The Overhaul of Convention Centers

Pictured: Seattle Convention Center’s arch over Pike Street

Once upon a time, convention centers comprised massive structures with large meeting areas and massive interior hallways. A hotel might have been connected to such centers, but little else.

An Urban Land Magazine article, “Convention Centers Integrate with the Urban Realm to Stay Competitive,” discussed the changes in convention center layouts and how the retrofitted and newer facilities have hosted larger trade and industry gatherings.

Convention and Exhibition Statistics

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) reported that the business-to-business exhibition industry experienced a minor slowdown in Q2 2024, following a strong first quarter. The CEIR Total Index fell from 92.3 in Q1 to 87.7 in the second quarter. On the other hand, “among all events in the Index sample, 44.3% have surpassed their pre-pandemic CEIR Total Index performance,” the report said.

Additionally, even with slower anticipated economic growth in 2025, business investment should gradually increase. As a result, “we anticipate a favorable context for moderate exhibition sector growth,” said Adam Sacks, CEIR’s President of Tourism Economics, in the report. 

Convention Centers—Then and Now

Meanwhile, the ULI article said that the pandemic had a substantial negative impact on the hospitality industry. This generated the following issues:

• Empty urban cores. “When the meetings stopped happening, a significant amount of jobs and economic activity driven by the downtown hotel districts ceased to exist,” TVS design firm principal Rob Svedberg told ULI.

• Continued remote work. While many employees return to the office, others still work from home. Svedberg said that attending events and socializing is important for these off-site workers. “The convention center is fulfilling a social function that used to happen in the office,” he added.

How Convention Centers are Changing

The massive aging convention center structures are giving way to added amenities, including hotel construction and open public spaces. According to Svedberg, people come to events to get the flavor of a city. Because of that, “they want hotels and restaurants right outside the gate,” he said.

The article delved into how some cities have changed their convention centers with this trend.

• In Seattle, convention center leadership expanded meeting and event space by developing a new building, Summit, near the site of the older convention center. Summit was built on the site of a transit station that offered access to the transit tunnel through downtown. The project also offered co-development opportunities, like nearby office and residential buildings.

• Cincinnati leaders have been modernizing the aging convention center while adding the nearby Elm Street Plaza, a two-acre public park and outdoor convention space. A new hotel of up to 800 rooms is also in the works.

• A new convention center opened in Denver, CO, in 1990. A 2004 expansion included the addition of a light rail. A second major expansion was completed in late 2023, adding additional space, a networking location and an outdoor rooftop terrace.