Washington’s Cowlitz Tribe, operators of the $510 million Ilani Casino Resort near La Center, plans to open a new event center just about a year after it opened its casino, April 1.
The event center will be 22,000 square feet and will feature high ceilings, flexible air walls and will be able to be configured for a variety of events and accommodate as many as 2,500 guests, but also as few as 800.
With an elevated stage it will be able to host concerts.
Casino President and General Manager Kara Fox-LaRose told the Vancouver Business Journal, “We are recruiting our sales team now. We also have a marketing team that’s been working for several months on messaging.” She called the space, “one of the largest venues of its kind in the area.”
The tribe has begun an advertising campaign in all media, and the casino’s marketing staffing will be going on the road to reach out to business groups and entertainers who might want to perform there.
Business leaders of Clark County and the Greater Portland area say they think the venue will fit in well with other options in the area and probably get a lot of use.
Mike Bomar, president of the Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC), told the Journal, “The opening of the Ilani Meeting and Entertainment Center will be a great complement to the existing event spaces available in Clark County.” He added, “This is another great example of the exciting growth we’re seeing take place throughout the Discovery Corridor.”
Looking toward the April 1 opening the construction lot will be paved over and lighting added to turn it into a parking lot.
Adding to the venue’s appeal will be the casino’s restaurants, including some offering outdoor dining with a view of the surrounding mountains
Fox-LaRose said, “Whether you’re attending a meeting, whether it be a luncheon or dinner event, once you’ve explored that event, you have the ability to engage in other activity.”
Other phases of the resort are now being planned, include a hotel, gas station, and more office space.
