The Los Angeles City Council approved the proposed expansion and modernization of the Los Angeles Convention Center downtown. A lack of contiguous space has plagued the center over the years as it competes for convention business, and the L.A. Convention Center Expansion and Modernization Project will connect the existing South Hall and West Hall by adding 190,000 square feet of space to create one contiguous exhibit hall with over 750,000 square feet.
“An expanded and modernized convention center will transform the landscape of downtown Los Angeles for following generations,” says Kimberly Weedmark, general manager of the Los Angeles Convention Center, in a prepared statement. “We appreciate the LA City Council for their future-facing vision, as this project will allow us to increase the number of top-tier programs we welcome to Los Angeles while granting our current clients continued growth opportunities.”
In addition to the exhibit hall updates, the expansion project will append 39,000 square feet of meeting-room space to the center, as well as 95,000 square feet of multipurpose space. The investment is expected to create over 15,000 jobs, add $652 million in General Fund tax revenue over 30 years, and draw more than $150 million in additional visitor spending each year.
“On behalf of the entire team at Los Angeles Tourism, we are incredibly grateful that the city council voted to advance the modernization of the Los Angeles Convention Center,” says Adam Burke, president and CEO of Los Angeles Tourism. “As one of the most powerful, yet often unseen, drivers of LA’s tourism economy, meetings and events generate billions of dollars annually for Los Angeles. They not only support the city’s General Fund and help fund essential services for all Angelenos but also sustain local businesses across the greater Los Angeles region. As we look ahead to historic years on the horizon, and as the global spotlight on Los Angeles intensifies, we know the Los Angeles Convention Center will play an even more vital role in shaping our city’s future while continuing to welcome guests from around the globe.”
The project’s groundbreaking is scheduled for early October and expected to be completed in 2029. Key construction milestones will need to be finished ahead of the 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games, and the project will pause for a few months in 2028 while the Olympic events take over the center.
