Oklahoma City is a step closer to its new downtown convention center. The Oklahoma City Council voted and approved the preliminary report for the $288 million project that has been in the works since 2010. The Oklahoma City Convention Center will be located on the south end of downtown adjacent to the Chesapeake Energy Arena and is expected to debut in 2020.
“The approval of the preliminary report gets Oklahoma City closer to attracting new meetings and conventions to Oklahoma City,” said Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau’s President Mike Carrier. “This is a convention center the city can be proud of, because they have invested in it and their community.”
The three-level facility will be managed by SMG and offer a 30,000-square-foot ballroom, 200,000 square feet of exhibit space and 45,000 square feet of meeting space, including 27 meeting rooms. Each meeting room will also have prefunction space outside the doors.
There will also be 18 loading docks and two drive-in ramps on the first level for load-in to the four exhibit halls. The interior will feature an earth-tone palette that will carry through the exterior.
In 2009, Oklahoma City voters passed Metropolitan Area Projects 3 (MAPS 3), a one-cent self-funded sales tax initiative. MAPS 3 is a $777 million capital improvement program, and other projects include a modern streetcar system that will connect districts in and around downtown, including drop-off and pick-up stops at the new facility. A 70-acre public park is also currently under construction adjacent to the new center and will have walking trails, a lake and a cafe.