Denver voters approved an expansion of the Colorado Convention Center by passing a special initiative in early November. The funds will come from current taxes and will go toward the expansion, as well as the construction of a new National Western Center that will be a year-round events, entertainment and educational facility.
“We are just completing a master plan for the Colorado Convention Center, and now with the voters’ approval we should be able to put out an RFP for an architect by the end of the year,” says Richard Scharf, president and CEO of VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We have established what we need, and now we will move ahead with the final design and construction.”
The expansion and upgrades to the convention center will include new meeting space of up to 85,000 square feet and the addition of a 120,000-square-foot prefunction and service space that includes an outdoor terrace. All of the new space will be on the roof of the current convention center, and the outdoor and prefunction spaces will have views of the Rocky Mountains and Denver’s skyline. Technology advancements will also be made to keep pace with current demand, such as increased Wi-Fi capacity and streaming video.
The Colorado Convention Center celebrated its 25th anniversary in June and has been credited with creating over $500 million in annual economic impact and aided in downtown improvements. By the end of 2016, Denver will have 3,000 hotel rooms within a block of the convention center and nearly 10,000 rooms within walking distance.