- Topping out ceremony held for CHI Health Center's expansion
- $200 million expansion project will add meeting rooms
- MECA leaders expect Omaha to host larger conventions when the expansion is done
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The CHI Health Center's $200 million expansion reached a major construction milestone on Monday with the placement of its final beam, marking significant progress toward expected completion in fall 2027.
The expansion will add 25 new meeting rooms and provide more space for smaller meetings when larger conventions take place at the downtown Omaha venue.
Omaha has lost out on conventions to similar-sized cities that have larger convention spaces, said Adam Straight, MECA's President and CEO. This expansion aims to change that.
"Better is better, not bigger is better. So, llwe make our facilities the best they can be, then clients will come to it," Straight said.
Diane Duren, who has served as MECA's board chair since the project started, emphasized the broader economic impact of attracting more conferences to Omaha.
"There's so much benefit from a financial perspective, from a community perspective, all over the neighborhood," Duren said.
Conferences bring visitors from across the country who need places to eat and stay, creating ripple effects throughout the local economy.
Straight said conventions have already been booked for when the expanded space opens, bringing more visitors to Omaha.
"More people here, the more they're gonna spend, the more they're gonna stay, and enjoy our city, and the more they're gonna talk about it. And it's gonna be grassroots, across the nation, and people will come," Straight said.
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