LVCVA rolls out $600 million convention center overhaul, just in time for return of CES

Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.

Tourism officials unveiled a $600 million overhaul of the Las Vegas Convention Center just as CES draws tens of thousands of visitors this week, saying it will help keep the region’s convention calendar packed and the economy for that sector humming for years.

On Monday morning, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority leadership and the organizers and producers of CES — the annual consumer electronics showcase — cut the ribbon on the expansive renovation project, which included connecting the North and South halls, meaning attendees can move throughout the facility without going outside, and extending the ribbon roof design from the West Hall.

“Welcome to what is now the greatest convention center in the United States,” LVCVA President and CEO Steve Hill said. “We are proud to pair such a great building with such a great destination. So, it’s a great way to start 2026.”

Hill made the pronouncement from the modernized Central Hall grand lobby, where natural light beamed in through the ceiling and giant video boards advertised this year’s CES exhibitors.

The finished renovations come just in time for what Hill said will be one of the best show calendars Las Vegas has seen.

“If you look at our building, we are packed. If you look at Mandalay (Bay), if you look at Venetian, they have very little room to offer in this coming calendar year,” Hill said of Las Vegas’ three largest convention centers. “It’s a signal of how important Las Vegas is to the meeting industry.”

Last year, the Las Vegas Convention Center played host to around 1.06 million trade show attendees.

The LVCVA is projecting a moderate boost in trade show activity this year, with 1.23 million expected attendees at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

It’s welcome news for the Las Vegas tourism industry, which experienced a sluggish 2025. Visitation to the city was down 7.4%, or 2.8 million people, through November compared with 2024, according to LVCVA data.

However, convention attendance was relatively stable, bringing in around 5.7 million people and falling 0.6% through November compared with 2024.

“I was looking forward to this moment, but I’m also looking forward to 24 hours from now, when our first attendees will stream through these doors and just be awed in the beauty of what is here,” said Gary Shapiro, CEO and vice chair of the Consumer Technology Association, which oversees CES.

In 2016, the Nevada Legislature approved the Southern Nevada Tourism Improvement Act. That made way for helping to finance the NFL’s Raiders with the construction of Allegiant Stadium and the expansion and improvements just completed at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

After the LVCVA gave its final approval on the plan, the $1 billion West Hall project was completed by June 2021. The phase wrapped up last month was designed to bring the upgrades of the West Hall to the rest of the complex.

Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson, who also serves as the LVCVA board chair, said public investment in conventions would keep Southern Nevada competitive for decades to come.

“In fact, it will be kind of fun to watch everyone else scramble and try and figure out how on earth they’re going to compete with us,” Gibson said.

Including indirect impacts, the convention sector supports 70,000 jobs, $3.9 billion in wages and $15 billion in economic activity, Gibson said.

CES alone brought more than 141,000 attendees to Las Vegas last year.

“No other place in the world can support a show of our complexity, with over 4,000 exhibitors,” Shapiro said. “And no other place continues to invest so ambitiously in a better attendee experience.”