Issue link: https://tradeshowexecutive.epubxp.com/i/84572
Considering Construction There are 25 venues in the planning stages, just two more than in Trade Show Executive's last construction report in April – but the list looks different. Some venues have fallen off; others have been added. Some have navigated the challenging process and made progress toward getting shovels in the ground, while a few seem stuck. Read our feature story for some status updates, and check our next report in March to see which venues have made it into the pipeline. DISCUSSION h Alliant Energy Center, Madison, WI h Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD h Frontier Airlines Center, Milwaukee, WI h KI Convention Center, Green Bay, WI h Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN h Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA h Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Myrtle Beach, SC FEASIBILITY STUDY h Boise Centre, Boise, ID h Chicago Convention Center, Chicago, IL* FINANCING h AeroQuestUSA International Trade & Conference Center, Las Vegas, NV h Gaylord Mesa, Mesa, AZ (project on hold)* h Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL h San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA h Spokane Convention Center, Spokane, WA LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL h Bismarck Civic Center, Bismarck, ND h Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Boston, MA h New York State Convention Center, Albany, NY* DESIGN/SITE SELECTION h Allen County War Memorial Coliseum & Exposition Center, Fort Wayne, IN h Fox Cities Convention Center, Appleton, WI* h Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, TX h Kentucky International Convention Center, Louisville, KY h Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA h Oklahoma City Convention Center, Oklahoma City, OK* h Three Rivers Convention Center, Kennewick, WA h Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, MB, Canada * New builds 44 October 2012 | Trade Show Executive Continued from page 43 Center project was abandoned when Gaylord transferred the management of its four largest properties to Marriott International; the Mesa project, which is currently on hold, looks to follow. However, the voters of Mesa had ap- proved incentives, and the still-supportive community would like to see another developer step in. Other centers have received similar endorsements. Te San Diego Convention Center received the vote of the lodging community in April to contribute funds to its expansion project. Other proposals with enthusiastic back- ing have seen support dissipate quickly. Te proposed Queens Convention Center, announced with much furor by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, has already died. Te lack of competition for financ- ing seemed a good thing for the slowly progressing New York State Convention Center in Albany, but state funding has not yet been secured, even as the Albany Convention Center Authority has been purchasing land. Other centers have opted for smaller, easier-to-fund-and-complete projects. Te Albuquerque Convention Center is undergoing renovations that include a new exterior, ballroom remodeling and other renovations. Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, MI is adding an attached hotel that will offer 10,000 square feet of additional meeting space. A few centers have their fates linked to the outcome of other decisions, such as the expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Te project's green light is tied to the city of Los Angeles securing an NFL team that will occupy the proposed new stadium which is part of the project. Football in Los Angeles has had its own ups and downs, and a decision to go forward requires a leap of faith by all parties. Te same could be said for stalled convention center projects that have no guarantee of a busy schedule. But with so much at stake and the many uncer- tainties, few want to take that step. Who will jump? Check back in March for the next edition of TSE's Pardon our Dust to see how con- struction proposals and projects have progressed. TSE