How does Columbia’s convention center compare to other cities’? Smaller — by far
Columbia has one of the smallest convention centers in South Carolina, and it is dwarfed by most of its competitors in the Southeast.
Ever since the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center opened in 2004, local leaders have known it would eventually need to be expanded. Columbia’s tourism authority says the city misses out on numerous big events because it lacks enough space at the convention center and hotel rooms to accommodate visitors.
Now, developer Ben Arnold has a plan to build three major hotels surrounding the convention center — including one connected to and dedicated to serving the center — along with associated parking and other amenities. The catch is, local and state leaders must come up with a funding plan to expand the convention center itself.
A plan being considered would add some 72,000 square feet of exhibition space to the convention center — quadrupling the current available exhibit space. Expanding the convention center could cost the city and county around $70 million, according to some estimates.
Here’s how the size of the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center stacks up to conference centers in several other cities across the region:
▪ Charlotte, N.C. – 280,000 square feet of exhibit space; 125,000 square feet of meeting and ballroom space. Total rentable space: 405,000 square feet.
▪ Birmingham, Ala. – 220,000 square feet of exhibit space; 175,000 square feet of meeting and ballroom space. Total rentable space: 395,000 square feet.
▪ Greenville – 280,000 square feet of exhibit space; 90,000 square feet of meeting and ballroom space. Total rentable space: 370,000 square feet.
▪ Raleigh, N.C. – 150,000 square feet of exhibit space; 65,218 square feet of meeting and ballroom space. Total rentable space: 215,218 square feet.
▪ Savannah, Ga. – 96,110 square feet of exhibit space; 77,361 square feet of meeting and ballroom space. Total rentable space: 173,471 square feet.
▪ Charleston – 77,000 square feet of exhibit space; 73,000 square feet of ballroom and meeting space. Total rentable space: 150,000 square feet.
▪ Chattanooga, Tenn. – 100,800 square feet of exhibit space; 43,940 square feet of meeting and ballroom space. Total rentable space: 144,740 square feet.
▪ Myrtle Beach – 100,800 square feet of exhibit space; 31,140 square feet of meeting and ballroom space. Total rentable space: 131,940 square feet.
▪ Athens, Ga. – 56,000 square feet of exhibit space; 48,540 square feet of meeting and ballroom space. Total rentable space: 104,540 square feet.
▪ Augusta, Ga. – 37,658 square feet of exhibit space; 24,561 square feet of meeting and ballroom space. Total rentable space: 62,219 square feet.
▪ Columbia – 23,700 square feet of exhibit space; 35,271 square feet of ballroom and meeting space. Total rentable space: 58,971 square feet.
SOURCE: Experience Columbia SC
