already moved into the under-renovation
food court, including local favorite Donatos Pizza. And in the new Columbus Visitor
Center, a video wall broadcasts useful destination information for visitors. One standalone nursing room for new mothers has
been completed, with a second to be added
during the expansion. A limited number of
reserved parking places for military-service
veterans, mothers-to-be, and new parents
have also been established.
Outside, the building’s exterior façade will
be cleaned and repaired. New signage, drop-off points, and entrances will help to streamline navigation, and a new outdoor café and
event lawn will add more options for gatherings. Other upgrades happening include
new decorative lighting, landscaping, public
art, water features, and an overhead canopy.
Both the facility’s exterior and greenscape
enhancements will be done in conjunction
with the city’s planned street enhancements,
all designed by the same architect. Drive-in
attendees will appreciate the new, 800-space,
eight-story Goodale Garage, due to open in
early 2016. The $18-million garage will con-
nect to the north entrance of the facility via
an enclosed walkway, and bring the build-
ing’s grand total number of parking spaces
to 4,000.
The GCCC isn’t the only facility in Columbus
undergoing a transformation. Port Columbus
International Airport is wrapping up a three-year, $80-million renovation project that will
modernize and extend the lifespan of its terminals. The project will create new terminals,
lobbies, baggage claims, and a completely
upgraded Wi-Fi system (to the tune of $1.2
million), and is set to debut this spring.
Groups will find plenty of new spaces and
experiences outside of the GCCC as well. In
2015, the Columbus Museum of Art opened a
50,000-square-foot wing with a meeting and
special-event complex, and COSI, the Center
of Science and Industry, opened the state’s
largest planetarium. The Columbus Coffee
Trail ( CbusCoffee.com) and the Columbus Ale
Trail (CbusAle Trail.com) offer two new ways
to learn about the city’s epicurean assets.
The tours highlight the growth of local coffee
roasters and brewers, and visitors just need
to pick up a passport at any participating
coffee shop, brewery, or Experience Colum-
bus Visitor Center to get started. More new
attractions are in the works — in 2017, the
Veterans Memorial and Museum will open.
One of Columbus’ biggest assets is its
walkability. Five districts — Arena, Downtown/
Discovery, German Village/Brewery, Ohio
State University, and Short North Arts — all
make up the “Five on High,” referring to their
proximity to downtown’s main thoroughfare,
High Street. The Short North Arts District is
just outside the GCCC’s doors and offers
some of the best shopping and art galleries
in the Midwest, while the Arena District is
packed with group-friendly bars and restaurants as well as one of the city’s biggest event
venues, the Nationwide Arena.
For more information: Greater Columbus
Convention Center — (614) 827-2500;
columbusconventions.com
CONVENTION CENTER SPECS
(PRE-RENOVATION)
Total space
• 1. 7 million square feet
Ballroom space
• Three ballrooms, including the 74,000-
square-foot Battelle Grand
Exhibit hall
• 410,000 square feet
Meeting rooms
• 65
Convention-center-connected or
-adjacent hotel rooms
• 2, 100
Total number of downtown hotel rooms
• 4,200
Green acres Scioto Mile connects downtown Columbus to the Scioto River with 145
acres of parks, boulevards, bikeways, and pedestrian pathways.