Convention Center Expansion Is Needed and Exciting

by Gary Toebben

Los Angeles, as the second largest city in the USA, should be able to compete for most major domestic and international conventions, but we cannot. Our convention center is not large enough, not technologically advanced enough, and equally as important, we do not have a sufficient supply of hotel rooms within walking distance of the convention center.  

That is why the recent proposal by AEG to develop an expansion of the convention center and build a major addition to the JW Marriott at L.A. Live at no risk to our taxpayers is such welcome news. In sports terminology, the AEG proposal is a hat trick. It will deliver 350,000 square feet of additional convention space, 850 new hotel rooms adjacent to the convention center and the capital to finance both projects without any new bonded indebtedness for the City of L.A.  

The last expansion to the convention center (which originally opened in 1971) was in 1997 and the City will finish paying that debt in 2022. This new convention center expansion is estimated to cost $500 million and projected to be completed in 2022. That time schedule will immediately create dozens and dozens of new convention opportunities because most major conventions schedule their dates four to eight years in advance.  

The new addition will expand our existing convention center to 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space and meeting space and make it the largest convention center in California and one of the largest in the United States. McCormick Place in Chicago is the largest center in the U.S. with 2.6 million square feet. of exhibition space. The Las Vegas Convention Center has 2 million square feet.

In addition to dramatically improving our convention center’s competitive position, AEG’s proposed project would unite the center with LA Live to create an unrivaled convention and meeting destination located on a 100-acre campus in the downtown core containing more than 2,000,000 square feet of event space, multiple entertainment venues, a broad offering of food and beverage offerings and more than 2,200 hotel rooms.

I applaud AEG for their exciting proposal to generate more convention business and construction and  tourism related jobs for our community and region. AEG’s vision for an expanded convention center dovetails with our bold plans to modernize LAX, build a comprehensive mass transportation system and host the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games. I encourage you to join the Chamber in building a chorus of support and excitement for this grand plan. This is a big deal and it bodes well for our future!