Springfield Exposition Center: Grand opening brings more for vendors

by Jennifer Brown

SBJ Reporter

jbrown@sbj.net

With more space and more power the new Springfield Exposition Center will have more to offer trade show and convention participants.

The new facility will have a total of 95,197 square feet of leaseable convention space when completed in November, holding a total of 543 booths and 7,900 people.

The new expo addition, which is complete and will hold its first event Sept. 24, includes 44,837 square feet of space, which can be divided into three equal sections for simultaneous events. The new expo space can fit 286 booths and 4,500 people.

The remodeled former University Plaza Trade Center space will add another 50,360 square feet of leaseable space when finished in November. It will hold 116 booths and 1,788 people on the upper level, and 141 booths and 1,612 people on the lower level. Additional space for a future restaurant, restrooms and storage also is available.

Total cost of new construction, renovations, furniture, fixtures and equipment is nearly $16 million, said Benjamin Alexander, Jordan Valley Park project manager.

David Hess, project manager with Butler Rosenbury & Partners, which is responsible for the center's architectural design, said the completed expo center will be 173,700 square feet.

Conventions and expos

The center's first exposition will be the Springfield Industrial Expo, held 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 24. Approximately 66 organizations will be represented at the event.

Elvin Keith, chairman of the Springfield Industrial Exposition, said he expects 1,500 people from a 120-mile radius to attend the event.

The first industrial expo was held in 1984 in the trade center, but was somewhat limited by availability of power.

"The old center did not have industrial utilities. It had three phases of electrical power, which made it difficult to run power. The new trade center does have ample industrial power, so that will enable us to bring larger pieces of equipment and actually have it on display and running," Keith said.

Improved electrical systems will also help meet the power demand for events and concerts. The facility can provide 3,000 amps and 480 volts of power. Floor boxes throughout center can hold between 120 amps and 480 amps. Additional power, water and data port connections will also be available for vendors.

A 35-foot ceiling and more open space help simplify set-up while allowing for new types of displays. Alexander said large vehicles, including boats, ladder trucks or even a helicopter could fit inside the convention space. Two loading docks and a drive-up ramp allow vendors to drive a tractor-trailer inside the building and unload.

Future events

Chris Huffington, director of sales for the University Plaza, said the price of using the expo center's space varies depending on use and convention size.

"With any hotel, prices are negotiated. We have prices that we set but based on other factors that the organization or company would bring to us then that's weighed against the cost of the space that they are using," Huffington said. "It's very difficult to give you prices because it depends. If they bring 10,000 room nights to the city as a whole, they are going to get a nice package in regard to other costs."

Set prices are based on what is tolerable in markets similar in size to Springfield. Huffington the city competes with Columbia, Little Rock, Ark., Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla., among others, for conventions. Huffington said approximately 30 events have been scheduled for the center for the 2003-2004 year.

Dana Maugans, director of sales for group sales, said now that the center is open it will be easier to book larger conventions.

Scheduled conventions and events include the Missouri Republican Party Convention June 24-27, 2004, which will bring in approximately 4,000 people; and the Missouri Association for Career & Technology Expo, July 25-29, 2004, is expected to bring in 3,300 people. One of the largest conventions will be the Wally Byam Caravan Club's 50th anniversary international rally, June 25-July 5, 2005. The club is expected to bring in 4,600 people for the 10-day event.

Needed improvements

Work is still under way on the former University Plaza Trade Center portion of the Expo Center. At the beginning of construction, approximately 25,000 square feet of the former Sears department store was demolished to make room for the new and renovated facility. The former trade center was approximately 69,000 square feet.

Maugans said the former trade center often made it difficult to move in equipment because of the columns, but the new space will not be as limiting and renovations will improve the original appearance.

"Once they get the whole thing completed it will be a seamless look, so you won't know that it was once the old trade center," Maugans said. "Once it's open and everything is done, we will refer to the whole thing as one facility, the Expo Center."

Alexander said remodeling helped turned undesirable space into a prime location.

"Previously the lower level of the trade center was not a desirable space, but now it abuts the brand new expo hall, so it is really a prime spot. Before it was in the basement so nobody wanted to be down there."