Dive Brief:
- Las Vegas could see the $1.4 billion expansion and renovation of its convention center facilities begin as early as 2018, according to News 3 Las Vegas.
- The new portion of the convention center, funded by a hotel-tax increase, will be built on the site of the former Riviera, an empty lot that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is currently using as an outdoor exhibition space.
- A larger convention center is expected to bring an extra 610,000 visitors, add $810 million to the Las Vegas-area economy and generate nearly 22,000 temporary and permanent jobs.
Dive Insight:
Officials have said job creation is a vital part of the expansion plan and that a major renovation of the existing convention center is critical in not only attracting new convention business but keeping existing trade shows and major events from moving to other cities. No doubt local businesses, as well as the LVCVA, are also expecting the potential arrival of the Raiders NFL team to boost the city's marketability as a convention center destination.
In the race for lucrative convention business, cities around the country are upgrading, expanding and modernizing their facilities. Officials in the tourist mecca, Orlando, are putting the pressure on Las Vegas by planning a $1.3 billion expansion of its primary meeting venue, while Chicago's similar $1.1 billion initiative is ramping up the competition.
Seattle also has a $1.4 billion convention center overhaul in progress at the Washington State Convention Center. City officials fired the Skanska-Hunt joint venture originally contracted to perform the work and replaced them with the next lowest bidder — the team of Clark Construction and Lease Crutcher Lewis. WSCC authorities said Skanska-Hunt wasn't the "right fit. The joint venture took the issue to court, where the two parties reportedly settled on a payout to Skanska-Hunt of $8 million. The WSCC expansion will double the facility's size and allow the city to host larger shows and events. According to convention center officials, limited venue capacity has caused Seattle to miss out on about 300 events and $1.6 billion in revenue.
On the other side of the country, the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City will also get a $1 billion facelift as soon as officials select a contracting team for the three-story, 1.2-milion-square-foot project. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in September 2016 that the project timetable had been shortened up in order to get construction going as soon as possible.
