Venue Preview: The Expo at World Market Center Coming to Las Vegas Next Summer

June 6, 2019

A new state-of-the-art exhibition space is taking shape in Downtown Las Vegas. Earlier this year, International Market Centers, owners and operators of World Market Center Las Vegas, broke ground in January on The Expo, a $90 million, 315,000-sq.-ft. facility set to open in July 2020.

Upon completion, The Expo at World Market Center Las Vegas will become the new permanent venue for temporary gift and home décor exhibits at IMC’s semi-annual Las Vegas Market. That event showcases more than 4,000 gift, home décor and furniture resources across 5 million square feet of permanent showrooms and temporary exhibition space.

“We’re delighted to cooperate with the city of Las Vegas and the state of Nevada to bring this new exhibition venue to Las Vegas,” said Robert Maricich, CEO of IMC. “Our use of local labor at prevailing wage rates will make this project a win-win for the exhibition industry and the city of Las Vegas.”

IMC is known as the world’s largest owner and operator of showroom space for the furnishings, home décor, gift and apparel industries, with 20 million square feet of exhibition space in High Point, N.C.; Las Vegas and Atlanta.

The Expo will have nearly 195,000 square feet of expo space divisible into two halls and able to accommodate up to 1,000 booths. It will also feature an expansive lobby, a registration area, an on-site shuttle bus depot, an attached parking garage and two permanent grab-and-go food service areas, according to IMC officials.

With a contiguous positioning with WMC’s Building C, the center will be the home of the temporary exhibits during the Winter and Summer Las Vegas Markets, held in January and July, respectively. The Expo will also be available for year-round use for non-Market trade shows, as well as corporate and private events.

During the Markets, IMC plans to use the center’s lobby for attendee and exhibitor registration, making The Expo a veritable gateway to the entire marketplace.

Maricich said the new center will also fill a need for more trade show and event space in Downtown Las Vegas, which currently offers a total of approximately 200,000 square feet of conference and exhibition space.

According to IMC officials, construction of The Expo is well underway; underground utility work is in progress, and the structure is expected to go vertical in September.

Meanwhile, IMC is actively working on securing vendor partnerships for services at the center, set to celebrate its grand opening in time for the Summer 2020 Las Vegas Market.

 

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