Experts urge exhibit halls, flexible spaces and coordinated operations in Fargo convention center planning

Tammy Vignes, senior conference manager for BBI International, and Warren Wilkinson, president and CEO of Visit Overland Park, told the Fargo Convention Center Study Committee on a recent meeting that a successful new convention center requires large, flexible exhibit space, strong loading and back-of-house facilities, and close coordination with hotels and food-and-beverage operators.

The guidance matters because the city is evaluating sites and an RFP for a convention center project with the aim of driving overnight visitation and economic activity. Committee members said they plan to reflect the site-visit lessons and operator recommendations in an RFP the group aims to issue in April.

Vignes, who plans national trade shows and expositions, emphasized exhibit hall size and configuration. “Exhibit space is really huge for people like me,” she said, adding that planners need clear floor power access, ample loading areas and space that can be reconfigured by air walls. Vignes said exhibit halls should avoid interior columns wherever possible: “If you can really get by with no columns, that's awesome.” She also described typical support needs such as advanced warehouse storage ahead of shows and dedicated freight access for large production and AV trucks.

Wilkinson, who manages a convention center complex in Overland Park, Kan., said a convention center should be developed as a coordinated destination rather than separate competing businesses. “I would make sure that you don't have three different operators in the building,” he said, urging a single operating model or strong contractual alignment among the facility, the hotel and the caterer so staff can “flex costs to attract business.” Wilkinson described Overland Park's center as supported by transient guest tax and oriented toward driving overnight room nights and local sales tax revenue; he said the center has about 60,000 square feet of show space and about 40,000 square feet of meeting space, with a roughly 20,000-square-foot ballroom in the hotel complex.

Both speakers stressed proximity to full-service hotels and restaurants. Vignes said many attendees arrive without cars and “it's really nice if a hotel has a restaurant and bar and some amenities within the facility.” Wilkinson advised keeping retail and entertainment within walking distance when possible, noting meeting planners “want that complete experience.” They also recommended designing for expandability so the facility can grow as demand increases.

Technical and operational details came up repeatedly. Vignes recommended floor power drops at regular intervals so exhibitors avoid running cords across aisles; she suggested that power be accessible in the floor rather than dropping from the ceiling. She also described an advanced-warehouse window of about a month for sponsors and exhibitors to ship materials ahead of a show. Committee members and visiting staff discussed charging stations, multiple on-floor food-and-beverage points for networking in the expo hall, and spaces sized for a typical 10-by-10 exhibitor booth layout.

Committee members raised local tradeoffs, including land cost, walkability and expandability. Several participants noted that downtown or walkable locations tend to be more expensive but are preferred by planners because they reduce the need to provide shuttle transportation and improve attendee experience. Staff said the project should balance site cost with the long-term goal of creating an entertainment and hotel district that supports the center.

The committee discussed next steps and timing. Members said they'll incorporate the market-assessment work already under way into the RFP package and continue meeting in April; the group reiterated a goal of issuing an RFP in April (date to be confirmed). Staff said the consultant market assessment (HVES) will be attached to the RFP when available.

Quotes in this article come from meeting remarks recorded in the committee transcript and attributed to speakers who participated in the session.