Baltimore Convention Center presents $29.6 million FY26 budget as deferred maintenance nears $130 million

Matt Campbell, executive director of the Baltimore Convention Center, told the Baltimore City Finance Committee that the center’s proposed FY26 operating budget is $29,600,000 and — after earned revenue and a state deficit subsidy — will cost Baltimore about $6,600,000.

"The mission of the convention center is to generate positive economic impact to the city and state, create jobs, and serve our community," Campbell said, noting the facility draws roughly 450,000 visitors and supports about 194,000 hotel nights annually.

The convention center’s economic footprint, Campbell said, included about $5,700,000 in city tax revenue and $15,100,000 in state tax revenue in FY24 and roughly $273,000,000 in direct and indirect spending. He told the committee the center supports about 1,900 jobs, most filled by city residents.

Why it matters: the building’s aging core infrastructure — much of it dating to the center’s 1979 opening — has created what Campbell described as "close to $130,000,000 deferred maintenance backlog," driving the push for sustained capital funding and governance changes. Campbell said the mayor’s legislative agenda and the Operating Authority Task Force (House Bill 1016) are intended to "facilitate change in funding and governance mechanisms to better align the convention center with our national peers." He added the city and state will provide more than $30,000,000 in capital…