Convene - February 2016

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.