The Phoenix Convention Center & Venues unveiled a South Building master plan to the Economic Development and Equity City Council Sub Committee June 13 for a possible future redevelopment and expansion of the venue’s longest-standing building. The master plan comes to City Council after the consulting firm Conventions, Sports & Leisure (CSL) recently completed an update to the 2019 Phoenix Convention Center Market Feasibility Study. The study assessed the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the convention and events industry and the future needs of the Phoenix Convention Center.
The study found that for Phoenix to stay current with competition, long-term planning and investment in the PCC is critical. An expansion of the PCC’s South Building was among the recommendations.
The proposed expanded structure would include a Skybridge connecting it to the Convention Center’s North Building across Washington Street. It also features a 34,000 square foot pocket park.
“Green space is something that is desperately needed,” said Jerry Harper, acting director of the PCC. “Having this space in what could potentially be an area with high foot traffic and could be activated by not only our meeting planners, but also by any of our downtown partners, whether it's the Phoenix Suns or the Arizona Diamondbacks with this being located right in between those two sports venues."
The South Building of the Phoenix Convention Center opened in 1985 as part of an expansion of the then Phoenix Civic Plaza. Since that time, the building has undergone two major renovations, the first in 1996 and most recently, in 2008. The 2008 renovation was an $18.5 million investment as part of the expansion of the Phoenix Convention Center, which added the North and West buildings to the campus.
The South Building consists of 286,000 gross square feet and is situated on a 9.27-acre site located between Washington and Jefferson Streets from 3rd Street to 5th Street. The building features 143,400 square feet of rentable exhibition, meeting and ballroom space and is used primarily for local consumer shows, meetings and banquets. The South Building is utilized an average of 218 days to host 86 events annually. Average attendance is 172,000 each year. The South Building generates approximately $2 million in direct revenues to the PCC enterprise fund from facility rentals and revenues from food and beverage, audio visual, IT and other services provided.
The plan, designed to guide future expansion, also includes adding up to 150,000 square feet of exhibit hall space and creating an entertainment district encompassing the Convention Center.