RALEIGH, N.C. – The Raleigh Convention Center is making substantial progress toward welcoming events back after a fire on the evening of Monday, December 1st. The fire damaged portions of the roof, but thanks to the quick action of the first responders with the Raleigh Fire Department, everyone in the building at the time exited safely, and the interior of the building was unharmed by the fire. Convention center staff, other City of Raleigh departments, and contractors have worked diligently toward resuming operations at this important Raleigh civic asset.
Event spaces were largely unaffected by the incident. Within the week, work crews quickly removed water from the building, applied a temporary seal to the roof, and began restoring the boiler to operation. Affected staff areas are currently undergoing repair.
Staff at the Raleigh Convention Center have worked with the event organizers through the remainder of December to reschedule, move, or cancel their event. Organizations that were unable to host their event at the venue will have their deposit refunded.
“We can’t express enough how grateful we are for the fast action and bravery of our amazing first responders,” said Kerry Painter, Executive Director of the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex. “We appreciate Chief Griffin and every one of the more than 60 personnel who responded. And every department in the City of Raleigh has played a vital role in the progress we’ve made toward getting events back in our venue. The support and collaboration from our colleagues and community have been incredible. This challenge was just such a beautiful testament to all the wonderful people who make Raleigh what it is, and we’re so thankful.”
The Raleigh Convention Center team will continue to provide information on progress and future events. For the latest updates, please visit RaleighConvention.com.
About The Complex
The Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex (“The Complex”) encompasses four city-owned and managed facilities that bring together residents, out-of-town visitors and a host of performing artists from around the country and the world.
In the heart of North Carolina’s vibrant capitol city, three of the four venues welcome some 1 million visitors to downtown Raleigh each year. The award-winning, 500,000-square- foot Raleigh Convention Center is a leader in innovation, sustainability and guest experience. Next door sits the city’s signature open-air music venue, Red Hat Amphitheater, with 6,000 seats and a buzzworthy schedule of musical performances.
A short walk away, the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts offers four unique theaters, seating from 150 to 2,369, and is home to resident companies Carolina Ballet, North Carolina Symphony, North Carolina Opera and PineCone. Beyond Downtown Raleigh, Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek boasts a 20,000-person capacity amphitheater on 77 rolling green acres and regularly packs the house with big- name acts.
www.raleighconvention.com/complex
submitted by the Raleigh Convention Center
