Well before it opened, the Phoenix Convention Center expansion has had an impact.
The National Rifle Association, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars are among the large users that have committed to the new facility.
And while those groups are estimated to attract about 70,000 people, renovations are allowing constant usage and a better flow of groups and visitors, said Kevin Hill, marketing director, in a report by the Business Journal of Phoenix.
The ongoing renovation when finished in 2008 will expand the convention center from 580,000 square feet to 2.5 million square feet. Meeting space will also make a whopping leap — from 302,000 to 872,000 square feet.
“This expansion allows the complex to host almost 80% of all conventions in North America,” said Doug MacKenzie, spokesman for the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Report by David Wilkening
