I just had the following press release come across my desk featuring news from an IAVM member venue. Are you a member venue that has news to share? Please send it our way at editor@iavm.org, and we’ll publish it here on the blog or in our weekly newsletter (sometimes both places!).
Now, on to the news.
Work is under way on a $79 million expansion of the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minnesota, set to debut in 2017. When complete, the expansion will nearly double the size of the center’s meeting and event facilities.
The expansion will bring the total amount of space at the Mayo Civic Center to more than 200,000 square feet—enough to host two 1,000-person events simultaneously. A new 40,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom will offer a seating capacity of more than 4,000 people, a ceiling height of 32 feet, and high-end finishes. A state-of-the-art kitchen and expanded food service facilities will also be included in the expanded Mayo Civic Center.
The center will feature a 25,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a 25,000-square-foot arena, a 12,000-square-foot auditorium, and 23 breakout rooms.
“The vision behind the expansion is focused on creating regional economic impact, broadening facility usability and services, and meeting the public assembly needs of a growing and thriving community,” said Donna Drews, executive director of the Mayo Civic Center. “Mayo Civic Center’s 188,000-square-foot convention center will broaden Rochester’s convention and meeting marketability, and free up existing facilities for concerts and entertainment—a key goal of the convention center expansion planners.”
