The San Diego Convention Center turned 25 on Nov. 25, having generated billions of dollars of economic impact. But challenges loom.
According to the San Diego Convention Center Corp., the facility has hosted 20 million people at more than 5,000 events. Its economic impact has been estimated at $24.2 billion since the 1989 opening. More than 14 million room nights have been booked at area hotels thanks to convention center events, resulting in around $450 million in tax revenue for the city, according to the corporation.
The future of the convention center is hazy, however. An expansion plan, which tourism officials say is necessary to attract the largest of the trade shows and keep the wildly successful Comic-Con International, is tied up in court. Convention center executives are also trying to get their financial books in order following several years of operating without reserves and finalizing a plan to address more than $40 million worth of necessary capital
and maintenance projects.
Among them are an $11.4 million replacement of the roof sails, which could happen in fiscal years 2017 and 2018, according to a report presented to the City Council in March.