Great City or Great Convention Center? A Tale of Two Cities

Our travel industry is always exciting – literally never standing still.  We can’t rest; travelers and their wants keep evolving.  Destinations change, continuously adding offerings, striving to give travelers a reason to visit and stay competitive.

The same is true for the meetings sector, with convention planners always seeking venues that can accommodate their events within destinations that offer unique and exciting activities and engagement outside the meeting itself.

The extent to which these amenities satisfy visitors, the more likely that not only the planner will rebook the destination, but that the visitors will return for a leisure trip.  A little bit of the gift that keeps on giving.

London’s Recently Expanded Excel Center

My mind sparked: What makes a great convention city? as I read a recent article in M&IT.

The article led with the headline, “One year on: Excel's expansion has been 'transformational' for London.” Among the many benefits of the expansion, which has generated millions of new economic impact in its first year alone, and placed London’s Excel Centre as Europe’s largest fully integrated exhibition venue, is this:

“Major US brands including Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce and Gartner are just some of the firms favouring London for their landmark European conferences, drawn by the city’s culture, connectivity, international appeal and access to world-leading business, technology, medical and academic communities.” (italics added). 

Thus, London’s convention center has succeeded not simply because of its size, but because the city is a leading cultural, financial, technological, and visitor economy. A place where the destination and civic leadership seemed to have worked together.

That is, major overseas events want to convene in London for its new, expanded convention center, aligned with its world-class cultural assets and a city that supported the center’s expansion.    

Los Angeles’ Newly Approved Convention Center Expansion Backstory

In contrast, Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) are finally in the midst of a significant $2.6 billion expansion.  For the meetings industry and for the LA region, this is headline news.  

Challenges

The project is sorely needed and long overdue. Its uneven performance since opening in 1971 is partly due to its lack of a proximate and suitable headquarters hotel, remedied 39 years later when the 1,000-room J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton opened within the adjacent L.A. Live arts, sports, and entertainment complex.

The last upgrade and expansion in 1993, 22 years later, offered its current 867,000 sq. ft. of total space and 720,000 sq. ft. of contiguous exhibition space, positioning the LACC 20th among the top U.S. convention centers, yet in the second-largest U.S. city.

In contrast to London, the downtown core where LACC is located lacked the engaging cultural and community amenities planners sought for convention attendees.

Downtown LA Renaissance

Momentum picked up in 1999 when a key zoning change allowed commercial buildings to be converted to residential use. A new, diverse urban resident population began moving in and needed places to shop, dine, and seek entertainment/culture.

The new market brought interest and investment in iconic developments such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, LA Live, and the Broad Art Museum, which became famed cultural icons. In turn, they spurred new and renovated hotels, premier dining, exciting nightlife, and new retail centers. Once just a big dream, the 20-year downtown LA renaissance put the city on the list of attractive worldwide convention destinations. 

Convention Center Expansion Proposed

Yet, as LA’s convention status grew, the convention center remained static. An expansion had been broached several times to no avail, including in 2015, when a design competition was held to lift the LACC into the top tier of meeting facilities.

It took until September 2025, 10 years, for the proposal to be approved. The City Council deliberated on the expansion process until it was finally approved.  It faced opposition from other elected and public officials, and even tacit opposition from the Los Angeles Times.  

For some council members, the 2028 Olympics served as a catalyst (rationale); two voted against it, citing fiscal risk given the city’s financial deficit. Ultimately, it passed with the mayor and 11 (of 15) council members recognizing the expansion’s long-term economic and civic benefits. 

Current Situation

You may wonder why I am writing about this now.  The subject has been in the back of my mind for years as a 40+ year Los Angeleno and travel industry professional, and the London article brought it to the top of mind.

Having written a master’s degree paper on the LACC’s original financing and the benefits of a convention to a city’s financial and civic life, and having conducted convention center studies, I learned how these facilities contribute financial and civic value to a city.

Beyond delegates, residents attend public and trade shows, experiencing these captivating events en masse as a community.  

What could be learned not only in these two cities, but what can others apply going forward?  How can tourism leaders build understanding and support early enough to prevent valuable infrastructure projects from becoming ongoing political battles?

Another salient point in the article is from James Rees, Excel’s executive director, who said: “London is continuing to win major international events from across North America and Europe – far beyond what we expected when we first greenlit our expansion back in 2021. In short, it’s been nothing short of transformational, with not only an increase in the number of events but also their size, scale, and complexity.”

Lessons Learned

When comparing these two cities, London reflects some of what Los Angeles strives to become, despite vast differences (which can also be strengths) in local history and culture. 

First, the destination must be attractive and continually evolving to meet future demands and competition in the convention sector.  As noted, LA was developing into a known and attractive convention city with its new premier cultural and civic amenities. However, the convention center lagged, leaving the city with potential to fulfill, hopefully, with the expansion.

Second, advocacy and education are twin drivers of project approval. Here are four key points for consideration:

• Build relationships continuously. One email or meeting is not advocacy. Elected officials and other decision-makers come and go – those who were friends may have left; those who are new will take their place. Education and communications must be ongoing to build and maintain relationships with all those involved. 

• Cultivate support at every level. Make friends up and down the project ladder; engage elected officials, staff, civic organizations, residents, and the local media

• Make Support Visible. Explain the project’s economic value and community benefits consistently and broadly.

• Connect benefits to residents. Show residents—who hold sway with their elected officials—how the investment supports jobs, tax revenue, neighborhood activity, and civic amenities, not only convention attendees.

Admittedly, the LA travel industry may have done any or all of the above to get the center expansion approved. However, based on what I read about the time elapsed and the contention leading up to the approval vote, perhaps a bit more could have made it smoother and quicker.

Looking Forward to Excellence

The bottom line is that I personally care about this project as an Angeleno and travel professional. I feel that the city and fellow residents have a stake in the outcome of the expansion, which will send financial, employment, tax, and local pride benefits well beyond 12th and Figueroa Streets. 

Los Angeles and the expanded LACC have the opportunity to do the same, perhaps even “excel” the London center!