Cincinnati's Duke Energy Convention Center renovation: What to know
Cincinnati will have a bigger and more modern convention center soon. A $200 million project will begin this summer to renovate and expand the Duke Energy Convention Center.
The renovations will add new exhibit space, mechanical systems and other technology upgrades and revamp the look of the center.
The project will shut the Duke Energy Convention Center down for 18 months beginning in July.
When did the planning for the project begin?
In 2022, Cincinnati and Hamilton County leaders agreed to create a convention center district in downtown Cincinnati that would include a renovation to the convention center, a new convention center hotel and green space.
What economic impact does the convention center have?
The convention center is an important piece of downtown development, drawing conventioners who help the economy by eating in restaurants and staying in hotels. According to Visit Cincy data, in 2023 conventions led to 76,127 hotel room night bookings − without a convention center hotel. In 2019, with the convention hotel still open, conventions led to 101,093 hotel room night bookings.
Who runs the convention center?
The county and city oversee the facility, but it mostly operates without public scrutiny of its day-to-day business.
The city of Cincinnati owns the convention center and contracts with Los Angeles-based Oak View Group to run it. Oak View Group, in turn, contracts with Communiplex, a marketing company owned by Steve Reece Sr., to help book events.
What have the city and county put into the project?
The city put $30 million into the convention center expansion project. The county put another $15 million, plus voted to raise the hotel tax, money that will also flow to the project. Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., known as 3CDC, is managing the project on behalf of the city and county.
What will the region get in return?
The upgrades will help the tourism bureau book bigger events, which will bring tourists and all their spending to the region.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What you should know about Duke Energy Convention Center
