The Las Vegas Convention Center's long-awaited expansion has completed its first phase with the unveiling this week of a new parking and outdoor exhibition space.
The expansion plan will ultimately add 600,000 square feet of space to the 3.2 million-square-foot facility. The $1.4 billion plan kicked off in earnest two years ago when the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) bought and demolished the old Riviera Hotel & Casino for $182.5 million to make room for the expansion and, crucially, give it frontage on the Las Vegas Boulevard Strip. In October, the Nevada state legislature approved funding for the expansion, and the renovation of the existing facilities.
The 26-acre Diamond Lot includes 20 acres of outdoor event space, four major power access points with 1,800 amps available at each one, telecommunications and security capabilities, and three acres of landscaped walkways. It also has 3,100 parking spaces.
The unveiling on Jan. 4 came one day before the opening of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the largest trade show not just in Las Vegas, but in all of North America. Expected to attract 165,000 attendees this year, CES will be the first show to make use of the new Diamond Lot.
"The Diamond Lot represents the first step in our commitment to Las Vegas' future with the expansion and renovation of the Las Vegas Convention Center," said Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the LVCVA, at the ceremony. "The development of the Las Vegas Convention Center District will provide our clients with the premier facility they want and need, and it will support thousands of jobs and increased economic activity in our community."
The expansion and renovation is being funded by an increase of 0.5 percent on the Clark County, NV, hotel room tax, now between 12.5 percent and 13.4 percent for resorts, depending on location.