Colorado Convention Center
Encyclopedia
The Colorado Convention Center is a multi-purpose convention center
Convention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...

 located in Downtown Denver
Downtown Denver
Downtown Denver is the main financial, commercial, and entertainment district in Denver, Colorado. There is over of office space in downtown Denver, with 130,000 workers....

. The center opened in June 1990; the first event being the NBA Draft for the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

. The convention center was expanded in 2004 to include several meeting rooms, two ballrooms and an indoor amphitheatre. Since opening, the center hosts over 400 events per years.

Centrally located in Denver, the center has become one of Denver's many landmarks. The center is adjacent to the Denver Performing Arts Complex
Denver Performing Arts Complex
The Denver Performing Arts Complex located in Denver, Colorado, is the second largest performing arts center in the world after New York City's Lincoln Center. The DPAC is a four-block, site containing ten performance spaces with over 10,000 seats connected by an tall glass roof...

 and the Emily Griffith Opportunity School
Emily Griffith Opportunity School
Emily Griffith Opportunity School is a public technical college in downtown Denver, Colorado. Founded by Emily Griffith in 1916 as Opportunity School, it was renamed in her honor in 1933...

. It is blocks away from the Colorado State Capitol
Colorado State Capitol
The Colorado State Capitol Building, located at 200 East Colfax Avenue in Denver, Colorado, is the home of the Colorado General Assembly and the offices of the Governor of Colorado and Lieutenant Governor of Colorado. The building is intentionally reminiscent of the United States Capitol. Designed...

, Auraria Campus
Auraria Campus
Auraria Campus is an educational facility located near downtown Denver, Colorado in the United States. The campus houses facilities of three separate universities and colleges: the University of Colorado Denver , Community College of Denver, and Metropolitan State College of Denver...

 and the 16th Street Mall
16th Street Mall
The 16th Street Mall is a pedestrian and transit mall in Denver, Colorado. The mall, 1.25 miles long, runs along 16th Street in downtown Denver, from Wewatta Street to the intersection of 16th Avenue and Broadway...

. It is served by the RTD
Regional Transportation District
The Regional Transportation District, or RTD, was organized in 1969 and is the regional authority operating public transit services in eight of the twelve counties in the Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area in Colorado. RTD is governed by a 15-member, publicly elected Board of...

 light rail station, Theatre District / Convention Center.

Background

The Colorado Convention Center is owned by the City and County of Denver but is privately managed by SMG since 2003. The convention center opened in June 1990 with an exhibition hall, 5 meeting rooms and a main ballroom, totaling 800000 square feet (74,322.4 m²).

2004 expansion

The Colorado Convention Center underwent a $340 million major expansion that was completed in December 2004. The expansion doubled the size of the facility which now consists of 584000 square feet (54,255.4 m²) of exhibit space, 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) of meeting rooms, and 85000 square feet (7,896.8 m²) of ballroom space. The expansion of the facility also included the spectacular 5,000 seat Wells Fargo Theatre. The CCC is now 2.2 million gross square feet. Curtis W. Fentress
Curtis W. Fentress
Curtis Fentress, FAIA, RIBA an American Architect, is the Principal-in-Charge of Design at Fentress Architects, an international design studio he founded in Denver, Colorado in 1980...

, FAIA, RIBA of Fentress Architects
Fentress Architects
Fentress Architects is an international design studio known for sustainable and iconic public architecture. Founded in 1980 by Curtis W. Fentress, FAIA, RIBA, the firm is internationally recognized for innovative designs of international airports, national museums, convention centers, high-rise...

 designed the CCC, as well as the Phase II expansion.

The CCC also boasts an attached 1,000 space, 3-level parking structure as well as its own RTD (Regional Transportation District) Light Rail stop for even easier accessibility.
The Hyatt Regency Denver, completed around the same time as the CCC expansion, is located across 14th Street from the Center and is one of Denver's Top Ten tallest buildings with 38 floors for a height of 489 feet (149 m). Across Welton Street, on the historic registry, is the Denver Athletic Club.

