On October 22, I had the pleasure of being the master of ceremonies for the Miami Beach Convention Center unveiling. As Chairman of the Miami Beach Convention Center Advisory Board, it was an honor to show the world what our newly renovated convention center will look when completed in 2018. The speakers at the ceremony included: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager, City of Miami Beach; Philip Levine, Mayor, City of Miami Beach; Carlos A. Gimenez, Mayor, Miami-Dade County; Wendy Kallergis, President and CEO, Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association; Bill Talbert, CEO, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and Lynne Thomas Gordon, Chief Executive Officer, American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). The Miami Beach Convention Center renovation project will commence in December 2015, immediately following Art Basel Miami Beach.
The renovation and expansion of the $615 million project will transform the facility into a state-of-the-art convention center which will attract new national and international events and conventions. The new convention center is designed by Denver-based Fentress Architects, in collaboration with local firm Arquitectonica and the Dutch landscape firm West 8. The new LEED certified design will have a strong emphasis on ocean elements, utilizing sun-shading design concepts and allow more natural lighting for the interior — leading to a 20 percent energy reduction.
Originally built in 1957, the convention center that spans four city blocks received a facelift that doubled its size in 1989. The aging center’s upcoming renovation is estimated to generate an economic impact of $2.5 billion over 30 years. When completed, it will offer 505,000 square foot of contiguous exhibit space, a 60,000 square foot grand ballroom, three 20,000 square feet junior ballrooms, 59,000 square feet of breakout meeting spaces, 806 on-site rooftop parking spaces and an additional 12 acres of surrounding parks and landscaped areas. For more information on the project, visit www.mbccfuture.com.
Finally, I’d like to welcome Art Basel back to Miami – what a great time of year to be on the Beach. I hope you check out some of the events that we have highlighted in this issue.
Best regards,
Michael S. Goldberg
