You may find a few “Pardon Our Dust” signs at this year’s NAB Show as renovation of the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center begins.
The closure of that hall means organizers have rearranged some components of their event.
The LVCC was begun in 1959 but has grown and morphed far beyond its original design. The North Hall alone is four decades old.
With the new West Hall well established, LVCC management will renovate North and its meeting rooms. They also plan to build a new Grand Lobby between North and Central, adding natural light and views into the halls. Next year Central Hall will be offline for renovation.
A new climate-controlled interior concourse between North and South will provide interior access across the entire campus. There also are plans to add more meeting rooms, improve signage and connectivity, and enhance parking lot and landscaping.
Ultimately, the facade and roof line will be updated to reflect the architectural look of the $1 billion West Hall that opened in 2021. The projects will cost more than $600 million. The work is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
At the 2024 NAB Show, some exhibit space and meeting locations will be different. One observer said West Hall might feel “a bit more isolated” with North closed, but organizers are seeking to minimize the impact and are not worried about disruptions. They just want to make sure attendees are aware that the footprint will be altered.
As last year, the Broadcast Engineering & IT Conference will meet in the West Hall, and many radio industry exhibitors will be found there. Some radio suppliers also will be found in Central.
The Broadcast District, a community engagement zone for people in the industry, will again be in West, which also will house exhibitors that are part of the Connect, Capitalize and Intelligent Content “pillars” of the show.
Planners have added exhibit space in the South Upper and South Lower Halls for the “Create” pillar, said Justine McVaney, senior VP and deputy managing director at NAB. She said most companies that were displaced from North Hall will relocate to South.
“Anytime there is construction and disruption it causes some stress. But it really isn’t anything new for us,” she said.
“We are used to moving people around the convention center. We strive every year to get people around what is a large facility as efficiently as possible.”
Floor traffic has been more evenly distributed since West Hall opened. “In 2023 we saw a much better flow of traffic across all three halls,” McVaney said. Attendance was approximately 65,000 last year, up about 20% from 2022 when the show resumed after COVID.
Loopers
McVaney, who is responsible for the strategic development and delivery of NAB’s annual calendar of conventions, says transportation options will in place to get people from West Hall to the South Hall.
“We are adding shuttle stops at South Hall and utilizing some golf carts to move folks around. The Vegas Loop station in front of Central Hall will still be open over to the South Hall.”
NAB also will set up additional “interactive wayfinding kiosks” to help direct people to their destinations.
McVaney reminds attendees that they can plan out their visit by using NAB’s online mapping tools.
“Familiarize yourself with our show services, where the shuttle stops are and how to hop the monorail. There are a lot of resources available. The results of the construction will be worth the disruption. The improved décor and improved facilities will be worth it in the end.”
NAB will again utilize the Vegas Loop, which consists of two tunnels under the campus that accommodate electric Tesla vehicles to shuttle attendees back and forth. It reduces a 25-minute walk across the 200-acre facility to a free ride of about two minutes.
The system “sure help move people quickly,” McVaney said. “We have been talking to the convention center about adding more vehicles this year to move attendees from the West to the South Hall,” where a new Creator Lab will focus on creators, equipment, distribution channels and monetization techniques.
Erica Johnson, director of communications for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said, “The LVCC has been working closely with NAB Show management in minimizing any impact of the renovation during the 2024 show, including wayfinding, signage and access.”
Radio World asked several radio technology exhibitors whether they are concerned about the closure of the North Hall. They told us they expect few issues.
Marty Sacks, executive VP of sales, marketing and strategy for Telos Alliance, says the company has moved from West to Central Hall to be more accessible to visits from people in the South Hall.
“Many of us have been going to NAB for years, so changes at LVCC are always disruptive to some extent. But there have been continual exhibit hall changes in the past few years, so I think attendees will not be too perplexed by the North Hall closure,” he said, adding that the company sells into both radio and TV markets, so Central Hall works well.
