Saturday, July 4, 2009

SPECIAL SECTION: SPOKANE CONVENTION CENTER

Background: The opening of Spokane's expanded convention center carries on a more than 30-year tradition of public support for the convention business in the Inland Northwest.

Interactive tour Take a look inside the new Convention Center. Go » Photo slideshow More images from the special section. Go » Right-click to download this section (19.1 Mb PDF)

Center promoted as economic engine

7/19/2006 | The opening today of Spokane's expanded Convention Center is a testament to public support for the convention business – essentially a belief that it makes good economic sense for Spokane.
• Convention center pullout section (PDF)

Money and politics

7/19/2006 | Spokane's expanded Convention Center owes its completion to the balancing of two conflicting community values: a reluctance to pay for new taxes versus a long-standing desire for improved public facilities.

Convention Center opens economic doors

7/19/2006 | While politicians and dignitaries rub elbows today at the dedication of Spokane's $75 million Convention Center expansion, tourism officials will be hard at work using the building for its intended purpose – attracting additional visitor dollars to the city.

Open for business

7/19/2006 | Spokane's stature within the convention industry rises dramatically today as the city celebrates the grand opening of its $75 million Group Health Exhibit Hall. The near-tripling in convention center space will catapult Spokane into the challenging, but promising, world of competition for more national business.

What's next

7/19/2006 | The Group Health Exhibit Hall celebrates its grand opening today, but much remains to be done before Spokane's Convention Center complex is complete.

Exhibit Hall: by the numbers

7/19/2006 | An inside look at the expansion project

From Expo '74 to today

7/19/2006 | The evolving enterprise of Spokane's Convention Center