DENVER, Colo.
Denver voters are being asked in the Nov. 3, 2015, election to approve more than $700 million to expand the Colorado Convention Center and to build a new National Western Center, a year-round events, equestrian and educational facility that will also be home to the National Western Stock Show.
VISIT DENVER noted funding will come from extending current taxes that are set to expire in 2023.
An independent study by the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) released in 2014 recommended the changes to the Colorado Convention Center as well as advising that new facilities be built for the National Western. A master plan for the Colorado Convention Center is in development.
Expansions and upgrades to the Colorado Convention Center included in the package presented to voters in Referred Question 2C, billed as “A Smart Deal for Denver,” are:
- The development of new flexible meeting and ballroom space of up to 85,000 square feet; the addition of 120,000 square feet of new pre-function and service space that will also include a 50,000-square-foot outdoor terrace to be located on the roof of the existing convention center.
- It is said these new facilities will be integrated into the building, and attendees will have easy access to the center’s existing exhibit, meeting room and ballroom levels.
- Technology improvements will be made that will position the Colorado Convention Center as a “best-in-class” facility, keeping pace with current technologies and demand, including increased capacity for Wi-Fi and streaming video.
- New and improved networking spaces will be incorporated into the building, providing innovative spaces that capture the spirit of Denver and Colorado.
The suggested improvements came after SAG’s year-long study, which received input from more than 120 meeting professionals, industry leaders and community stakeholders
Denver then hired MIG and Fentress Architects, the original architects of the Center and expansion, who are now working on a master plan for the Colorado Convention Center.
The Colorado Convention Center celebrated its 25th anniversary in June 2015. Denver now has nearly 2,200 hotel rooms within one block of the convention center, more than 8,600 hotel rooms within walking distance and will have more than 10,000 downtown rooms total by the end of 2016.
VISIT DENVER CEO Richard Scharf said there is no timeline yet for completion of the expansion.
