BUFFALO CONVENTION CENTER
Buffalo, New York
Site Selection
Erie County selected our company to evaluate potential sites for a new convention center in downtown Buffalo.
We developed a method for objectively measuring the potential of sites within the downtown area against essential criteria. The Building Program, Development Objectives, and Essential Site Criteria were then applied to nine sites which had been identified through earlier studies and by interested parties in both the public and private sectors.
Upon completion of the evaluation of all sites under consideration, a preferred site was recommended. Commonly referred to as the Mohawk Site, it offered the size to accommodate both present and future needs, immediacy to an existing headquarters hotel and development site options for future hotels and proximity to a major arterial route, as well as interstate access.
In addition to evaluating potential sites, a study was conducted to determine how to best adapt the existing facility for re-use. It was determined that there were several such opportunities for the existing Buffalo Convention Center, many of which depend on activities which are currently being developed by both the public and private sectors.
WORLD’S FAIR PARK
Knoxville, Tennessee
Site Selection and Development Plan
We undertook a site selection and development workshop to study three multiple-use sites located within the City of Knoxville. A team of experts from varying disciplines within the real estate and facility management industry was assembled along with representatives of the City of Knoxville Department of Development and Public Building Authority. The purpose of the workshop was to determine which of the potential sites would best house a new Convention Center and the peripheral development considered essential to give the new facility a competitive edge leading to the revitalization of downtown Knoxville. The World’s Fair Park site, of historic significance to the City of Knoxville, best met all of the objectives and requirements. Accordingly, a conceptual Master Plan was developed which incorporated new and existing buildings.
Included in the development plan was the new Convention Center, comprising approximately 400,000 square feet and incorporated an Exhibit Hall, ballroom and meeting rooms.
In addition, the site incorporates components to provide greater appeal to the conventioneers, as well as to recreational tourists and local residents. These uses included an entertainment complex, specialty retail, restaurants, improved outdoor recreational areas and a potential site for a new hotel.
