San Antonio says it needs to compete with convention center expansion

The big picture: The renovations are just one piece of a proposed new sports and entertainment district downtown anchored by a possible new Spurs arena at Hemisfair. A new convention center hotel is also part of the plan.

• The city's loose timeline shows the convention center finished before 2030.

What they're saying: "If we don't plan for expansion, we will lose market share," city manager Erik Walsh told the City Council on Wednesday. "Our options are to grow to maintain, or grow to expand."

• "The convention center … is a direct driver of part of our economy, and a significant one," he added.

Zoom in: Recent convention center renovations across the country show that cities are adding more outdoor and open spaces, interactive elements and lobby food and beverage options, planners told councilmembers.

Flashback: The Henry B. González Convention Center reopened in 2016 following a then-$325 million expansion, leading to 514,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space.

• It was originally built in 1968 for the World's Fair.

• Since then, the new Civic Park at Hemisfair opened last fall adjacent to the convention center.

By the numbers: Before the pandemic, San Antonio saw an average of about $142 million in annual spending directly generated by the convention center, on things like hotels, restaurants and transportation, external consultants said.

• An expansion as suggested could increase that to nearly $170 million.
• With no action, that average spending could fall to about $128.6 million, the consultants project.

What's next: The city will share cost estimates, and how it plans to pay for upgrades, once officials figure out just how large the expansion should be, Walsh said.