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Kansas City has
attracted new events thanks to its
$150 million renovated/expanded convention center,
generating more than 50,000-hotel-room nights
and $20 million of economic impact.
Photo courtesyof Alise O’Brien.
By J. Todd Achelpohl, RA
This past summer, Kansas City, Mo., did something few thought possible a
decade ago: It beat Las Vegas and Philadelphia to host the 2010 convention
of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The announcement came as both a victory and a
validation: a victory because more than 10,000 NAACP delegates will
contribute an estimated $9 million to the local economy, and a validation
because Kansas City is in the midst of a $4.9 billion downtown
revitalization to attract big conventions. The massive construction program
includes a new nine-block entertainment district, a new 18,500-seat arena
and a $150 million renovated/ expanded convention center.
The convention center, the first piece the package to
go online, was a key in winning the NAACP’s business, according Oscar
McGaskey Jr., executive director Kansas City convention and entertainment
facilities. “The renovation and expansion have greatly increased our
competitive edge,” he says. “We don’t usually compete against first-tier
cities like Las Vegas. This is a big win.”
Assessing the Needs
During the 1970s, convention centers like Kansas City’s were built to
different expectations; they didn’t offer the kinds of amenities today’s
convention goers demand, such as high-tech meeting rooms, flexible spaces
and hotel-caliber services. Plus, Kansas City’s convention center lacked a
ballroom compatible in size to its exhibition space. As a result, the city
was losing conventions to surrounding second-tier destinations.
To increase its competitiveness, the city hired HNTB
Architecture Inc. as designer/architect of a two-phased meeting room
renovation/ballroom expansion project in summer 2004. HNTB’s first course of
business was to conduct a series of focus groups with convention center
customers, service providers and facility management. Feedback revealed
several weaknesses. Among them:
•
The facility lacked sufficient technology, lighting
and acoustics.
•
Meeting rooms were undersized by today’s standards and exited
through one
another, creating additional security
problems.
•
The facility lacked hotel-like services and amenities.
•
Trade show boards were forced to meet offsite because the
convention
center had no boardrooms.
The findings resulted in extensive meeting room
renovations, followed by a 46,450-sq.-ft. grand ballroom addition.
45 Meeting Rooms in 95
Days
Phase one involved renovating 200,000 square feet of meeting room space.
To complete the project, contractors had to work in between events booked
years in advance. The biggest window of time: 95 days.
The convention center housed two meeting room sections:
the 2100 series north of 13th Street and the 2200 series south of 13th
Street. Because of the compressed schedule, facility management chose not to
reconfigure the north series. “We upgraded the technology, acoustics and the
mechanical systems but decided not to do a massive reconfiguration,”
McGaskey says.
As for the 8,500-sq.-ft. southern section, contractors
gutted it and started over. The fast-tracked project limited options and
choices relative to a traditional construction schedule. Planners and
contractors simplified details, studied material and labor availabilities
and preordered items with longer lead times. Once all the prep work was
done, crews worked two eight-hour shifts, seven days a week to complete the
renovation. “HNTB was outstanding to work with,” McGaskey says. “They
allowed us to get it completed on time and under budget.”
The first week of January 2005, one month before the
convention center’s second-largest conference, Wal-Mart, was scheduled to
arrive, facility management unveiled 45 state-of-the-art meeting rooms
featuring individual sound systems, built-in credenzas and data-powered
audio visual equipment. The meeting room renovation also included:
•
Hotel-like amenities, including house phones, a business center,
sundries shop and a multipurpose area that could be used for
conference registration or coat checks.
• Wireless and
wired high-speed Internet access throughout the
2100-2200 meeting space.
• The
latest audio system and other new technologies that
support staff radios and cell phones.
“And all of the meeting room technology was woven into
the same IT backbone, giving our guests increased flexibility and
reliability,” McGaskey says.
Putting the “Grand” in
Ballroom
In phase two, designers set out to create one of the best ballrooms in the
country on time and on budget. “That goal was overwhelmingly achieved,”
McGaskey says.
When the 20-month expansion began in the summer of
2005, material and labor costs were skyrocketing. Mindful of the volatile
market, HNTB worked with the construction adviser for the city of Kansas
City to bid projects as far in advance as possible and lock in prices early.
As a result, phase two was finished under budget — and two weeks early.
Today, the new 46,450-square-foot grand ballroom
features a long list of industry innovations:
Room with a view.
First among them is the 38-foot-high glass window. The window runs
the length of the ballroom’s south wall and allows natural light into the
space, while providing breathtaking views of the Kansas City skyline. If
desired, a moveable “air wall” can be deployed to black out this feature.
Hello DALI.
Second on the list of innovations is
Digital Addressable Lighting Interface. Prior to the renovation and
expansion, the lighting in both meeting room and ballroom areas was
controlled in groups or banks. Now, both areas feature DALI, one of the
largest, most sophisticated systems in the country. DALI gives every light
fixture its own IP address, letting meeting planners create dynamic lighting
for events or dramatic light shows set to music. In addition, DALI allows
greater energy management control. The self-monitoring system automatically
generates a work order to replace a light bulb and knows in advance when the
ballasts start to fail.
Let there be light. Third is the
clerestory. This controllable, energy-efficient system is a series of
windows around the ballroom’s perimeter that lets changing amounts of
daylight into the space. Event organizers still have the ability to control
the room’s lighting with a black box and optional blackout shades. During
the day, however, service personnel now can set up and tear down events with
the lights off and the clerestory open, saving significant energy.
Lots of options. Fourth on the list is
enhanced flexibility. Meeting planners can put the stage and rigging
anywhere in the ballroom they choose. Plus, the expansive ballroom can be
separated into three smaller rooms or connected to the existing conference
center to accommodate additional breakout sessions. Additionally, the south
wall of the ballroom can be opened, expanding the space by another 6,500
square feet into the pre-function lobby.
A ban on
banners. Fifth is the LCD projection
system. Just outside the ballroom, contractors installed a state-of-the-art
projection system. Before, planners branded events with banners. Now with
bigger, more sophisticated LCD projection systems, they can connect to the
convention center’s data network and project virtually anything programmed
in their computers.
It’s certifiable. The final innovation is
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. Environmentally
friendly features mentioned above as well as others, such as waterless
urinals, have helped the ballroom reach the final commission stage for LEED
certification.
Meanwhile, Kansas City’s decision to enhance its
convention center and increase its competitive edge has resulted in a 40
percent increase in bookings compared to preconstruction numbers. At least
six new conventions have signed on since 2005, all of which had turned
Kansas City down prior to the upgrade. They are expected to generate more
than 50,000-hotel-room nights and $20 million of economic impact, according
to McGaskey. “It’s incredible,” he says. “The renovations and new ballroom
have definitely put Kansas City right up there with other top convention
center destinations.”
fm
Todd Achelpol is associate vice president of HNTB
Architecture Inc., a national leader in convention, exhibition and civic
center design. |
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