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 sq. ft. of breakout meeting space, supported by approximately 300 hotel rooms within a short walk or shuttle distance and roughly 750 dedicated parking spaces. Consultants presented two financial/ownership models: a publicly owned, stand‑alone convention center (consultants quoted an estimated project cost “just over $100,000,000”) and a larger combined hotel‑plus‑meeting product in a public‑private partnership (a total project cost the consultants placed in the $140,000,000 to $160,000,000 range).

Consultants described how different programs produce different utilization and economic outcomes. In the public‑owned scenario, the study estimated about 342 events by year five and roughly 146,000 attendees annually, producing an estimated 30,000 net new room nights and about $18 million in new direct annual visitor spending. In a P3 model tied to an on‑site hotel, consultants showed more frequent, smaller meetings (roughly 400 events by year five) but fewer total attendees in their projection (about 110,000) because that model relies more on banquet/meeting business that may not generate the same level of room nights across other local hotels.

The report highlighted current local inventory constraints: Columbia’s largest existing contiguous exhibit space is the Holiday Inn/Wyndham Expo Hall at about 19,000 sq. ft., which consultants and some planners described as low‑ceilinged and dated for some trade‑show demands. Othon noted that the Holiday Inn product currently meets roughly 85% of the market demand identified in the study but flagged ceiling height, production capability and finish quality as limiting factors for certain event types.

Don Greenberg, the project architect, described an option that would re‑use and reconfigure the existing expo building at the Holiday Inn/Wyndham to create a multiuse ballroom and meeting complex while building a new high‑ceiling multipurpose hall on adjacent property. Greenberg said converting the existing hall to a ballroom, adding kitchen capacity and building a new hall south of the existing footprint could reduce cost and phasing complexity, though it would require construction while maintaining operations.

Financing options the consultants outlined include revenue bonds backed by tourism‑related taxes (for example, restaurant taxes), tax‑increment financing (TIF), public incentives for a private developer, naming rights and philanthropic fundraising. Othon emphasized that the choice between a public asset and a private P3 involves tradeoffs: the public model more reliably aims to capture room‑night growth for the whole community but typically requires an operating subsidy; a privately owned facility requires less ongoing subsidy but may prioritize events and food‑and‑beverage revenue that chiefly benefit the owner’s hotel.

City council members asked about parking, site options and where Columbia currently loses business. Consultants said the Holiday Inn/Wyndham site scored highest in a multi‑site analysis because it offers existing hotel rooms and the potential to convert existing space, while a downtown site scored highest on walkability and amenity access but would be tighter, more costly per square foot and might require additional land acquisition or a parking structure. On lost business, presenters cited events that had moved to Springfield or Lake of the Ozarks when Columbia lacked sufficient contiguous exhibition or meeting space.

The bureau noted the feasibility study is intended as a decision‑support tool for the city and for potential investors: Schneider said the report can be shared with hotel owners, developers and other stakeholders to inform future development discussions. “This is a tool,” Schneider said of the study, describing it as a market‑driven guide for what Columbia could expect if it pursues a larger convention product.

Ending: Council members said they would distribute the report to stakeholders and hotel owners. Consultants and staff indicated the report is available through the meeting agenda materials and can be posted on the city and bureau websites for further review.

Quotes used in this article are drawn from the council meeting transcript of March 3, 2025.