- Project remains on schedule for late 2023 completion -
Denver, CO (Jan. 12, 2023) – Reaching a key construction milestone,
crews installed one of the final structural steel beams in the $233
million Colorado Convention Center (CCC) expansion project [1] that will
add improved meeting capacity and significant technological features to
the best-in-class facility.
“This is a welcome milestone in the progress of the expansion, which
will assist us with booking multiple groups simultaneously to maximize
capacity,” said Richard W. Scharf, president, and CEO of VISIT DENVER.
“Ultimately, these improvements will pay huge dividends for years to
come by generating new business for Denver in a very competitive
industry.”
Expansion improvements currently underway include over 200,000 square
feet, or the size of about four football fields, of new space that will feature an
80,000-square-foot multi-purpose ballroom, 35,000 square feet of pre-function
space and a 20,000-square-foot rooftop terrace with sweeping 150-mile
views of the Rocky Mountains.
The new additions are taking shape above the existing convention
center, which remains in operation, requiring two 280-foot-tall tower
cranes and a rooftop crane weighing nearly 1 million lbs., the equivalent
of a 747 jumbo jet.
Upon completion in late 2023, the CCC expansion will help to ensure The
Mile High City continues to be a global competitor in the meetings and
conventions industry. Already a key economic driver for the city, the
CCC upgrades are expected to generate an additional $85 million in
annual economic impact.
Funding for the expansion included $104 million from Measure 2C passed
by voters in 2015 and $129 million in Certificates of Participation
(COP) issued in 2018, with repayment of the COPs derived from Tourism
Improvement District revenues, a portion of the seat tax, and excess
revenues from the Convention Center Hotel.
_*Image credit VISIT DENVER/Evan Semón_, from left to right:
Jason Lusk, Associate Vice President, VISIT DENVER; Jonathan Popiel, Project Manager, Hensel Phelps;
Richard Scharf, President/CEO, VISIT DENVER; Rachel Benedick, Executive Vice President, Sales, and Services,
VISIT DENVER; Frank Delmonte, Director of Finance, Denver Arts & Venues,
City and County of Denver gathering to celebrate the “topping out” of the CCC Expansion
About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
Celebrating 114 years of promoting The Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is
a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to
market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing
economic development in the city, creating jobs, and generating taxes.
Denver welcomed more than 31.7 million visitors in 2021, generating $6.6
billion in spending, while supporting tens of thousands of jobs and
making Tourism one of the city’s largest industries. Learn more about
Denver on the VISIT DENVER website [2] or at Tourism Pays Denver [3].
Denver International Airport [4] (DEN) is the No. 3 busiest airport in
the world connecting The Mile High City to more than 200 destinations
globally. Follow Denver’s social media channels for up-to-the-minute
updates on Facebook [5], Instagram [6], Twitter [7], YouTube [8] and
LinkedIn [9].