Greater Columbus Convention Center
The Greater Columbus Convention Center is a convention center located in downtown Columbus, Ohio, United States, along the east side of North High Street.
The convention center was designed by Peter Eisenman, constructed in 1993, and expanded in 1999 and again in 2016. Venue management company oversees day-to-day operations of the facility, including of exhibit space, three ballrooms, and 74 meeting rooms.
Timeline
- 1976 - demolition of the arcade of Union Station to make way for the new Convention Center.
- February 1978 - Ohio Center groundbreaking
- September 10, 1980 - Ohio Center dedication
- 1989 - Design competition, won by Peter Eisenman
- June 28, 1992 - Greater Columbus Convention Center groundbreaking
- March 13, 1993 - Greater Columbus Convention Center dedication
- 1993 - Convention center opened to the public
- 1999 - $81 million, expansion begins
- February 2, 2001 - Expansion celebration
- August 7, 2010 - Battelle renovation begins
- January 18, 2010 - Battelle Grand First Event
- February 4, 2010 - Battelle Grand Gala
- October 2012 - Vine Street Garage expansion opened
- November 2013 - South Garage renovation opened
- October 20, 2015 - Expansion & Renovation Wall Breaking Ceremony
- October 27, 2015 - Goodale Garage Topping Out Ceremony
- July, 2017 - $140 million Renovation & Expansion is near Completion
- August 31, 2017 - Grand Re-Opening Ceremony and unveiling of "As We Are" digital art sculpture
Major events
- On the morning of January 9, 2008 a major water main break was detected, possibly beneath the building. Officials from the Columbus Division of Fire were concerned that part of the building, including the main hall, might collapse due to structural failure. It was soon determined, however, that the building was not in any danger. The SMG-managed Greater Columbus Convention Center reopened for business as usual the morning after successfully restoring the north facility to regular conditions in the aftermath of a 16-inch water-main rupture at Swan and High Streets on January 9, 2008. Water from the break traveled under the building and surfaced within the facility. Once structural engineers inspected the facility and deemed it structurally sound, water removal and restoration efforts began, which involved 150 people, 600 carpet blowers and 75 water extractors. Damage within the facility was aesthetic in nature, requiring primarily the replacement of carpeting and drywall in some areas. The restoration company received a national award for the work performed, which included challenging indoor concrete pours at the site where crews needed to remove the concrete and dig underground to locate the actual point where the water line broke.
- EcoSummit: Held for the first time in the United States, the 4th International Eco-summit, with the theme of Ecological Sustainability: Restoring the Planet’s Ecosystem Services, attracted the world’s most prominent ecologists from 75 countries in 2012.
- John Deere: Ag & Turf New Product Intro: Attracting four waves of 1,200 of company representatives each, participants watch 28 different company machines be driven across the stage. They then visit the exhibit hall floor to confer with subject matter experts before traveling to the Molly Caren Agriculture Center in nearby London to take Cropmaster and other specialty harvesting equipment for a test drive.
- NHL All-Star Weekend: The National Hockey League’s 2015 Fan Fair was filled with team mascots, dozens of interactive activities, Stanley Cup photo opportunities and multiple player autograph sessions with NHL heroes. The Fantasy Draft highlighted the player selections for Team Foligno and Team Toews. Affiliated hospitality functions preceded the NHL Skills Competition and NHL All-Star Game at Nationwide Arena—home of the Columbus Blue Jackets—across the street.
- The 75th General Convention of The Episcopal Church: Attracting 10,000 international attendees and featuring the election of the presiding bishop, the review of 250 resolutions by the House of Deputies and 200 bishops attending House of Bishops proceedings, this event occurs every three years.
- World Summit on Trade Efficiency: The event, sponsored by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the City of Columbus and private-sector businesses, focused on the utilization of information technology to expand international trade.
Annual expositions
- Arnold Sports Festival: Founded by namesake Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Lorimer, the event held annually during the first weekend in March features more athletes than the Olympics, competitors representing more than 80 countries, the nation’s largest health & fitness expo with 900 booths and more than 200,000 attendees.
