The Owensboro Convention Center is just over a year old now. The 170,000-square-foot facility opened on January 29th of 2014.
Manager Dean Dennis said the first full year of operation was a successful one as the convention center welcomed more than 300 events, 27 conventions, and 173,000 guests.
"We tracked over 5,000 hotel room nights for that 12-month period and the estimated direct spending associated with that was a little over a million dollars," Dennis told WKU Public Radio. "We really try to chase the multi-day event business that generates hotel room nights because we know that's where the greatest economic impact comes from."
Dennis said convention bookings exceeded expectations in the first year. The one area that fell below projections was the consumer show market.
The Owensboro Convention Center overlooks the Ohio River and is located on the old Executive Inn site. Dennis said the center already has 15 conventions booked for this year. He hopes this spring’s opening of the New Holiday Inn will attract larger groups.
