Completion of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s $600 million renovation later this year is in line with the optimism casino companies have expressed about potential record group sales growth in 2026.
A gaming industry analyst connected those dots in a report published Tuesday previewing the third-quarter earnings season that begins this week.
The infrastructure investment is expected to resemble the growth in Southern Nevada that followed the 2012 opening of the $2.4 billion Terminal 3 at the then McCarran International Airport.
“With the $600 million Phase 3 LVCVA expansion nearly complete, the head of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Steve Hill) recently emphasized that visitation looks ‘exceptionally strong’ over the next 15 months, further supporting the 2026 growth story,” said industry analyst Barry Jonas of Atlanta-based Investor in Atlanta.
“Most operators believe the ‘Vegas is expensive’ narrative is somewhat exaggerated, but we believe Strip operators will at least be more aware of delivering value to all different customers,” Jonas wrote.
The LVCVA Board of Directors has received monthly updates this year on the progress being made on the expansion and renovation of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
It has taken more than three years of planning and delays that began in the early 2000s to complete the renovation, which is expected to be complete in time for January’s CES show.
30 percent expansion
When all is said and done, the Convention Center will have changed capacity from 1.9 million square feet to 2.5 million square feet, and the 30 percent increase in available space is expected to lead to 30 percent more convention attendance.
The convention center’s footprint has been earmarked for expansion since June 2021 when West Hall fronting Convention Center Drive first opened. Since opening, the final phase of the project involved closing parts of the North, Central and South concourses for six-month periods so that some parts of the convention center could be kept open while builders completed work hall by hall.
The purpose of the renovation is to bring the northern, central and southern halls up to the physical and technical standards set in the Western hall.
Hill said on a tour of the construction site in June that one of the renovation’s best improvements is a climate-controlled corridor that will link the north and south halls and keep conventioneers out of inclement weather or scorching summer temperatures. It is also the most expensive improvement. When completed, the new hall will allow conventioneers to walk into any exhibit hall without ever stepping outside.
“You had to go out when it rained or when it was hot or humid or cold,” Hill said at the time. “It’s not a great experience. So about half the cost of the renovation is in what you see on the front of the building.”
Completion of the corridor is part of the finishing touches on the project that began in 2024.
That’s when workers renovated the east entrance to the South Hall and built new administrative offices and a state-of-the-art board meeting room.
New lighting and signage, improved entrances and renovated toilets were completed in the North Hall later that year. Workers renovated North Hall meeting rooms and improved technology, including the addition of LED monitors outside each meeting room and improved audio and digital signage.
The North Hall concourse extension between the North and West Halls features new glass walls to allow natural light and views of the Las Vegas Strip and outdoor exhibit spaces.
The work this year went towards the Central Hall and the convention center’s main lobby.
The continuation of the glass wall and a signature ribbon design feature with high arched curves is almost complete from the main lobby to the Central Hall. New carpet, lighting and digital displays are to be installed.
The grand lobby connecting the North and Central Halls includes four large digital screens, including a 46 x 78 foot unit, for customer branding, digital wayfinding and enhanced customer experience, similar to a display in the West Hall.
The renovated exhibition space in the Central Hall has new lighting, improved entrances and signage.
Strip view
The outdoor exhibit space in the Silver Lot will add enhanced technology and dedicated loading zones for shuttles and ride services.
Construction crews have completed the massive job without skipping a beat on the congressional calendar. The construction schedule was coordinated to be dark when major conventions and trade shows were in town and the LVCVA did not lose a single show during the renovation.
Generates growth
Brendan Bussmann, an industry analyst at Las Vegas-based B Global, said the Convention Center renovation is another example of how infrastructure has the potential to generate growth. He cited projects at Harry Reid International Airport and the construction of Allegiant Stadium as examples of how infrastructure can stimulate the economy.
“We continue to see the benefits of the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee investing in the destination’s future with the stadium and convention center expansion,” Bussmann said in an email. “These projects benefit the entire destination and have long-term economic impact for Las Vegas.”
Bussmann noted that the controversial decision during the Great Recession to move forward with the development of Terminal 3 at the airport turned out to be the right move by the Clark County Commission.
“Just as the bold decision in the Great Recession to expand that airport with T3 helped advance the destination, doubling that investment to modernize and expand our existing airport will have the same long-term impact on the destination as we seek to expand markets, especially those internationally,” Bussmann said.
This is a development story. Check back for updates.
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