RBC Convention Centre to double in size with expansion

The RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg, formerly the Winnipeg Convention Centre, is set to double in size when plans for its 2016 expansion are completed.

LM Architectural Group and Number TEN Architectural Group are working together on the approximately $180-million-dollar project, which will result in nearly 264,000 sq. ft. of rentable space. The expansion is being built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standards and will be the fourth largest publicly-owned convention centre in Canada.

When completed, an additional 103,900 sq. ft. will be added to the existing 160,000-sq.-ft. convention centre. These additions will include a 22,400-sq.-ft. main floor public lobby, concourse, and registration area; a 24,000-sq.-ft. main floor ballroom; and a 54,500-sq.-ft. exhibition hall. The 46,000-sq.-ft. City View Room on the third floor will connect the north and south buildings and will feature floor-to-ceiling windows, with a capacity for 2,600 seated guests or 216 trade show booths.

Plans for the extensive project were unveiled in 2012, and the completion date is slated for 2016. At the time of the unveiling, then mayor Sam Katz stated that the “newly expanded convention centre will give us an immediate boost in the rankings of national and international convention planners, helping Winnipeg stand out as a convention destination."

Built in 1975, the publicly-owned Winnipeg Convention Centre was among the first convention centres constructed in Canada. The venue has hosted many trade shows, conventions, and special events over the years and was home to the Winnipeg Cyclone International Basketball Association team from 1995 to 2001. In July 2013, the naming rights were sold to Royal Bank of Canada and the centre was rebranded as the RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg.

Photos by: Red River College, The Convention Centre Corporation