Quito, Ecuador continues to make a name for itself in the meetings world, not just for its cultural offerings, but now also with its Metropolitan Convention Center currently under construction.
In mid-April, construction broke ground on the new 28,000-sf convention center, with plans to complete the first phase of the project by the end of 2018. That phase encompasses 16,443 sf and includes two lobbies, two exhibition spaces, an 800-seat multifunctional auditorium, an event space and several other workspaces.
While Quito already attracts international visitors as the first city to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Site in 1978, this new convention center will help put Quito that much more on the meetings map. Even though the city has already hosting such big conventions as the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development last September, this new convention center will increase the city’s average capacity for events from 300 to 12,000 attendees.
After looking at other convention centers around the world, officials wanted the Metropolitan Convention Center design to include extra conference rooms, expanded meeting spaces, more service areas and a larger lobby space in an effort to meet standards of both the International Association of Conference Centers and the International Congress & Convention Association. Eco-friendly technologies throughout the building will also allow the convention center to host multiple events at once. Once completed, the convention center plans to become a LEED-certified establishment by reducing green gas emissions and using less water and energy.
