Virginia Beach Convention Center
| Virginia Beach Convention Center | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | 1000 19th Street, Virginia Beach, VA 23451 |
| Location | Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| Owner | City of Virginia Beach |
| Operator | Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau |
| Architect | Skidmore, Owings and Merrill |
| Opened | July 2005 (Phase One) January 2007 (Phase Two) |
Construction cost | $207 million |
| Enclosed space | |
| • Total space | 515,125 square feet |
| • Exhibit hall floor | 150,012 square feet (13,936.6 m2) |
| • Ballroom | 31,029 square feet (2,882.7 m2) |
| Website | |
| https://www.visitvirginiabeach.com/conventioncenter/ | |
The Virginia Beach Convention Center is a large convention center located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It opened in 2005, and is the largest building in the city of Virginia Beach by its total site area.[1]
Location
[edit]
The Virginia Beach Convention Center is located at 1000 19th Street in Virginia Beach, just off the Virginia Beach Expressway and across the street from the Virginia Beach Sports Center. The Convention Center is part of the Vibe Creation District near the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
Facilities
[edit]It has over 529,000 square feet of exhibit space and its exhibit hall can seat up to 11,840 people with theater seating.[2] It has over 31,029 square feet of ballroom space, spread across three rooms, which can seat up to 2,000 people with banquet seating and 3,108 with theater seating.[3][4] In addition to the ballrooms, the convention center also has 26 meeting rooms with 28,929 square feet of meeting space between its two stories.[5] The convention center also has a large 150-foot tower on its east side that has four floors with a large board room, VIP lounge, coffee bar and observation deck.[6] Outside, the building features reflecting pools and a "front porch" that provides a shaded outdoor space.[2]
Construction and awards
[edit]The convention center was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP and built by Turner Construction Company, with a construction cost of $207 million.[7][8][9] Construction first began in the early 2000s, and was built in two stages. Stage 1 was completed in July 2005, and Phase 2 was completed in January 2007.[4]
The convention center has won many awards including:[10][11]
- Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel National Award from the American Institute of Steel Construction (2008)
- Virginia Green Certification from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (2007)
- Prime Site Award from Facilities & Destinations Magazine (2007)
- Public Works Project of the Year Award from the American Public Works Association (2008)
- Virginia Beach Planning Commission Honor Award, Exceptional Public Facility (2005)
- Best Institutional Public Building: First Honor Award from the Hampton Roads Association for Commercial Real Estate (2006)
- LEED Gold Certification (2010)
Events
[edit]All of Virginia Beach's high schools under Virginia Beach City Public Schools have held their graduations each year at the Virginia Beach Convention Center since 2008.[12] Related to this, academy information nights for rising high schoolers are held in the convention center each November, with booths for each high school and special program.[13]
Then-presidental candidate Barack Obama held a 2008 campaign rally titled "Stand for Change" at the convention center.[14][15]
See also
[edit]- List of convention centers in the United States
- List of convention and exhibition centers
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
References
[edit]- ^ "Convention Center - Virginia Beach CVB". www.visitvirginiabeach.com. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
- ^ a b "Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture". smithgill.com. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "The Virginia Beach Convention Center". CVent Supplier Network. July 9, 2017.
- ^ a b "Virginia Beach Convention Center | U.S. Green Building Council". www.usgbc.org. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "Virginia Beach Convention Center". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
- ^ "Virginia Beach Convention Center Facility Tower - Virginia Beach CVB". www.visitvirginiabeach.com. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
- ^ "Virginia Beach Convention Center | Turner Construction Company". www.turnerconstruction.com. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
- ^ "Virginia Beach Convention Center". SOM. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Quinn, Richard. "Cost of Virginia Beach Convention Center's late finish: $1 million". Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
- ^ "Virginia Beach Convention Center receives Gold Certification for environmental sustainability - ConventionSouth". conventionsouth.com. 2024-07-31. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "Virginia Beach Convention Center". Clark Nexsen. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "Virginia Beach City Public Schools - Class of 2017". www.vbschools.com. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
- ^ "Information Nights - Virginia Beach City Public Schools". www.vbschools.com. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "Obama will speak at Virginia Beach rally Sunday". The Virginian-Pilot. 2008-02-08. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Sizemore, Bill (2008-10-31). "Obama rally draws thousands to Virginia Beach amphitheater". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
