LV Convention Center Nears Completion of Major Expansion

Summary:

• A $600 million renovation of the Las Vegas Convention Center, including a new Central Hall, will be completed by December 2025.
• Convention attendance is up 1.8% this year, even as overall tourism falls 6.5%.
• The center will grow to 2.5 million square feet of leasable space, with expectations to boost attendance by 450,000.

As general tourism in Las Vegas dipped 6.5% in 2025, convention attendance quietly told a very different story, rising 1.8% so far this year.

On Tuesday, the Las Vegas Convention Center gave a sneak peek at its $600 million makeover, a project officials believe could make 2026 the most successful year in the city’s history for conventions.

14% YoY Rise in Convention Visitors

In April alone, Las Vegas drew over 563,000 convention visitors, a nearly 14% year-over-year jump. Overall, the city welcomed 2.35 million convention attendees in the first four months of 2025, slightly up from the same stretch last year.

In 2024, six million convention-goers poured roughly $16 billion into the local economy.

Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said

It’s a doubly important customer, because most of those folks coming here to attend a meeting are doing so in the middle of the week. If we didn’t have the strength of the meeting industry, Las Vegas couldn’t look like it does.

Hill explained that high midweek hotel occupancy, needed to sustain high-end developments, is largely driven by conventions.

Without that business, Vegas couldn’t maintain its luxury standards. The average tourist spends about $1,200 per trip, while the average convention visitor drops $1,600, not including what companies invest in them through events, meals, and entertainment.

1M Sq. Ft. Upgrade to Be Ready in December

Construction on the Central Hall, a sprawling, 1-million-square-foot space, is scheduled to wrap up in December.

It’s the final piece in a years-long effort to modernize the entire Convention Center campus, following renovations to the North and South halls and the 2021 debut of the $1 billion West Hall.

The Central Hall upgrade aims to align the older parts of the campus with the sleek, modern West Hall.

Opened in 1959, the Convention Center hadn’t undergone a major overhaul in 65 years. “They’ve been waiting for 20 years and we’re thrilled to be on the cusp of it”, Hill said, referring to organizers eager for the improvements.

Once complete, the Convention Center’s leasable space will jump from 1.9 to 2.5 million square feet, a 30% increase that Hill hopes will deliver equivalent growth in economic impact and jobs.

We think 2026 has a chance to be the best group meeting and trade show year in the history of Las Vegas