Anaheim Convention Center Kicks Off 7th Expansion Project

April 27, 2015

The Anaheim Convention Center kicked off their seventh betterment expansion with a ground breaking ceremony last week.

Tom Morton, executive director, Convention, Sports and Entertainment, started the ceremony with a focus on the future, as well as thanks to the many individuals who helped make the expansion possible.

“With this 7th betterment expansion, the ACC will continue to be the largest convention facility on the West Coast,” he said. “This expansion is about the future, in particular, meeting the demands of the future for the shows that continue to grow.”

Anaheim Mayor Pro Tem Lucille Kring remarked on the last ribbon cutting ceremony for an expansion at the ACC. “The last time we took on a project like this was in January of 2000.  And tomorrow, we need to plan the next expansion for the ACC. San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco are already nipping at our heels when it comes to meeting and event space, and they will not slow down.  Neither, then, should we.”

“This expansion will push us to over 1 million square feet of convention space,” said Jay Burress, president and CEO, Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau. “And we already have 14 different shows that have booked into the new space for 2017.  We are also marking this expansion by burying a time capsule that will be opened in 2030.”

The two-level expansion, with 200,000 square feet of flexible space and 100,000 square feet of column-free space, will address the parking issue, adding in 1,350 new parking spaces.

It also will support more than 2,000 new jobs in the community to staff the additional space. It is projected to bring in $9 million in additional tax revenue.

Gary Birdsall, vice president, Turner Construction Company, said, “This expansion will bring new and exciting conventions into the new space. And we are setting the standard for convention centers on the West Coast.”

The projected completion date for the expansion is Spring 2017.  For more information, including a video on the new design, please visit accexpansion.com.

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