Convention infrastructure projects in Kansas City, Austin and New Orleans are moving forward at different stages, from a long-range campus modernization plan to a full convention-center rebuild and a proposed headquarters hotel.
For meeting planners looking beyond the next few years, the projects promise changes in event space, accommodations and connections between facilities—but their funding, construction status and opening schedules differ considerably.
Kansas City: Historic Venues Anchor a $500 Million Campus Vision
Kansas City is moving ahead with initial improvements to its downtown convention campus as part of an estimated $500 million modernization vision extending through 2036.
On Nov. 5, the City Council approved a resolution to advance the Kansas City Convention Center and Municipal Auditorium Vision Plan. The city’s announcement identifies Bartle Hall, Municipal Auditorium and the Music Hall as the focus of the broader restoration and modernization effort.
The first phase, targeted for 2028, includes approximately $75 million in improvements supported by a $100 million bond measure voters approved in August. Planned work includes modernized arena seating, restrooms and concessions; accessibility improvements; Music Hall preservation; and exterior upgrades connecting the facilities with Barney Allis Plaza. Municipal Auditorium will also become the new home of University of Missouri–Kansas City basketball.
Later phases would improve connections across the convention campus and modernize gathering and exhibit spaces through 2036. Those longer-range proposals don’t equal a fully funded construction program, however; the complete campus vision remains a multiyear undertaking rather than a single approved construction project.
Austin: Convention Center Rebuild Targets 2029 Events
Redevelopment of the Austin Convention Center is well underway. The $1.6 billion project, UnconventionalATX, will replace the existing facility with a larger center offering 620,000 sf of rentable space, including 550,000 sf indoors and 70,000 square feet outdoors.
The redevelopment is designed to provide more flexible event facilities while improving pedestrian access and connections with surrounding downtown districts. Plans include exhibit halls, meeting rooms, ballrooms, outdoor spaces and public plazas. The project is also pursuing Zero Carbon Certification.
The convention center closed in 2025 for redevelopment and is accepting proposals and booking events for 2029 and beyond. Project materials describe the schedule as late-2028 completion ahead of the 2029 spring festival season.
As construction continues for the time being, The Palmer Events Center, hotel ballrooms and other downtown venues are alternatives during the redevelopment period.
New Orleans: Omni Headquarter Hotel Clears Another Approval
New Orleans’ planned Omni headquarter hotel reached another milestone on Nov. 5, when the City Council approved a resolution authorizing a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement for the proposed $625 million development. The city’s announcement calls for more than 1,000 guest rooms and approximately 100,000 sf of meeting and event space.
The hotel is planned across Convention Center Boulevard from Hall C of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Its role is to add a large headquarter property adjacent to the venue, strengthening the destination’s accommodation and meeting-space offering for major conventions.
New Orleans & Company’s September update identified late 2026 as the anticipated groundbreaking period and 2030 as the expected opening year. For planners considering New Orleans for 2030 and beyond, the proposed hotel would add a substantial room inventory and its own meeting facilities near the convention center.
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