Location

The CCC is located between 14th Street and Speer Boulevard, and between Champa Street and Welton Street. Stout Street runs underneath the building, as does the (RTD) Light Rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...

's Central Corridor. Currently the D
D Line (RTD)
The D Line—also referred to as the Green Line, because green is the line's color on maps—is a light rail line which is part of the light rail system operated by the Regional Transportation District in the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area in Colorado...

, F
F Line (RTD)
The F Line , part of the light rail system operated by the Regional Transportation District in the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area in Colorado, was added to the system on November 17, 2006, as part of the Southeast Corridor project . It is one of four routes that are part of the RTD's service plan...

 and H
H Line (RTD)
The H Line , part of the light rail system operated by the Regional Transportation District in the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area in Colorado, was added to the system on November 17, 2006, with the completion of the Southeast Corridor project...

 lines run through this corridor's stop. The CCC is linked by a pedestrian bridge across Champa Street to the Denver Performing Arts Complex
Denver Performing Arts Complex
The Denver Performing Arts Complex located in Denver, Colorado, is the second largest performing arts center in the world after New York City's Lincoln Center. The DPAC is a four-block, site containing ten performance spaces with over 10,000 seats connected by an tall glass roof...

 with its nine theatres. It is across Welton Street from the Emily Griffith Opportunity School
Emily Griffith Opportunity School
Emily Griffith Opportunity School is a public technical college in downtown Denver, Colorado. Founded by Emily Griffith in 1916 as Opportunity School, it was renamed in her honor in 1933...

. The University of Colorado Denver
University of Colorado Denver
The University of Colorado Denver, shortened as CU Denver, UC Denver, or UCD, is a public university in the United States state of Colorado. It is one of three schools of the University of Colorado system. The university has two campuses — one in downtown Denver at the Auraria Campus, and the other...

, Metropolitan State College of Denver
Metropolitan State College of Denver
The Metropolitan State College of Denver is a four-year college and now offers certain Graduate programs located in Denver, Colorado, United States. As of 2009, Metro State had the second-largest enrollment of undergraduates of any college in Colorado...

, and the Community College of Denver
Community College of Denver
Community College of Denver is a community college located in Denver, Colorado, United States. The main campus is at Auraria Campus, and it has two other locations in the Denver metropolitan area. CCD focuses on underserved, first-generation and minority students...

 are all located to the west across Speer Boulevard at the Auraria Campus
Auraria Campus
Auraria Campus is an educational facility located near downtown Denver, Colorado in the United States. The campus houses facilities of three separate universities and colleges: the University of Colorado Denver , Community College of Denver, and Metropolitan State College of Denver...

. The Colorado Convention Center is central to many other downtown attractions including: the 16th Street Mall
16th Street Mall
The 16th Street Mall is a pedestrian and transit mall in Denver, Colorado. The mall, 1.25 miles long, runs along 16th Street in downtown Denver, from Wewatta Street to the intersection of 16th Avenue and Broadway...

, the Denver Pavilions, the LoDo
LoDo
LoDo, Denver is the lower downtown area of Denver, Colorado, the oldest and original settlement of the city of Denver. It is a mixed-use historic district, known for its nightlife, and serves as an example of success in urban reinvestment and revitalization...

 (Lower Downtown) district, the Pepsi Center
Pepsi Center
Pepsi Center is a multi-purpose arena in Denver, Colorado, United States. The building is home to the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association, the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League...

- home of the Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...

, Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

, Colorado Crush
Colorado Crush
Colorado Crush were an Arena Football League team that began play as a 2003 expansion team. The Crush played in the Central Division of the American Conference until the Arena Football League suspended operations in 2009...

 and the Colorado Mammoth
Colorado Mammoth
The Colorado Mammoth are a member of the National Lacrosse League. They have played at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, United States, since the 2003 season....

, Coors Field
Coors Field
Coors Field, located in Denver, Colorado, is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado, which purchased the naming rights to the park prior to its completion in 1995...

