Rendering of the exterior of the Florence (S.C.) Civic Center expansion.
The SMG-managed Florence (S.C.) Civic Center is in the midst of a $15-million expansion, a move that helped them book the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association. Renovation is is expected to be complete during spring 2018.
An additional 25,000 sq. ft. of space will be added and 28,000 sq. ft. of existing meeting space will be renovated. The 10,000-seat arena wil boast 60,000 sq. ft. of total event space. The center will also add six new meeting rooms and a new kitchen that will assist with catering services.
“Because we’re expanding, we were able to get the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association world tournament, which we would not have been able to do before,” said Nick Hooker, director of marketing at Florence Civic Center for SMG. “This is our first big score due to the expansion."
The tournament will be held in November. Florence beat out Shreveport, La., and El Paso, Texas in a bid to host this event.
“The tournament we’re having in November will have 250 people competing,” said Brian Davison, head of the horseshoe tournament. “This will give the civic center a chance to show off their new expansion.”
"It’s not just the tournament, there are banquets, social gatherings and hall of fame inductions,” said Hooker. “It's really a full spread of all sorts of activities all under the umbrella of the event. It’s going to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, events to come to Florence."
This event is expected to bring in an estimated $3.5 million economic impact to the city of Florence, in hotel and restaurant bookings, shopping and taxes.
"It's going to be a huge boost for us. We’re bringing in new visitors, who are going to ultimately enjoy parts of Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Columbia and different parts of the region here, so it’s really a win for the state," said Davison.
Construction at Florence Civic Center has been underway for a little over six months. The new and improved center was originally set for a spring 2018 grand opening. However, with renovations moving quickly, it may lead to an early opening.
"We’re actually ahead of schedule," said Hooker. "In December of this year, we’re going to be able to show off some of the new space, and have a soft opening walk-through for selected individuals."
With Florence Civic Center's central location off of I-95 and I-20, in between major business markets in New York and Miami, SMG hopes this will be a middle ground meeting place for those doing business, or booking events, on the East Coast. With news of the expansion, meeting professionals have booked personal onsite walk-throughs since March and have been reserving event space for 2018, 2019 and farther in the future.
If the expansion proves to be a success, SMG and Florence Civic Center plan to implement an additional two phases of renovation, said Hooker.
“We’d like to add a large expo hall, additional ballrooms, a possible hotel extension, a remodel and expansion to the current arena, plus complement that with new bistros and bars,” he said. “Phase two and three are kind of a wish list, we hope that in a five to 10-year range we can revisit that possibility."