OMAHA, NE. — Omaha's CHI Health Convention Center will open a new expansion next fall, and officials say the construction will help the city attract more business and compete on a national stage.
Adam Straight, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority, said Omaha is going up against some of the country's biggest convention destinations.
"We are competing with Atlanta, Washington (D.C.), Seattle — the entire U.S.," Straight said.
The centerpiece of the new construction will be a staircase connecting the new portion of the convention center to the existing one.
"It'll really be kind of a bonding point from one level to the next," Straight said.
Officials say the expansion could generate nearly $1.2 billion when complete.
The two-story addition will bring 25 new meeting rooms for conventions and events. The second story will feature views of the Missouri River.
"This will kind of be the center point lobby for those views eastward and southeastward," Straight said.
Straight said the continuous flow of events the expansion enables is key to the convention center's long-term success.
"The bread and butter of any convention center is multiple events. One is moving in, one is moving out, one is happening, and that cycle just continues," Straight said. "So, that puts (it) in that operation mode for the future."
Straight said the goal is to make Omaha a more competitive and attractive destination.
"Better is better, and once you have the best assets that you can, people will come to see them," Straight said.
