If the recently unveiled design drawings of its expansion project are any indication, the nearly 60-year-old Las Vegas Convention Center has a vibrant new look in its future.

Presented on April 10 by architects from tvsdesign to the Board of Directors of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the drawings depict an innovatively designed, modern-looking convention center as iconic as the city itself, according to Rossi Ralenkotter, CEO of the LVCVA.

“This is one of the most important days in the history of the LVCVA,” Ralenkotter said. “Southern Nevada’s economy is driven by tourism and this expansion will propel our convention center forward to enable us to maintain our status as the number one trade show destination in North America.” 

Last month, Geotechnical & Environmental Services (GES) began drilling for all footing locations at the site and is conducting subsurface explorations to determine soil properties and assist with engineering recommendations. Besides marking out the depths they hit caliche, ground water and past structures that may have been buried in the lots, GES is also sending core samples to a lab to determine any environmental impacts. 

The Las Vegas Convention Center District’s Phase Two is an $860 million expansion project that will add 1.4 million square feet to the existing facility, including at least 600,000 square feet of new exhibit space. 

Construction is expected to be fully underway by the fall and completed by the beginning of 2021, just in time for CES, according to LVCVA officials.

Late last year, the LVCVA’s Board of Directors finalized the selection of tvsdesign / Design Las Vegas to provide design services for the expansion project. 

“Our biggest goal was to give Las Vegas a convention center that will be iconic, with a design that nods to all of the very unique architecture in the city’s history, while also providing contemporary, cohesive design aesthetic across the entire property,” said Rob Svedberg, principal of tvsdesign.

He continued, “Being iconic in Las Vegas is different than being iconic in other places, and we really want this building to be unique in the marketplace and provide something no other convention center can, while also having a strong identity, so that when someone sees it, they immediately know that it’s the Las Vegas Convention Center.” 

Phase Three will entail the complete renovation of the existing 3.2 million-square-foot facility, with a projected completion date of 2023. The phased approach will ensure that no business is displaced during the construction and renovation. 

LVCVA staff worked in partnership with Cordell Corporation principal Terry Miller, the agency’s contracted owner’s representative, to develop the vision for the $1.4 billion, multi-year, four-phase expansion and renovation project.

Phase One, which includes a 20-acre outdoor exhibit area, more than 3,000 parking spaces and three acres of landscaped walkways, was completed in early 2017.

Each year, Las Vegas hosts approximately 22,000 meetings, conventions and trade shows, which directly support an estimated 54,800 jobs paying $2.3 billion in wages and salaries. 

In 2017, the Las Vegas Convention Center hosted 21 percent of convention attendees traveling to southern Nevada, which directly supported approximately 8,600 jobs, paying $375 million in wages and salaries. Including indirect and induced impacts, the LVCC’s attendees generated $2.1 billion in economic impact throughout the local economy.

The LVCC District Expansion (Phase Two) and Renovation (Phase Three) are expected to support nearly 14,000 construction jobs and nearly 7,800 full-time permanent jobs upon completion. The project will generate an additional $2.1 billion in economic activity during construction and upon completion will have an annual incremental economic impact of $810 million while attracting more than 600,000 additional visitors each year. 

The project will allow the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to pursue new business opportunities while also growing the shows currently held in the destination.