September 2006
Annual convention center construction update
41 construction projects underway in the United States and Canada will add 7.3 million square feet of exhibit space by 2010
By Kelly Lanigan
Convention center construction is as prolific as ever, with 41 construction projects underway in the United States and Canada that will add 7.3 million square feet of exhibit space by 2010. Last year at this time, EXPO magazine reported that 32 facilities were under construction, adding 4.9 million square feet of exhibit space. Despite the increase in construction and square footage, some projects may be challenged to finish on time and on budget amid soaring oil prices and increased construction costs.
Eight new facilities, which offer 1.3 million square feet of exhibit space and 95,410 square feet of meeting space, have been completed so far this year. Eleven new facilities currently under construction will add another 2.3 million square feet of exhibit space by 2010. Five centers, which added 375,900 square feet to their existing exhibit space, have completed expansions this year. In addition, 30 existing facilities are currently expanding or renovating their existing space, contributing 4.9 million square feet of new exhibit space to the industry by 2010.
The average new construction project features nearly 216,000 square feet of exhibit space, an increase from an average of 183,450 square feet last year. Much of the increase can be attributed to increasingly larger projects. For example, the Las Vegas ExpoCenter at Echelon Place will add 1 million square feet of exhibit space upon completion, more than double the second-largest construction project, Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, MD, which will offer 400,000 square feet of exhibit space.
In 2006, 1.7 million square feet exhibit space will come online, up from 1.5 million square feet that opened 2005. For a complete list of projects underway in the United States and Canada, EXPO presents our annual convention center construction update.
Click here to download to the "Facilities Under Construction" pdf.
Click here to download the "Completed Construction in 2006" pdf.
41 convention centers are under construction in the United States and Canada
8 new convention centers have opened in 2006
5 convention center expansions have been completed in 2006
11 new facilities are under construction
30 facility expansions are under construction
1,294,557 square feet of new exhibit space has opened in 2006
2,371,800 square feet of exhibit space in new facilities are under construction
4,926,235 square feet of expansion exhibit space are under construction
7,289,035 total square feet of exhibit space are under construction to be completed by 2010
215,618 square feet of exhibit space are in an average new facility under construction
164,208 square feet of new exhibit space are in an average expansion under construction
Kelly Lanigan is Editorial Assistant for EXPO magazine. She can be reached at klanigan@ascendmedia.com.
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