A lot is riding on the success of Owensboro, Ky.’s new convention center.
The $39.5-million, 170,000-sq.-ft. Owensboro Convention Center is one of the largest investments in the revitalization of downtown, which has been led by the city’s mayor, Ron Payne.
“We decided it was time to reinvent ourselves, so after a decade, we are now back in the convention business in a big way,” Payne said. “We’ve recently spent a quarter of a billion dollars [refurbishing our city].”
Payne spearheaded the passage of increases in the local insurance premium tax to cover bond issues. Daviess County Fiscal Court invested $20 million in the center, with the city putting up the remainder of the money to cover construction costs and the purchase of the land.
The new convention center’s site was formerly occupied by the Executive Inn Rivermont, a 600-room, Las Vegas-style hotel that opened in 1977 and closed in 2009.
“The previous convention center closed almost five years ago, leaving many local events no choice but to downsize if they wanted to continue. These local events now have the opportunity to expand into the new venue and regain some attendance they have lost,” said Shannon Wetzel, executive director of the Owensboro Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The first trade show hosted at the Owensboro Convention Center on Jan. 29 was a great example of this. The Owensboro Ag Expo was able to bring large equipment back to their event this year and saw a significant increase in attendance as a result.”
Groundbreaking for the venue occurred on March 13, 2012, and it was completed on time and on budget by Jan. 26 of this year. Additional streets, sidewalks, parking lots and infrastructure were created to support the new facility.
“Global Spectrum was brought on board from the beginning and was involved in the design and construction process,” Payne said. “They provided us with insight on what was needed to be competitive in the convention center market.”
New Orleans-based Trahan Architects designed the venue, which was built by Denark Construction of Knoxville, Tenn.
The building has a modern, aluminous design that includes high ceilings and 60 feet of glass. In addition to a 45,000-sq.-ft. exhibit hall, the new convention center has a little over 92,000 sq. ft. of net meeting space.
The first level includes three halls, with four meeting rooms and administrative space on the second level. Two 13,000-sq.-ft. ballrooms on the third floor can be broken into five separate spaces each for a total of 10 meeting rooms. The third floor River Room is aptly named as it overlooks the Ohio River. Mezzanines that look over each hall include show promoter offices.
“Our work is contextual, so we identify things in the immediate and broad context of a project that have defined the uniqueness of the space,” said Victor F. “Trey” Trahan, Trahan Architects’ president and principal in charge. “In the city, there is a real connection to the urban context and the river as well as tobacco farms.
He describes the facility’s design as sculpted, refined and elegant, but also humble. While the outside is punctuated by black anodized aluminum and vertical set panels meant to reflect the area’s black wood tobacco barns, the interior palette is charcoal and white.
“During the daytime, this provides a feeling of being nested inside a black box,” Trahan said. “When the interior is illuminated at night, the black exterior box is diminished, providing the look of a lantern connected to the city and river.”
The clean design is devoid of decorative trim, fabric and baseboards, with the goal to create spaces that focus on people and community gatherings.
“Without baseboards, chair rails and moldings to help cover mistakes, the design craftsmanship in this venue has been elevated,” Trahan said. “Most people think simplicity is the easiest to achieve when it’s really the most difficult. For example, we had to integrate the HVAC, lighting, sprinkler and other systems so as not to diminish the purist experience.”
To design the venue, which had a low budget per square foot, Trahan produced detailed drawings to get everyone on board with the design.
“We needed a committed, high-quality contractor, which we found in Denark, and also a client that embraced and was invested in this aesthetic, which we had,” Trahan said.
As a part of the minimalist design, there are no fixed concession stands. Foodservice, which is handled by Global Spectrum’s Ovations Food Services division, is provided by mobile carts.
In addition to a gala for 2,100 supporters that included dinner and a concert by country singer/songwriter Sara Evans, the opening weekend was marked by a ribbon cutting ceremony, free hot dogs and soft drinks for the first 15,000 guests and family-friendly activities and entertainment. This included performances by the Owensboro Youth Music Chorale, Owensboro Dance Theatre, Marty Brown and The Willis Clan.
On Super Bowl Sunday, the venue held a buffet lunch, interfaith blessing of the building and a viewing of the game.
If 2014 and 2015 are any indication, the future looks bright for bookings.
“The city of Owensboro, the Owensboro Daviess County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Global Spectrum and many other community partners have been marketing the venue for two years,” Wetzel said. “As a result, there are already 200 events booked for 2014.”
“We are right at the $3-million mark in terms of gross revenue, which is more than we anticipated,” said Dean Dennis, general manager of the Owensboro Convention Center and vice president of business development at Global Spectrum, which manages the facility. “We think this will be a good consumer show market for us.”
Now the largest convention center in western Kentucky, the facility will be targeting regional conventions and meetings, in addition to state associations, consumer shows, fairs and smaller concerts for about 3,000.
“We are about two hours from Nashville, so it makes sense to include shows for artists on their way up or down,” Dennis said.
Opening simultaneously with the convention center is a 150-room Hampton Inn & Suites on the east side. Construction also has recently begun on a 120-room Holiday Inn to the west.
Contributing to the city’s growth is a new $400-million hospital and plans are in the works to create a new interstate, senior center and skate park in the city.
All of these accomplishments have not gone unrecognized. For the first time in 50 years, Owensboro was honored with an All-America City award by the National Civic League. This is awarded to communities that collaboratively tackle challenges and achieve results.
“Our goal is to be a regional center, bring people to town for a greater economic impact and make the pie bigger,” Dennis said. “We want to invite visitors back to Owensboro, and this venue is the anchor to make it happen.”
Interviewed for this story: Dean Dennis, (719) 240-6368; Ron Payne, (270) 687-8561; Victor F. Trahan, (225) 924-6333; Shannon Wetzel, (270) 926-1100