According to the Miami Herald, the Miami International Auto Show on Friday will mark the grand opening of the new Miami Beach Convention Center, following a three-year, $620 million renovation. The improvements include 263,000 square feet of new space, 10 new meeting rooms and LEED Silver certification. Exterior improvements include more than 500 giant fins of aluminum and glass that create an undulating facade.
The aquatic theme extends to the center’s refurbished west entrance, with swooping curves, glistening white columns and subdued lighting that make the 60-year-old facility feel brand new.
Officials hope it will also help boost Miami-Dade’s $26 billion tourism industry, helping it to grab a greater share of the U.S. meetings industry, which generated $325 billion in 2016, according to an economic significance study by Oxford Economics.
One critical piece of the project, though, won’t be decided until Nov. 6. That’s when voters will decide whether to approve the construction of an 800-room headquarters hotel, to be built on a city-owned parcel of land adjacent to the convention center.
Read More
