All that’s left for the Branson Convention Center is the final touches. Starting Friday, the convention will host its first group during the day, a dinner at night and its first convention starting on Sunday.
“It’s been a long process,” Hiltons of Branson General Manager Mark Hartman said, thinking about the two years he has been involved with the process. “Now all that’s left is unwrapping silverware, setting up tables and training on equipment with staff.”
Construction on the $32 million convention center began in 2005, and construction crews reached substantial completion last week.
The Branson Convention Center will have 220,000 square-feet of meeting space which will contain the ballroom; a 47,000 square-foot exhibit hall and five meeting rooms in sizes between 1,200-5,500 square-feet, each of which can be split in half and the largest into four rooms. Hilton is also hired by the city of Branson to be the managers of the property.
Vienna Bowling, the director of convention and meeting sales, for the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce said the completion of the convention center has created a buzz, “in the world of meeting planners.”
“These people are excited to know that they now have a place to come and convention in Branson,” Bowling said. “Everything I have heard has been very favorable and planners are very happy to have Branson as an option.”
Bowling said prior to the convention center’s completion the largest meeting space in the area was about 50,000 square-feet.
“There’s only so much you can do with an area that size,” Bowling said. “Now Branson will be able to host much bigger conventions.”
The first convention the Branson Convention Center will be hosting is a meeting of the Missouri School Board Association and will include approximately 300 people.
Although the center’s official grand opening will not be held until the weekend of Sept. 7-9, Hartman said members of the public are welcome to come get a peek at the building now.
“The doors are unlocked everyday,” Hartman said.
Information courtesy of Branson Daily News