- Columbus International Auto Show: Hundreds of vehicles from dozens of manufacturers fill four contiguous exhibit halls with cars ranging from Fords to Ferraris and the "Ugliest Car in Columbus" to the concept cars of tomorrow.
- Cultivate – An American Hort Experience: Considered the largest horticulture show in North America, Cultivate offers more than 7 acres of trade show exhibits including technology and new products, services and plant varieties. Thousands of industry professionals from more than 20 countries attend this growing event that is moving up the ranks of the nation’s Top 200 trade shows.
- Ohayocon: a three-day anime convention held during January/February in Columbus, Ohio at the Hyatt Regency Columbus and Columbus Convention Center. Ohayocon's name is from the similarity between "Ohio", the convention's location, and Ohayou, which in the Japanese language means "Good morning".
- Ohio Star Ball: Growing from a one-day event to the largest professional/amateur ballroom dancing competition in the world, Ohio Star Ball's glitter and grace includes almost 13,000 entries and filming for America's Ballroom Challenge to be broadcast nationally.
- Origins Game Fair: Produced by the Columbus-based Game Manufacturers Association, the premier trade association for the hobby games industry, Origins provides more than 17,000 attendees with the chance to learn about new releases from game creators and manufacturers and buy and play games, including live-auction role-playing games and popular collectible card games.
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Breakfast Celebration: This annual gathering is the largest served breakfast in the nation honoring the life and legacy of the late civil rights leader.
- HOSA : events focus on preparing Future Health Professionals. The Competitive Events Program is designed to motivate HOSA members and provide a system for recognizing the competencies developed by members through Health Science and Biomedical Science class instruction, related job training, and HOSA related activities.
Exhibition Halls
Dimensions and specifications
| Hall Name | Dimension | Area Sq. Ft. | Ceiling Height | Floor Load | Theater | Banquet | Classroom | 10x10 Booths |
| Battelle Grand | 281x177 | 49,522 | 33' | 150 psf/8,000 single vehicle | 4434 | 2290 | 2469 | 219 |
| Battelle Grand Mezzanine | 22,550 | 22' | 980 | 105 | ||||
| Battelle Grand North | 160x177 | 27,922 | 33' | 150 psf/8,000 single vehicle | 2480 | 1440 | 1131 | 105 |
| Battelle Grand North Mezzanine | 22' | 730 | 73 | |||||
| Battelle Grand South | 124x177 | 21,600 | 33' | 150 psf/8,000 single vehicle | 1442 | 950 | 684 | 81 |
| Battelle Grand South Mezzanine | 22' | 250 | 32 | |||||
| Battelle A | 73'6x86 | 6,321 | 33' | 150 psf/8,000 single vehicle | 588 | 300 | 210 | - |
| Battelle B | 73'6x86 | 6,321 | 33' | 150 psf/8,000 single vehicle | 588 | 300 | 210 | - |
| Battelle C | 74x176.75" | 15,200 | 33' | |||||
| Exhibit Hall A | 270x360 | 98,000 | 30' | Unlimited | 6,200 | 530 | ||
| Exhibit Hall B | 330x360 | 118,000 | 30' | Unlimited | 7,200 | 630 | ||
| Exhibit Hall C | 235x298 with corridor and 208x298 without corridor | 72,000 with corridor and 63,950 without corridor | 30' | Unlimited | 4140 | 360 | ||
| Exhibit Hall D | 208x207 with corridor wall closed | 87,000 without the corridor wall closed | 30' | Unlimited | 4,860 | 202 |
Design
Owned and developed by the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority, the GCCC embarked on a full-scale exterior and interior renovation in 2015 that will be completed in 2017. As part of the expansion nearly 37,000 square feet of exhibit space and 10,000 square feet of two-level meeting space will be added.The venue currently offers 410,000 square feet of exhibit space, 65 meeting rooms and 114,000 square feet of ballroom space, including 74,000-square-foot Battelle Grand, known as the largest multipurpose ballroom in Ohio. The Union Station Ballroom measures 25,000 square feet, while the Short North Ballroom offers 15,000 square feet of space. The four contiguous exhibit halls encompass 373,000 square feet.