Market study finds mid-size convention center feasible for Fargo but will need public support in early years

Consultants from HVS on Wednesday walked members of Visit Fargo Moorhead through a market analysis for a proposed Fargo convention center that assumes a 40,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a 20,000-square-foot ballroom and about 7,500 square feet of meeting rooms.

The study, presented by Tom Hazinski of HVS, estimated the program would imply roughly a 55,000-square-foot total building area after allowing for kitchens, circulation and pre-function space. Hazinski said the firm modeled an illustrative opening in 2028 and projected a stabilized year with about 205 events and roughly 88,000–89,000 attendees.

The report matters because its findings are intended for inclusion with an RFP to attract developers and to show what market conditions proposers should expect, Charley Johnson, President and CEO of Visit Fargo Moorhead, told the committee.

Hazinski summarized key assumptions: “we assumed a 40,000 square foot, exhibit hall, a 20,000 square foot ballroom, and 7 and a half thousand square feet of meeting space,” and he said adjacency to a 50–200-room hotel was assumed but that HVS did not conduct a separate hotel feasibility study. The consultant said comparable facilities show Fargo would be in the mid-range of similar U.S. communities and that a dedicated exhibit hall would expand the city’s ability to host sports…