UnConvention Ctr. Undergoing Expansion

<B>UnConvention Ctr. Undergoing Expansion</B>

By Robert Selwitz

One of New York City's few venues for medium-size trade shows and exhibitions soon will start a major league makeover. The UnConvention Center--targeting shows and exhibitions that require less space, usually a shorter lead time and/or lower rates than the Javits Center--will undergo a $50 million expansion "to greatly improve the facility," said Elyse Kroll, president of ENK International.

Following two years and $3 million in preliminary renovations, Kroll last month signed a 49-year operational lease with the City to expand the center. "The money we initially spent primarily went to achieve building code compliance," she said. "But now, with a long-term lease, I can make investments required to upgrade this location into a very attractive setting for midsize events."

For years, Kroll noted, there has been almost no New York City home for events requiring 100,000 to 500,000 square feet of space. "Most hotels, like the Sheraton New York, that used to offer exhibit/trade show space, have converted those areas into more profitable conference centers or additional rooms," she said. "And with the Coliseum being torn down, there was no real location for moderately scaled trade shows."

Gerald T. McQueen, Javits Center president and chief executive, agreed. "New York needs all the trade show space it can find," he said, "so we are not opposed to efforts to increase exhibit area in the City. Currently, the Javits is turning away almost as much business as we're able to accommodate."

Noting that the UnConvention Center will augment rather than compete with Javits, Michael G. Carey, president of the New York City Economic Development Corp., said it "would be complementary because the two facilities target different constituents."

Right now, the UnConvention site consists of a 750-ft.-long shed offering 175,000 square feet (or four acres) of room without pillars. Most important, said Kroll, "since we aren't booked as far in advance like the Javits, we can likely accommodate those needing this area on relatively short notice."

When Kroll first examined the former Cunard Line warehouse at Pier 94, however, it was being used as a garage. "Once I could imagine the space minus the cars and trucks," she said, "I envisioned a column-free structure with 40-ft. ceilings, skylights running the length of the building providing fantastic natural light, a thousand nearby parking spaces and direct, street-level access."

Expansion and upgrade plans for the center, however, currently call for a T-shaped structure, which will incorporate the basic elements of the present building. Ultimately, it will feature three main floor exhibition areas, and at the top of the "T," nearest to 12th Avenue, will be a ballroom and meeting space. Construction, which will bring the building's total to 270,000 square feet, is expected to start next year with wrap-up scheduled for 2002.

"By creating a unique space in a spectacular setting that overlooks the Hudson River, we will attract more trade shows, exhibits and events to the city," noted Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

Of course, trade show exhibitors do have some other options besides Pier 94. For example, there's the Metropolitan Pavilion and the Millennium Broadway's Hudson Theatre. The Pavilion features 10,000 square feet of display space, 16-ft. ceilings and a three-bay loading dock. It can accommodate 100 to 450 attendees for a seated affair with a dance floor, or more than 800 for cocktails. Meanwhile, the vastly renovated Hudson has easy-to-remove orchestra seats which, when taken out, can accommodate parties for up to 700 attendees and sit-down dinners for 300.

Mark Swetman, director of executive conference center sales at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, said his 25,000 square feet of space now features 13 separate meeting rooms, including an executive board room. "We appeal to mid- and upper-level management executives needing service superior to that normally found in hotel meeting locations," Swetman said. "Operating under IACC (International Association of Conference Center) guidelines, we feature always-available food and beverages, essentially soundproofed fixed walls, as opposed to sound-leaking air walls, and the finest technical capabilities." Elsewhere on the property, there are another 25 meeting rooms and a ballroom--often used for shows and presentations--featuring a 28 x 60-ft. stage.

"Low-cost exhibit space has pretty much left the city," said Tom Dougherty, vice president of HVS International. "With the Coliseum gone and Sheraton's Conference Center now occupying its former trade display area, there's a real need for innovative thinking that can create places for business exhibitions to be staged.