DES MOINES, IOWA – Today, The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau and Iowa Events Center joined city, county and development partners to celebrate the ground breaking on a new, 330-room Convention Center Hilton Hotel in Downtown Des Moines. The hotel, which will be connected to the Iowa Events Center, is scheduled to open in spring 2018.
“This will be a great addition to the long list of first class facilities and hotels that Greater Des Moines offers convention, event and sports planners. We are excited to have a connecting hotel to the Iowa Events Center and know that in the long term it will benefit the entire metro,” said Greg Edwards, President and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau and Des Moines Area Sports Commission.
The new attached hotel has already secured the 2018 Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) Annual Convention. This event will bring in more than 1,000 chamber of commerce leaders from around the globe to Greater Des Moines.
“The attached convention center hotel will enhance our ability to attract larger regional and national conventions to Des Moines, said Spectra’s Chris Connolly, General Manager of the Iowa Events Center. “We look forward to working closely with the Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau and Hilton on bringing business to Des Moines that will impact the entire region.”
The Iowa Events Center is comprised of Hy-Vee Hall, Wells Fargo Arena and Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center. It boasts a 29,000 square foot ballroom, an additional 14,000 square feet of pre-function space, 37 meeting rooms and a 150,000 square foot exhibit hall which can break in to three separate halls. The additional 330-rooms in the attached Hilton hotel will add to the 2,100+ hotel rooms in downtown and the 11,000+ hotel rooms across the metro.
Many local organizations, financial institutions and government leaders played a key role in developing this project. Today’s groundbreaking was hosted by the Iowa Events Center Corporation Board, the Polk County Board of Supervisors, the City of Des Moines, The Weitz Company, Des Moines Redevelopment Corporation, the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Downtown Community Alliance and the Greater Des Moines Partnership.