The Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) will soon embark on a multi-year, $600 million renovation project, but local officials are adamant that the construction will not interrupt Las Vegas’ busy convention schedule, according to a recent report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The renovations plans will see upgrades to the center’s Central and North halls, as well as technology improvements, new executive offices and even a new climate-controlled corridor. The renovations, when completed, will mirror the work done to the LVCC’s West Hall, which reopened in May 2021 after $1 billion worth of construction.
Preliminary work for the project has already begun, as work crews are currently fencing off work areas. The new executive offices are expected to be completed before the end of the year, after which crews will transition to working on the two halls.
The contractors for the project are Hunt Construction Group, which is based in Indianapolis, and Las Vegas-based Penta Building Group. Hunt has convention center construction experience all across the U.S., and Penta has a long history of building casinos and other high-profile buildings in Las Vegas and elsewhere
The total value of the contract is believed to be in the neighborhood of $435 million. Once the final pricing is approved in the coming months, the developers can start hiring out subcontractors.
Despite the scope and length of the project, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) confirmed to the Review-Journal that every single show scheduled from now through December 2025 is set to go on as planned.
Steve Hill, president and CEO of the LVCVA, explained to the Review-Journal that a lot of planning has been done to make sure that the work is being scheduled around the shows, most of which have been coming to Las Vegas for decades.
Representatives from the biggest shows—including the MAGIC fashion show, the CES electronics show and the National Association of Broadcasters—all testified in support of the LVCC renovation plan.
“Las Vegas is so attractive to (show organizers),” Hill told the Review-Journal. “Las Vegas is such an attractive place for so many reasons, and the city had the wisdom to build additional space to allow this renovation to take place. Our folks here at the Convention Center have great relationships with our customers. But without that building (West Hall) and without Las Vegas being so fantastic, it would have been an uphill climb.”
“It’s still true that they get nearly 10 percent better attendance, which is really a meaningful number on average, when they have their show here versus when they have their show elsewhere,” Hill added.
The renovations were also approved by Clark County’s Oversight Panel for Convention Facilities, a committee that was formed by the state Legislature as a sort of check and balance for the LVCVA.
In all, the project is expected to finish sometime before the end of December 2025, in time for January’s annual CES show. With the added developments, the LVCC will become the second-largest convention facility in North America, behind only Chicago’s McCormick Center.
