Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center celebrates 15 years

Fifteen years ago, Facebook was launched, “Friends” aired its season finale, Michael Phelps won his first Olympic medal, and the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center (CMCC) opened its doors.

South Carolina’s only downtown convention center, CMCC has welcomed over three million visitors, held more than 6,600 events and has been an integral part of the city’s growth and development.

“The convention center opened in September of 2004 with the goal of providing a venue to attract group business from across the state of South Carolina and the Southeast. We wanted the convention center to drive visitors to our area hotels and local restaurants, said Experience Columbia SC President and CEO Bill Ellen. “Fifteen years later, the result has been the realization of over 14 million visitors a year, increased hotel occupancy, increased hotel rates, and tremendous business for our local restaurants. In addition, and due to this success, we have seen hotel inventory grow from 862 available rooms to more than 1,800 rooms in downtown alone. There are 13 hotels downtown and an additional four planned to open soon.”

Ellen said that type of growth shows that they are doing a lot of things right. It has also led to increased interest from clients who want to bring their group business here.

“In fact, the success of the convention center has now reached a level that we are seeing business turned away because we don’t have enough space available,” he said. “We are losing groups because we are too small and need to expand the convention center. The interest from convention planners to bring their groups to Columbia has increased tremendously in the last few years.

“With the continued development of The Vista and the revitalization of Main St., we have hotels restaurants, bars, retail, entertainment, and all within easy walking distance. These are many of the key features meeting planners are looking for when they make their decision on where to take their convention. Now we need an expanded convention center to meet the increased interest to bring this business to Columbia,” he said.

Cheryl Swanson , CMCC vice president and general manager, says the convention center has grown with Columbia in quality, performance and amenities offered to guests. From hosting local and regional meetings to events on a national and international scale, the convention center is on par with some of the best convention centers in the country in terms of service.

“We are deliberate about providing the best experience for everyone who enters this building, and we have a qualified, dedicated staff,” Swanson said. The exceptional services from sales, food service, events, operations, security and engineering continue to wow our clients from local events to national conferences and presidential candidates. The convention center today has evolved to meet the changing client needs with additional meeting rooms and increased technology services through interactive digital sources, LED Walls, and upgraded WIFI capabilities.”

Other additions to the convention center since 2004 include the First Responders Remembrance Memorial in the upper level parking turnaround as a memorial to first responders and members of the military who have lost their lives in the line of duty since Sept. 11, 2001, and three new rooms adding 1,649 square feet of meeting space on the upper level.

The CMCC is a cooperative project made possible by Richland County, Lexington County, and the City of Columbia.

CMCC Fun Facts:

• The first event was the Columbia Restaurant Association on September 24, 2004 with 750 people.
• There have been 392,283 gallons of coffee served
• 3,122,522 event attendees over 15 years
• 237,980 room nights generated
• Sustainability efforts divert up to 41 percent of waste out of landfills through recycling, composting and donation.
• There were 28 total employees in 2004; today we have 60 total employees

About the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center

Located in South Carolina’s capital city, the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center (CMCC) is the state’s only downtown convention center. It is a 142,500 square foot facility that includes a 16,700 square foot ballroom, 18,560 square feet of meeting space that can be broken into up to 19 different spaces, and a 23,700 square foot exhibit hall. For more information, visit www.columbiaconventioncenter.com

About Experience Columbia SC

Experience Columbia SC is the region’s destination marketing organization. We’re responsible for all marketing efforts intended to help more visitors discover all that makes Columbia the real Southern hot spot. Think of us as the biggest cheerleader for the heart of South Carolina. For more information, please visit www.experiencecolumbiasc.com.