In order to better respond to the needs of its customers, the Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC) announced spending nearly $14.5 million on upcoming improvements to the facility.
With the goal of enhancing relationship building for clients and remaining competitive, the improvements will take place over a two-year time period. The MCC is the largest indoor, contiguous, convention center in the Upper Midwest with more than 1.5 million visitors annually.
The Visitor Information Center, located in the main lobby, is being completely renovated and moved closer to the facility’s main entrance on Second Avenue South to be more visible, accessible and helpful to guests.
A mezzanine level is being added that will add flexible space, which can be used to hold events and includes seating and a lounge area for additional networking and meeting space. A bar will be added in the future.
Stairs that used to be located in the main lobby are being replaced with an elevator to add accessibility to the front of the facility.
Beyond those more visible changes, further improvements in 2014 include:
- Carpet replacement on second floor meeting spaces and lobbies
- New, energy-efficient escalators for the lobbies of halls C, D and E (Skyway escalators on either end of the MCC were completed earlier in 2014)
- Color-changing LED lights for the exhibit hall interior domes will provide more options for meeting planners to enhance the exhibit hall decor
- Artwork will be added throughout the building from Corporate Art Force
The MCC is working with Corporate Art Force to provide art from local artists that will be displayed on a six-month rotation.
“We are using this art to highlight the creative community of Minneapolis to our hundreds of thousands of visitors each year,” said Jeff Johnson, executive director, MCC. “Doing so will also add some texture and interest to our 1.6 million square feet of space.”
These changes will not only make the convention center more welcoming and convenient for visitors, but also more environmentally friendly. The MCC is committed to sustainability and recently achieved level one certification to the ASTM standard pertaining to the evaluation and selection of venues for environmentally sustainable meetings, events, trade shows and conferences.
For more information, visit http://www.minneapolis.org/article/minneapolis-convention-center-achieves-certification
