LOS ANGELES — After multiple delays, the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) Expansion and Modernization Project officially began construction on Oct. 1. The $2.6-billion project, which was approved by the Los Angeles City Council on Sept. 19, will add 190,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space connecting LACC’s South Hall and West Hall over Pico Blvd., as well as a new, 98,000-square-foot rooftop ballroom and additional meeting room space.
According to Doane Liu, Chief Tourism Officer and Executive Director of the Los Angeles City Tourism Department, the expansion will allow LACC to attract some of the top trade shows that it currently cannot accommodate.
“This is really amazing and puts us in a much better competitive space. The top 10% of shows in size couldn’t even consider us,” Liu said. “We have responded to RFPs and tried to convince people that we can make it work efficiently, but we’ve lost a lot of business to the larger convention centers.”
Related. Los Angeles Convention Center Bans Single-Use Plastic Bottles
LACC will become even more attractive to shows because the project will also modernize areas of the building that need upgrades.
“The building is over 30 years old in some places, and over 50 years old in others. Our goal is to make sure that the entire building feels and acts new,” Liu explained. “We’re going to be upgrading everything from interior design to loading docks and loading ramps in the back of the house. We’re upgrading typically unseen things like technology enhancements, air conditioning and new kitchens for our food and beverage operations.”
Construction Plans
LACC’s Expansion and Modernization Project is expected to be about 80% complete a few months before the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in July. The venue will host five Olympic events in the existing space, while the expansion space will be shut down until after the games are complete.
But that doesn’t mean the project will shut down LACC in the meantime. Liu says the nature of the work being done allows for the venue to continue holding events — though it will come with its challenges.
Related. Questex Combines Two Events to Create Be+Well | Beauty and Wellness Show
“A lot of cities just shut down completely while they’re doing their expansions. We’re lucky in that we’re building in between two existing buildings, so it’s more of an add-on than a tear down — and we don’t have to move out of the house while we’re doing the add-on,” Liu said. “It might be a little noisy sometimes and it might be a little dusty, but for the most part, all of our clients are really excited about the expansion and we’re going to work with them all on trying to minimize the impact on their events. It’s a good problem to have because the building we’re going to end up with will be spectacular and good for all of the clients.”
To learn more about venue expansions across the U.S., read TSE’s latest Pardon Our Dust report here.
