City Council gives new impetus to Los Angeles Convention Center expansion plans

Los Angeles City Council has voted to move the L.A. Convention Center (LACC) Expansion and Modernisation Project forward. The vote signifies faith in the investment in the LACC as an economic engine for the region, and a project that will create thousands of jobs, attract visitors and bring new revenue to the City’s General Fund. The Council approved a design-build delivery model that contracts with a joint venture of AEG and The Plenary Group to complete the project before the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the upcoming months, the City will work with AEG, Plenary, Populous (architect) and PCL and Webcor (general contractors) to finalise design plans, schedule and costs before construction starts in spring 2025. Many businesses in Downtown L.A.are dependent on direct and indirect spending from the LACC. The project is estimated to draw in over $165m in visitor spending each year, and it will create 7,445 new jobs during construction, and 2,147 jobs on an ongoing basis. “Thank you to the City Council for their vision and leadership to invest in a public infrastructure project that is essential for L.A.’s future,” said Doane Liu, chief tourism officer and executive director of the City Tourism Department. “Despite being in the second largest city in the United States, the LACC is currently a second tier facility and we are losing out on business to other cities due to the constraints of the Convention Center. With this expansion, LACC will become a premier destination that is able to pursue larger events that bring visitors to L.A. who spend money at our local hotels, restaurants and attractions, adding additional revenue to the City’s General Fund.” Los Angeles has been at a competitive disadvantage in attracting large, citywide conventions due to the lack of contiguous space, especially as competitors have completed or are in the process of completing major expansions. The new construction will connect the two existing South and West Exhibit Halls by adding 190,000 square feet of space (17,650sqm) to create one contiguous hall, and will add 55,000 square feet of new meeting room space and 95,000 square feet of multipurpose space. The plan also includes a redesign of Gilbert Lindsay Plaza, which will add public open space. “Currently, the LACC hosts nearly 200 events and two million visitors annually,” said Kimberly Weedmark, general manager of the LA Convention Center. “We’re excited that an upgraded facility will allow us to expand our event base with more top-tier programmes and allow our current clients continued growth opportunities.”