St. Louis welcomes 28 million visitors each year.
More space, more inviting design, more potential. A $175 million renovation project dubbed AC Next Gen will transform the America’s Center convention complex in downtown St. Louis into one of the nation’s premier event spaces. Kitty Ratcliffe, the president of the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, believes the enhancements will not only attract marquee events but also serve as a gateway to all that makes the region unique.
America's Center in Downtown St. Louis is undergoing a dramatic $175 million expansion.
IN ADDITION TO A NEW 65,000-SQUARE-FOOT BALLROOM AND REDESIGNED EXHIBIT SPACE, HOW WILL THE AC NEXT-GEN PROJECT REVITALIZE AMERICA’S CENTER? Meeting and event attendees have come to expect open spaces and air and light, not just concrete boxes. In the 1970s when this was built, they expected concrete boxes, so we gave that to them. AC Next Gen creates a new westward face to the convention center, which, right now, is just a several-stories-high concrete wall. In 2023, when this is finished, that west face will have a new opening at ground level with a lot of light and air coming into the convention center, and a very large green space plaza. We’re very excited about those changes.
WHAT MAKES ST. LOUIS A GOOD DESTINATION FOR CONFERENCES AND EVENTS? The hospitality that the people in our industry provide. It’s one of the biggest reasons we’ve been able to secure repeat business. I could give you several examples of meetings or conventions or trade shows that we have worked for years to secure against a lot of objections. Many agreed to come here one time, and the experience was so good that they made us an annual home.
HOW DO YOU QUANTIFY THE IMPACT THAT TOURISM HAS ON THE REGION? We get about 28 million visitors who come to St. Louis annually. America’s Center itself generates, on average, $265 million in new money coming into the community from attendees at events. They come for conventions and events and meetings, but they also come for the wonderful tourism product that we have with the Saint Louis Zoo and Grant’s Farm and the Saint Louis Science Center, Six Flags, the Missouri Botanical Garden, The Magic House. We have great cultural institutions that have national and even international renown.
WHICH STAPLES OF THE ATTRACTIONS CALENDAR ARE THE BIGGEST DRAWS OR MOST ANTICIPATED EVENTS EACH YEAR? Opening Day at Busch Stadium is as much a tourism experience as it is a local experience. We’re very fortunate that the Cardinals have a fan base that goes far beyond the immediate St. Louis region. Community events like Fair St. Louis and everything we do to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday are big draws. We also see pretty good crowds most years for Mardi Gras, despite the cold weather that we get sometimes. Then there is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the Missouri Valley Conference basketball tournament. We have a lot of great events that draw people here year-round. There’s always something to look forward to.