- home of the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...

, Denver's Downtown Aquarium, Elitch Gardens
Elitch Gardens
Elitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, United States at 38th and Tennyson streets. For more than a century Elitch's was one of the most popular entertainment destinations in Colorado...

 amusement park, and the Denver Botanic Gardens
Denver Botanic Gardens
The Denver Botanic Gardens is a public botanical garden located in Denver, Colorado in the Cheesman Park neighborhood. The park contains a conservatory, a variety of theme gardens and a sunken amphitheater, which hosts various concerts in the summer...

.

Facilities

Exhibit Hall
The "Exhibit Hall" is the main facility at the convention center. The space consists of six individual halls spanning 90,000 to 100,000sqft. The space is primarily used for trade shows, conventions and product launches

Korbel Ballroom
The "Korbel Ballroom" is the largest ballroom in Denver and the the convention center. The space can hold up to 3,000 guests for catered events and up to 5,000 for general admission. The ballroom features a state-of-the-art lighting system that provides the illusion of the night sky. The space is primarily used for banquets, conferences and intimate music events. The space was renovated in 2004 as part of the convention center's overall expansion plan. The venue's namesake derives from the Korbel Champagne Cellars
Korbel Champagne Cellars
Korbel Champagne Cellars is a winery based in Guerneville, California. Korbel primarily manufactures sparkling wine and sells the largest volume of premium traditional Méthode Champenoise sparkling wine in the United States. The company is a division of F...

.

Four Seasons Ballroom
The "Four Seasons Ballroom" was the newest ballroom, completed as part of the convention center's expansion plan. The space can hold up to 3,500 guests. The venue is primarily used for banquets and fundraising events. It is home to numerous graduation ceremonies for Denver area schools including: The Art Institute of Colorado, Community College of Denver
Community College of Denver
Community College of Denver is a community college located in Denver, Colorado, United States. The main campus is at Auraria Campus, and it has two other locations in the Denver metropolitan area. CCD focuses on underserved, first-generation and minority students...

, Metropolitan State College of Denver
Metropolitan State College of Denver
The Metropolitan State College of Denver is a four-year college and now offers certain Graduate programs located in Denver, Colorado, United States. As of 2009, Metro State had the second-largest enrollment of undergraduates of any college in Colorado...

, Regis University
Regis University
Regis University is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic, Jesuit university in the United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1877, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...

 and the University of Colorado Denver
University of Colorado Denver
The University of Colorado Denver, shortened as CU Denver, UC Denver, or UCD, is a public university in the United States state of Colorado. It is one of three schools of the University of Colorado system. The university has two campuses — one in downtown Denver at the Auraria Campus, and the other...

.

Frequent events

The CCC hosts hundreds of events each year from local community luncheons to City-wide conventions. Some of the annual events include:

Wells Fargo Theatre

The Wells Fargo Theatre is an indoor amphitheatre located in the rear of the Colorado Convention Center. The venue opened in 2005 with a concert by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...

. The amphitheater was a part of the convention center's 2004 expansion plan. Originally known as The Lecture Hall at the Colorado Convention Center, the venue was renamed in 2007 after banking and financial services company Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...

. The bank purchased naming rights in September 2006 for nearly US$3 million dollars, for a five-year period.

Initially, the venue (along with the City Lights Pavilion) was protested by the owner of the Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre (Denver, Colorado)
The Paramount Theatre is a concert venue in Denver, Colorado, located on Glenarm Place, near Denver's famous 16th Street Mall. The venue has a seating capacity of 1,870, but is a popular destination for large acts looking for a smaller concert setting...

 felt major business would be drawn away from the historic landmark. Since its opening, the venue has become one of the busiest mid-sized concert venues in Metro Denver, along side the Fillmore Auditorium
Fillmore Auditorium (Denver, Colorado)
The Fillmore Auditorium is a concert venue located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Denver, Colorado. Since opening in 1907, the venue has hosted numerous functions both private and public...

 and 1stBank Center. It is primarily used for concerts desiring an "intimate" setting. The venue was named on of the "Top 100 Worldwide Theatres" by Pollstar
Pollstar
Pollstar is a concert tour industry's leading trade publication that gets its information primarily from the agents, managers and promoters who are producing concerts. Founded in 1981, it is based in Fresno, California and has an office in London with correspondents in six countries. Pollstar is...

 in 2007 and 2011.

