The Dallas City Council awarded a $71 million project management services contract to Inspire Dallas for Component One of the project. Component One includes the convention center expansion, a deck park over Interstate 30, and demolition of the existing structure. The Inspire Dallas team is led by Matthews Southwest, Kaizen Development, and Azteca Enterprises, and includes 28 subcontractors—75% of them local Dallas businesses.

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center’s planned expansion includes 170,000 square feet of ballroom space, 260,000 square feet of meeting rooms, and 800,000 square feet of exhibit space. Construction is slated to begin in late 2024, with portions of the existing convention center remaining operational throughout the build.

The move follows the city council’s 2022 approval of plans for an expanded 2.5-million-square-foot convention center. Voters authorized a 2% increase in the city’s portion of the hotel occupancy tax to be used to fund the convention center expansion, along with improvements at Fair Park.