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Tacoma's convention center rated among top 20 in North America

TACOMA, Wash. — When you compare the Greater Tacoma Convention Center's size to other venues, at 119,000 square feet it's not even as big as Seattle's Washington Convention Center's 236,000 square feet. Some big cities venues are more than 2 million square feet.

Despite that according to Exhibitor Magazine, a convention trade journal, Tacoma's convention center is among the top 20 venues in all of North America even alongside much larger more recognizable destinations on the list including Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles and Vancouver, B.C.

“To be named among other destinations like Las Vegas, Dallas, is huge for Tacoma,” said Travel-Tacoma Mt. Rainier’s vice president of sales and service Chelene Potvin-Bird.

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Potvin-Bird says the downtown location is a big draw, as well as nearby amenities like Chambers Bay, site of the 2015 U.S. Open. And record numbers of visitors, tourists and convention goers coming to the south sound is driving a boom in hotel building. 1,100 new hotel rooms are expected to open in Tacoma in 2020 including 304 rooms at  a new hotel connected to the convention center. Rooms there are already filling up before construction is even complete.

“We’ve been able to book events now for 2022 and beyond,” said Potvin-Bird. “So it’s already making its mark.”

According to the state auditor’s office the total revenue for the convention center in 2017 was $3,826,360