Selected events

  • Bruce Springsteen
    Bruce Springsteen
    Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...

  • Jonas Brothers
    Jonas Brothers
    The Jonas Brothers are an American boy band. The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children's television network. From the shore region of New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II , Joseph Adam Jonas , and Nicholas Jerry Jonas...

  • Melissa Etheridge
    Melissa Etheridge
    Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician.Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals...

  • John Legend
    John Legend
    John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...

  • Rob Thomas
    Rob Thomas (musician)
    Robert Kelly "Rob" Thomas is an American rock recording artist and songwriter. He is the primary songwriter and lead singer of the band Matchbox Twenty. Thomas also records and performs as a solo artist...

  • Drew Carey
    Drew Carey
    Drew Allison Carey is an American actor, singer, comedian, photographer, sports executive, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as...

  • Dolly Parton
    Dolly Parton
    Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...

  • David Gray
    David Gray (musician)
    David Gray is an English singer-songwriter. He released his first studio album in 1993 and received worldwide attention after the release of White Ladder six years later...

  • Tori Amos
    Tori Amos
    Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...

  • Alicia Keys
    Alicia Keys
    Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...

  • Jamie Foxx
    Jamie Foxx
    Eric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a...

  • Neil Young
    Neil Young
    Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...

  • Elton John
    Elton John
    Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...

  • The Cheetah Girls
  • Crosby, Stills and Nash
  • Demi Lovato
    Demi Lovato
    "She’s got the range, the full emotional spectrum, incredible control… Vocally, she’s the best thing Disney’s had since Christina Aguilera."—Producer Toby Gad on Demi Lovato's vocals...

  • David Archuleta
    David Archuleta
    David Archuleta, is a former United States Air Force Airman of Okinawan stationary troops and is currently an American male kickboxer.-Biography:...

  • Diana Ross
    Diana Ross
    Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...

  • Lady Antebellum
    Lady Antebellum
    Lady Antebellum is an American country pop music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. The trio is composed of Charles Kelley , Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott .The group made its debut in 2007 as guest vocalists on Jim Brickman's single "Never Alone", before signing to Capitol...

  • Sting
  • Janet Jackson
    Janet Jackson
    Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...

  • Big Time Rush
    Big Time Rush (band)
    Big Time Rush is an American boyband formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2009. The band consists of members Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Pena Jr. and Logan Henderson. Big Time Rush was created through the Nickelodeon television series with the same name. The band released its debut...

  • Il Divo
    Il Divo
    Il Divo is a multinational operatic pop vocal group created by music manager, executive, and reality TV star Simon Cowell. Formed in the United Kingdom, they are also signed to Cowell's record label, Syco Music...

  • Dane Cook
    Dane Cook
    Dane Jeffrey Cook is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He has released five comedy albums: Harmful If Swallowed; Retaliation; Vicious Circle; Rough Around The Edges: Live From Madison Square Garden; and Isolated Incident. In 2006, Retaliation became the highest charting comedy album...

  • Ron White
    Ron White
    Ronald "Ron" White is an American stand up comedian and satirist who has had two Grammy Award-nominations, and is RIAA certified 10x Platinum for CD and DVD sales of over 10 million units...

  • David Spade
    David Spade
    David Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...

  • Al Gore
    Al Gore
    Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....

  • Wheel of Fortune
    Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
    Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...

     Denver Tour
  • Chelsea Handler
    Chelsea Handler
    Chelsea Joy Handler is an American stand-up comedian, humorist, television host, actress, model and best-selling author. She currently hosts a late-night talk show titled, Chelsea Lately on the E! Cable Television Network. In 2009 she won a Bravo A-List Award...


External links

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