering, the BMO Centre expansion will greatly broaden its reach, according to Newton.

“This building will open us up to national Canadian association business as well as to U.S. and other international business,” he says. “There are a lot of groups out there currently circulating through Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver who are looking for a new destination that can accommodate their needs. We already have some of the best airlift in the country, so we’re well positioned for this.”

For the BMO Centre specifically, the expansion will enable it to serve a broader spectrum of events, Newton adds.

“Right now, we are heavily invested in the consumer and trade show side, but this will allow us to focus more on meetings and conventions,” he says. “We’re comfortable with a maximum of 2,000 or 3,000 delegates, but the expansion will double what we can do.”

While hotel inventory is not yet where it needs to be to support the expansion, Newton is confident that the project will spur future development in the city.

In formulating plans for the expansion, Newton says a lot of consultation is currently going on with meeting planners to get their input on what the facility should offer.

“We’re looking at the future demographics of the meeting industry and what will be required in 2024,” he says. “You’re going to have new generations to address, including Millennials as a heavy part of the workforce, so we have to look at all of those trends. We’re asking planners what they want to see, including about things that may make them uncomfortable now, but will be important in the future.”

Newton envisions a facility that will “provide an experiential atmosphere that reflects Calgary’s natural beauty, youthful spirit and vibrancy.”