Feasibility study: consultants recommend 25,000–30,000 sq. ft. multipurpose hall; Holiday Inn site could cut costs

Columbia City Council members on March 3, 2025, heard a presentation from the Columbia Convention & Visitors Bureau and outside consultants that concluded the city has measurable demand for a mid‑sized multipurpose exhibition/ballroom venue and several possible development paths.

Amy Schneider, director of the Convention & Visitors Bureau, opened the presentation and said the bureau “conducted a feasibility study, in response to Columbia’s ongoing growth and the increasing interest in bringing business to the community.” Consultant Tyler Othon (CSL) and architect Don Greenberg reviewed the market analysis, recommended facility program, cost estimates and likely site tradeoffs.

The study found a real but nuanced market opportunity. Consultants surveyed roughly 40 association planners (and interviewed others) and reported that about one‑third of those association planners said they would “definitely” bring events to Columbia if an appropriately sized, modern facility were available. Othon told the council that those planners ranked Columbia near larger Missouri markets on attractiveness, in part because Columbia sits centrally between Kansas City and St. Louis and is home to the University of Missouri.

Nut graf: The report recommends a flexible “multipurpose” hall roughly 25,000–30,000 square feet, paired with a separate ballroom (about 10,000–12,000 sq. ft.) and 8,000–10,000…