Jul. 14--FORT WORTH, Texas--The first phase of a $70 million remodeling and expansion of the Fort Worth Convention Center is months from completion, but it's already luring major business to the city, officials say. 

The construction has sparked a surge of interest and bookings, including from upscale groups that spend more money and for an event that could be the largest in the center's history. 

"It's a dramatic change after all these years," said Doug Harman, president of the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We fell behind for more than a decade, and now we're catching up." 
 

Business at the domed arena and meeting center, which covers 10 city blocks, has lagged as bigger centers have been built and expanded in many other cities. The center opened in 1968.  The stakes are huge. Tourism is Texas' third-largest industry, with $36.7 billion in spending annually. And the battle for convention dollars is heating up with a major expansion under way at the Austin convention center and a Grapevine conference center on the way.  Construction crews this spring demolished the Fort Worth center's JFK Theatre to make room for added exhibit space, meeting rooms, a new south entrance and a giant second- floor ballroom to be capped by a ceiling of Texas-sized stars. The revamped center will include a 100-foot-high grand entry facing the Fort Worth Water Gardens.  Harman is using a slick brochure to hawk the new look at luncheons in Washington, Chicago and Austin. And it's paying off, he said.  Fort Worth beat convention trade leaders Orlando and Atlanta to land a 2007

Fort Worth Convention Center Expansion  The Fort Worth Convention Center expansion is now underway. This project will create a dramatically improved facility, making it more flexible and convenient for meetings of all kinds. When complete, the center will feature: A total of 226,960 square feet of exhibit space 27 breakout rooms for maximum flexibility  New 30,000-square-foot ballroom  1,200 onsite parking spaces  New and expanded dock facilities Existing 13,000-seat arena  The exterior of the Fort Worth Convention Center will also get a facelift. Architecturally, the building will echo the beautiful, historical style of downtown Fort Worth. The project will also connect the convention center to the Fort Worth Water Gardens � designed by world-famous architect Philip Johnson � to create a grand new south entrance to the facility.

"It may be the largest convention we've ever hosted," Harman said. 

Improvements like the big ballroom should especially help attract lucrative conventions such as doctors and other professional groups. 

"The Texas Medical Association stopped coming years ago. Now they're interested again," Harman said. "It's pretty exciting. The Texas Library Association stopped coming because the building was too small and too shabby, but we've got a real shot at getting them again." 

The first phase, featuring a 30,000-square-foot ballroom and expanded meeting room and exhibit space, is scheduled to open by March, said Chuck Nixon of Carter & Burgess, principal architect on the project. A second phase, with more meeting rooms and a further expansion of exhibit space to 252,000 square feet, will be done a year later, Nixon said. 

Harman said the improvements are crucial given the major expansion under construction at the Austin convention center and a 1,500-room resort and conference hotel being built by Opryland Entertainment on Lake Grapevine. 

"You've got to improve to keep the business you've got, and you've got to improve significantly to get better business," he said. 

The larger Austin center will be "a dramatic competitor," he said. 

"Shortly after that comes Opryland, and they're after the same business we are. If we hadn't done this, we'd be in terrible shape. At least now we can compete." 

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(c) 2001, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.