For decades, the basics of the convention center experience varied little for attendees, said Brian Tennyson, principal with LMN Architects. One meeting room looked much like another, no matter what city you were visiting.
“If you were at a meeting hall in Chicago, it really didn't differentiate itself much from one in Orlando or New Orleans,” Tennyson said. “You were just in this dark box listening to a speaker. You could have been anywhere.”
However, Tennyson said, “Those days are gone.”
“The collapse in ‘07-’08 forced everybody to be a bit more competitive and also for delegates to be more choosey about events and where they would go,” Tennyson said. “So centers really started differentiating themselves. The term destination design, which you hear quite a bit now, became more of an issue.”
The challenges to creating a distinctive experience are abundant, and convention center operators, architects and designers working on new construction and renovation projects must contend with a range of considerations when investing in a convention center’s physical space to better serve meeting attendees.
“Whether new construction or renovation, convention center design is currently focused on catering to the needs of not only current generations, but future ones as well,” said Adam Paulitsch, senior associate at Populous. “As a result, convention centers are becoming ‘multigenerational’ to fit the mold of the current user, while anticipating the needs of the next.”
An emphasis on flexibility
Paulitsch said convention centers have inherent potential as homes for innovative, flexible spaces.
“The modern convention center is arguably one of the most versatile building types on the planet, and as they evolve to meet an ever-increasing list of demands for upcoming generations this point will only grow stronger,” Paulitsch said.
Susan Sieger, principal with Crossroads Consulting Services, which advises the convention, sports and entertainment industry, said convention and meeting planners have adopted an emphasis on “more flexible and unique spaces that can be customized to their specific usage demands.”
“Facilities are continually trying to differentiate themselves from the competition via physical space within their buildings,” Sieger said. “Instead of simply adding single-use dedicated space, such as exhibit halls and meeting rooms, many centers are adding hybrid, flex space which can be utilized for a variety of purposes and types of events and can be expanded or contracted depending on each meeting planner’s needs.”
Paulitsch said the International Convention Center Sydney and the Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center both represent examples of flexible, multigenerational design.
“ICC Sydney embodies this by breaking down the traditional singular convention center building into multiple,” Paulitsch said. “This effectively creates a campus which enables multiple events to take place simultaneously, affording each one its own unique experience. The movable walls featured in Anaheim’s most recent convention center expansion also follow this concept, transforming one expansive space into several.”
MEETING PLANNERS’ CHANGING PREFERENCES
Tennyson said pre-function spaces previously were employed as nothing more than spaces to pass through. Now, meeting planners are looking to make them lively parts of their events, places where attendees can gather between sessions in impromptu or lightly organized fashion.
“The idea of the one-hour speaker with an audience either sitting in a classroom setup or a lecture setup, where that used to be the majority of events, you're going to start seeing that in the minority,” Tennyson said. “I don't think they'll disappear, but the industry is evolving — people learn differently and design should reflect that.”
Ken Stockdell, vice president, convention center group practice leader at HKS Architects, said the shift toward nontraditional room sets and “blurring the lines between the meeting space, where content has traditionally been delivered, and the public concourses is an interesting trend with the meeting planners. It will be interesting to see how upcoming projects respond to this. I think there will be an increase in public concourse space as a percentage of gross area to accommodate a variety of furnishings and amenities in these spaces.”
CHANGING APPETITES
Convention-goers’ dining expectations have evolved in alignment with general food trends. In particular, Damon Bell, senior director of convention sales with Georgia World Congress Center Authority, said, “Locally grown and flexible dining options continue to have influence.”
For instance, the Georgia World Congress Center recently opened Social Table, which features a rotating menu of Southern cuisine. The convention center also houses Southern Roots Cafe, which has locally sourced coffee, pastries and produce, and Googie Burger, which is located in Centennial Olympic Park and emphasizes Georgia-based ingredients.
Stockdell said convention center retail food options increasingly feature variety and health- conscious selections. In addition, “farm-to-table is becoming the norm for banquet menu choices.”
GOING UP
Stockdell said convention center expansions increasingly are using vertical construction to add new space.
“On urban sites, where most convention centers are or want to be located, land is a precious commodity, so the only way to go is up or down,” Stockdell said. “We’ve seen this happen in San Francisco with Moscone Center’s expansion; Baltimore is planning on a similar strategy. The expansion that is planned at the Colorado Convention Center is on its existing roof, and the expansion underway in Seattle is another example.
A COMMUNITY ANCHOR
Deborah Breiter Terry, a professor at the University of Central Florida who specializes in convention and trade show management, said convention centers tend to be more naturally integrated into their neighborhoods in Europe and Asia than in the U.S.
“But we are starting to see convention districts develop [in the U.S.] that have more shopping and entertainment options that local residents might want to visit,” Terry said.
Stockdell said thinking about convention centers as part of an events/entertainment district is gaining momentum in the U.S.
“There are numerous examples of convention centers that were built in open land on the edges of cities — Atlanta, Houston and L.A. are three examples — that have taken as much as 20 years to create enough development momentum to fill the gap,” Stockdell said. “The realization that it may take incentives to accelerate this process is taking hold more broadly, and that’s beginning to change the thinking about how a convention center integrates with its neighborhood.”
Sieger said she is seeing more designs that emphasize urban planning and the convention center’s place in its city.
“This includes integration into the surrounding neighborhood to create a full destination experience for both convention attendees and local business and residents, resulting in a more seamless integration with the surrounding neighborhoods and communities rather than just a standalone facility,” Sieger said.
Sieger said meeting planners and attendees are looking for campus-style settings around the convention center, providing amenities such as hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues and attractions within walking distance of the convention center. She pointed to Los Angeles’ L.A. Live campus, which includes Los Angeles Convention Center, Staples Center and Microsoft Theater alongside retail and restaurant offerings, as an example of this layout. Stockdell noted that “ground-level retail and street-facing restaurants are increasingly discussed as part of the project planning.”
Bell said hotels play a major role in the convenience and accessibility equation. “Connectivity and ease of convention traffic is always top of mind with any organizer of large conventions and events,” he said. “Convention hotels continue to be added to the landscape in the U.S., particularly adjacent to centers such as ours. Marriott recently added 1,000-plus-room hotels next to the convention centers in Chicago and Houston, and the Georgia World Congress Center soon will be announcing our plans for a new connected hotel in Atlanta.”
OUTDOOR SPACE
Just as the use of pre-function space is being re-evaluated, Breiter Terry said convention centers are finding more value in their outdoor property.
“For several years, convention centers have been competing with hotels to create attractive spaces that are warm, welcoming and sometimes stimulating,” Breiter Terry said. “There are more outdoor spaces being used at convention centers (other than parking lots for big exhibits). Connecting convention centers to nearby hotels with skybridges (whether enclosed or not) will continue.
Sieger said multifunctional outdoor spaces give attendees a less traditional way to connect with each other and to engage with a convention center’s setting and other nearby elements.
“Rather than comprising just four walls and no natural light, the new plazas, covered or partially tented rooftops, terraces, lawns and other spaces provide a unique view and interaction with the city around them,” Sieger said.