Owensboro, KY – Evidence that the exhibition industry outside major destinations like Las Vegas, Chicago and Orlando is holding its own can be seen in Blue Grass country where the city of Owensboro, KY has been lining up events for its new convention center well ahead of next year’s grand opening.
Construction of the new facility was 75% completed this Fall and Global Spectrum’s Dean Dennis, general manager and vice president of the Owensboro Convention Center, already had 73 confirmed events on the books. That includes AG Expo 2014 which takes place the day before the Grand Opening Weekend January 31-February 3.
The Owensboro Convention Center will offer show organizers and meeting planners nearly 93,000 square feet (sf) of flexible space, including 44,000 sf of exhibit space and 32,000 sf of ballroom and meeting space.
Owensboro is the fourth-largest city in Kentucky and the focal point of the region along the banks of the Ohio River. With the title Kentucky’s Festival City, Owensboro makes good use of its riverfront location and the downtown convention center promises to play a prominent role in the full schedule of Summer barbeque and bluegrass festivals and other events drawing from the entire region. Two new hotels built around the convention center added nearly 300 rooms to the town’s inventory.
Along with landing the 40th edition of AG EXPO, the center’s calendar includes outdoor shows and OMGcon, which was founded in 2006 by the Tri-State Anime Promotional Society and this Summer drew 1,600 anime fans to nearby Paducah.
Reach Dean Dennis at (270) 687-8543 or ddennis@owensborocenter.com.
