The Albany Capital Center (ACC) proudly celebrates five years of drawing events and visitors from around the country to the Capital Region. Operated by ASM Global, Albany Capital Center is situated in the heart of Albany‘s historic downtown – within walking distance of restaurants, hotels, shops, art galleries, nightclubs, museums and more!
The ACC immediately captivated the community with the implosion heard around the region in 2014 to make way for the new venue and has been attracting positive attention ever since. Before its doors opened in March 2017, the ACC had 62 events already booked and continued building momentum. In its starting year, the ACC held its first official convention, the New York State Council for Social Studies. This four-day educational conference attracted more than 450 attendees to Albany and went on to host 139 events total, exceeding the initial projection.
Over the last five years, the ACC has generated $55,189,344 million in total new visitor spending, hosted 697 events and conferences and scored 362,730 visitors to downtown Albany, which generated 86,426 hotel room nights. Conventions, meetings, tradeshows, public, social and sporting events hosted at the ACC have led to $6,425,407 in total sales tax. The success of the ACC is the direct result of the early and continuing investment made by Albany County through portions of its hotel occupancy tax directed to the venue for operations and the partnering with the State of New York to provide funding for the structure.
“I am so pleased with the success of the Albany Capital Center which is due in large part to the versatility of the venue,” says Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy. “What a great space to host conferences, a Mac and Cheese Festival, gala, a basketball tournament even an extended art gallery for a traveling exhibit. The possibilities are endless. And during the COVID-19 crisis, the Albany Capital Center hosted vaccination clinics. Congratulations on the first five years and looking forward to many more.”
The first-class venue has played host to a wide range of popular events, including some highlights of the NCAA Basketball Championships, the Capital Region Chamber Annual Dinner, Gym Rats Boys and Girls Challenge, NYS Association of Super Intendents, HV Gamer Con, MAAC Volleyball Championships, American Council of Engineering Companies of New York, performances by Dropkick Murphys and Gojira, NY Bar Exam, WWE NXT, bridal, home, and golf expos, and local graduations and so much more.
“Congratulations to the Albany Capital Center and ASM Global on a fantastic first five years, a large portion of which was severely impacted by the pandemic,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “The ACC and ASM Global management teams in partnership with the Albany Convention Center Authority navigated these unprecedented challenges with professionalism and ingenuity as the space was converted to support vaccination clinics. This venue has brought new life to Downtown Albany and offers great event space to host sporting events, conferences, art exhibits and many gala events including two recent Tulip Balls. Now that we are back to some normalcy with regards to in person events, I can’t wait to see what the ACC team can accomplish over the next five years at this state-of-the-art facility.”
With the Albany Capital Center, Empire State Plaza Convention Center, The Egg Performing Arts Center and the MVP Arena, the Capital Complex boasts 159,000 square feet, connected entirely via an enclosed walkway, making it the largest combined meeting space in Upstate New York.
The Hospitality Industry was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ACC got creative and managed to pivot quickly and successfully to become more resilient for the future. From developing an entire catalog of digital offerings by partnering with its audio/visual team, American Concert and Entertainment Service (A.C.E.S), to creating and launching an industry-specific webinar series, to working with Mazzone Hospitality on COVID-19 friendly menu options, to the event staff getting an accredited certification in social distance floor plans, the ACC managed to stay at the forefront of people’s minds and provide the knowledge and energy needed to keep business moving forward.
For future planning, Albany Capital Center is still offering virtual event hosting services with full streaming capabilities on all platforms. For in-person events and meetings, ACC has invested in Bipolar Ionization Technology that actively and continuously purifies indoor air quality, reducing airborne and surface contaminants, pollutants and viruses such as COVID-19. The ACC was also awarded the only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation in the facilities industry. Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR-accredited facilities indicate the rigorous cleaning disinfection and prevention guidelines critical in keeping spaces clean and safe for visitors. Additionally, ASM Global properties implement its own rules and regulations called Venue Shield, that adds another layer of cleaning directives to be followed.
“The challenges of design and construction became those of meeting the operational needs of the center as it met or exceeded expectations, then in response to the pandemic it became one of survival,” says Duncan Stewart, executive director & CEO, Albany Convention Center Authority. “The strength of our State, County and City partners, the ASM Global Albany management team, the meeting planners, clients and their attendees have all been instrumental in bringing about our return to ‘business-as-before’ and it is their commitment and efforts we applaud as we celebrate 5 years open and ready for business.”
Impressive on its own, the ACC houses 22,500 square feet of multi-purpose space, 9,200 square feet of meeting space, 13,500 square feet of pre-function area and six meeting rooms, all with the latest in amenities and technology, including a color-changing LED ceiling on the second level – a customizable feature for displaying visual graphics.
“It has been my great pleasure to be part of the success of the Albany Capital Center since I first started selling this facility back in 2015,” said Shannon Licygiewicz, general manager, Albany Capital Center. “What we have been able to accomplish over the last five years, despite a global pandemic, is both inspiring and credit to the talented team here at ACC. Thanks to the support of the Albany Convention Center Authority we have been able to make significant updates to the Albany Capital Center – all of which further our focus on improving our customer and client experiences. I am truly looking forward to leading our amazing team and this beautiful facility into the future. Even more so bringing people back to meet face to face in the beautiful historic city of Albany.”
Bookings have increased, events are returning and attendance numbers are bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels. The ACC is ready and able to continue its mission of generating positive economic impact for the city, county and state.
