Los Angeles is investing billions to overhaul its convention center in the latest project to spruce up the region ahead of the Olympics in 2028.
The Los Angeles City Council last week approved a $2.62 billion modernization and expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Most of the upgrades are expected to wrap in time for the center to play host to Olympic fencing, judo, taekwondo, wrestling and table tennis as well as some Paralympic events.
"With this effort, we are sending a signal that Los Angeles is ready to compete and win on a global scale," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.
Los Angeles is working to ready itself to host the Summer Olympics, set to take place July 14-30, 2028, across dozens of Southern California venues. Among recent regional upgrades: A 12-acre media production campus broke ground at Hollywood Park to serve as the international broadcast center for the Olympics; Dignity Health Sports Park is adding premium seats, amenities and private club spaces; and hotels are breaking ground to prepare for millions of additional tourists.
The Los Angeles Convention Center is one of several downtown venues central to LA28’s Olympic footprint, joining Crypto.com Arena, Peacock Theater and BMO Stadium. The venue upgrades add to revitalization efforts for the region, which has struggled to regain its footing post-pandemic, with office and retail vacancies at record highs, according to CoStar data.
The convention center upgrade project faces schedule and financing risks, with construction required to pause during the Olympics and finish in 2029.
Indoor host hub
The council authorized $990 million in bonds with debt service running to 2058. Total project cost including interest and issuance is estimated at roughly $3.06 billion.
Officials note the upgrades will prioritize spaces to be utilized during the games, with construction phased to deliver competition halls and meeting areas first. All told, the project will link the convention center's existing West and South halls across Pico Boulevard and add 190,000 square feet of exhibit space, about 40,000 square feet of meeting rooms and a 95,000-square-foot multipurpose room.
Supporters project economic gains including nearly 9,000 union jobs and $1.8 billion in additional business sales, while critics point out the project will drain $89 million from the cash-strapped city's general fund.
The center is about 10 miles from the Hollywood Park complex in Inglewood, where billionaire sports owner and developer Stan Kroenke is creating a media and technology district around SoFi Stadium, cohost of the 2028 Olympic Opening Ceremony and home to the Los Angeles Rams — the football team owned by Kroenke.
Other marquee venues such as SoFi Stadium, the Coliseum, Intuit Dome, UCLA and Long Beach will spread events across the county, while neighboring Orange County is slated to play host to indoor volleyball, at Anaheim's Honda Center, and surfing.
The Olympic Village, where athletes live during the games, will be on the UCLA campus.
Full speed ahead
The Los Angeles Convention Center opened in 1971 at 1201 S. Figueroa St. and quickly became a hub for major events, including the California Gift Show and the Southern California Boat Show. It underwent major expansions in 1981, 1993 and 1997, when part of the facility was cleared to make way for what is now Crypto.com Arena.
Over the decades it has hosted some of the city’s biggest recurring events, most notably the LA Auto Show; the event has been staged there since 1977.
Los Angeles has been at a competitive disadvantage in attracting large, citywide conventions due to the lack of contiguous space, especially as competitors have completed or are in the process of completing major expansions, according to L.A. tourism officials.
Unlike the convention center expansion, the Olympics isn't leaning on public money: LA28 is set up as a privately financed nonprofit with a roughly $7 billion budget.
Organizers are covering costs through sponsorships, licensing and ticket sales.