By Mary Deifer
Kerry Painter, CVE, general manager and director of the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex, presented expansion plans and renderings to the Wake County Board of Commissioners for the Raleigh Convention Center’s proposed expansion, a project which will double the capacity of the popular venue and further cement its role as an economic driver for downtown. Already, the RCC is the force behind the most hotel room nights booked in the entire county.
“Last year we set an all-time record for the number of hotel room nights booked in downtown Raleigh, 
thanks to a packed schedule of conventions, shows, and other events,” Painter said. “This is a marker of success but also an indication that we can do even more. The truth is, we turned away business because we simply didn’t have room, not to mention the potential clients who weren’t even able to consider us due to our limited capacity. More space means more dollars spent at all of our surrounding and supporting businesses.”
Painter’s presentation – the first time the plans and renderings have been revealed to the public – is the next step in the process of gaining approval and funding for the project, which includes expanding the RCC and relocating Red Hat Amphitheater (rendering pictured below) to create a two-square-block destination for meetings, events, and entertainment.
Money for the venture is requested from the Interlocal Fund, which collects hospitality taxes for use by the convention center, arena, culture, sports, and arts activities. The Board of Commissioners and the Raleigh City Council manage the Fund; their next vote on how to allocate funds is scheduled by June 20.
“Even with the current hotel inventory we are missing out on opportunities due to having only one ballroom room, not enough meeting rooms, or exhibit space,” said Dennis Edwards, president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. “This type of an expansion will give us the ability to layer a number of events simultaneously, which is difficult to do today, and attract larger conventions which we cannot host with the current footprint.
“It’s important we have a vision and a plan to address the current and future needs of the convention center, so this process is critical to our future success. An expansion of this magnitude takes years to plan and execute, so we need to be thinking about this now. “
RCC Expansion by the Numbers
The new Complex will:
Add 500,000 sq ft of meeting space, including some 30 additional breakout rooms
Include 50,000 sq ft and 30,000 sq ft flex halls for hosting large events or for breaking up into smaller areas
Add an additional capacity of 20,000 people (doubling the current RCC capacity)
Cost approx $316 million in construction costs by today’s dollars; adding other costs brings the estimated total project cost to $425 million
In the 2022/23 FY, RCC:
Booked 152 events equating to 332 days (with five months still remaining in the fiscal year)
Expects 329,000 visitors
Filled 88.7% capacity of sellable dates (most of the remaining dates aren’t available due to holidays or facility maintenance blackouts)
70% is the industry standard to be considered a healthy and successful convention center
Contributed to 92,454 hotel room nights booked – an alltime high, despite losing full service hotel rooms due to pandemic considerations
That’s 109% over the 2023 goal set by the City
Mary Deifer is Marketing Manager for the Raleigh Convention Center.
