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Civic Plaza Expansion Project; . Downtown Facility Will Expand from 302,000 square feet to 940,000 |
June 20, 2003, Phoenix - Greater Phoenix elevated
itself to top-tier status in the convention market this week as the Arizona
Legislature approved $300 million in funding for the expansion of the Phoenix
Civic Plaza convention center. This total matched the $300 million allocation
earlier approved by Phoenix voters in 2001. The $600 million project is
now effectively fully funded.
These benefits will equate to increased conventions and increased delegates, which will in turn lead to increased visitor spending � a tremendous benefit to Arizona hotels, restaurants and countless other tourism-related businesses throughout the state. �We are very thankful to the Arizona Legislature for approving funding for this very important project,� said Steve Moore, President and CEO of the GPCVB. �This expansion moves us into another frontier and improves our ability to compete with other major destinations in the meetings and conventions market.� Documented lost opportunities to bid totaled two million delegates and 3.6 million hotel room nights at a direct spending value of $2 billion over the past 12 years, pointing to a large, unmet demand. The project will move forward in three phases. Phase I involves the construction of a new meeting facility on the Civic Plaza terrace. Phase II will entail the replacement of the Civic Plaza north building, and Phase III will involve the interior renovation on of the south Civic Plaza building. The concept features a large, contiguous below-grade exhibition hall spanning under 3rd Street, ballroom and meeting rooms at street level, and two smaller exhibition halls on the top level. The expansion project is expected to be complete in 2008-2009. Marketing Dollars Returned to Industry In related visitor-industry news, the Arizona Legislature also voted to fully appropriate Proposition 302 funds to the state�s tourism industry, totaling $4.4 million dollars for 2003-04. The monies will be divided among several organizations within the industry. The legislature had cut the $4.4 million by half in its previous session. As it receives approximately one-half of this funding, the GPCVB will receive an additional total of about $1 million in its budget beginning July 1. The GPCVB is a non-profit organization that markets Greater Phoenix as a year-round convention and visitor destination. More than 13 million people visit Phoenix annually, contributing more than $6 billion to the area's economy. Tourism in Greater Phoenix also accounts for approximately 225,000 jobs. |
Contact:
Greater Phoenix Convention &
Visitors Bureau
Stacy Reading Media Relations Manager (602) 452-6252 [email protected] www.visitphoenix.com |
Also See | The Phoenix Convention Center, 60th Largest in U.S., Has $600 million Expansion Project Resurface in State Legistature / April 2003 |