Growth is good for convention centers. For meeting and convention destinations, the convention center often is the focal point of the area and contributes greatly to the overall image and perception of the city.
New, expanded or renovated centers send a message to planners and groups that status quo is not acceptable. When destinations improve their major meeting facility—or add a new one—they’re making a bold statement that enhances their infrastructure.
Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center
Cleveland
Cleveland is on a roll. It has $2 billion in new tourism projects—including the new Horseshoe Casino Cleveland, the Greater Cleveland Aquarium and the Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center.
Slated to open in August 2013, the $465 million Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center (CMMCC) will feature a 230,000-square-foot, L-shaped exhibition hall, 92,000 square feet of meeting space, a four-story atrium in the Medical Mart and a 30,000-square-foot grand ballroom with views of Lake Erie.
Promoting itself as “the world’s only facility targeted specifically to the medical and healthcare industries”, the CMMCC will combine showrooms, an exhibition hall and conference facilities focused on the medical marketplace.
“We’re a big part of the boom in Cleveland,” says Jim Bennett, senior vice-president and head of the CMMCC. “This community is making an amazing commitment in facilities, hospitality and attractions.”
Besides the impressive floor plan, amenities and high-tech capabilities of the CMMCC, Bennett says strong ties with Cleveland’s highly respected medical institutions will enhance the meeting experience.
“We have very strong support from our medical community and academia and they’ll provide speakers, video conferencing and other elements,” Bennett says. “Cleveland’s healthcare institutions are one of the largest customers of medical products in the world and there are more than 400 bioscience companies located in northeast Ohio.”
Ottawa Convention Centre
Ottawa
The Ottawa Convention Centre (OCC) has been a rousing success since its debut in mid-April last year. It has hosted 562 events, including international conventions and two national political conventions.
“As a G8 capital city, we needed a new facility that could accommodate larger, world-class events,” says Daniel Coates, marketing manager at the OCC. “The center has given Ottawa a renewed excitement for meetings and conventions.”
Distinguished by its bold design, bright and naturally lit interior, eco-friendly elements and views, the OCC has a 100-foot high expansive glass facade facing Parliament Hill and the Rideau Canal.
Encompassing 192,000 square feet of function space, the Centre has 28 meeting rooms, in addition to a 55,741-square-foot multipurpose hall and a 19,032-square-foot ballroom.
Coates says a variety of small but important amenities set the OCC apart and make it a user-friendly facility.
“Attendees love that we’re fully carpeted, our interactive kitchen where we can host events, the touch panel screens in meeting rooms to control lighting and temperature, and our page program, which is similar to a concierge service,” Coates says.
During events, pages ride Segways offering directions, details on the Centre and the city, and other information to attendees.
“The goal during the construction phase of the OCC and after we opened has been to always exceed expectations,” Coates says. “We’ve accomplished our goal and will continue in those efforts.”PageBreak
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia
The Pennsylvania Convention Center (PCC) celebrated the one-year anniversary of its expansion with an event in April called Meeting Metropolis, which showcased the facility’s technological upgrades to meeting and trade show organizers.
“We can now provide the most-current technology and service delivery that a convention center in the United States has to offer to its attendees and exhibitors,” says Ahmeenah Young, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Convention Authority.
The PCC’s high-tech offerings include more than 150 digital signage monitors, mobile digital signage stands, VoIP- (voice over IP)enabled show floors, gigabyte Internet bandwidth for exhibitors and planners, a 10 gigabit backbone network, and wireless networking.
Wi-Fi service, customized for specific event attendees, is present throughout all concourse areas, the Grand Hall, ballrooms and meeting rooms. In addition, virtual attendance capabilities include webcasting, sessions on-demand and video webcasts.
Aside from the technological enhancements, the $786 million expansion added a generous amount of meeting and function space.
The expanded PCC has 670,000 square feet of exhibit hall space, 528,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, a 55,400-square-foot ballroom and 79 meeting rooms.
After a successful year, Young is pleased with the PCC’s upgrade.
“Our goal of providing the best customer experience is a genuine reality,” she says.
Scotiabank Convention Centre
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Over 13 million people visit Niagara Falls annually. Until recently, however, most of the visitors were tourists, not meeting attendees.
With the arrival of the $100 million, 288,000-square-foot Scotiabank Convention Centre (SCC) last April, the area has quickly evolved as a desirable meeting and convention destination for larger groups.
“You can feel the enthusiasm every time groups move into town,” says Kerry Painter, president and general manager of the Scotiabank Convention Centre. “It has added another layer of business to the established leisure market.”
Situated 550 yards from the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, the SCC is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver level designed facility with an 82,000-square-foot exhibition hall, 17,000-square-foot ballroom, 26,000 square feet of meeting and breakout space and a 1,000-seat theater.
Painter says “the Centre is bright and happy and large enough for thousands of people but with lots of places to relax and step away.”
Beyond the appeal of the SCC, Painter says the well-developed tourism infrastructure in Niagara Falls is a logistics bonus to planners who relish the wide array of restaurants, attractions and sites available to their attendees once the meetings have adjourned for the day.
Edward Schmidt Jr. is an Orlando-based freelance writer who loves new convention centers, especially those with mobile espresso carts and excellent cell phone reception.
