It has five levels including indoor parking for 729 vehicles, and three levels of various meeting trade show space totalling 260,000 square feet (24,000 m2).[4][5] The main exhibit hall has 131,000 square feet (12,200 m2) of pillar-less space.[5]
The convention centre is connected to the Winnipeg Walkway system via a skywalk connection crossing St. Mary Avenue and Hargrave Street, connecting the venue to the neighbouring Delta hotel, Cityplace, and Canada Life Centre.[6]
Metro and the Province of Manitoba announced the $35-million Winnipeg Convention Centre on 10 September 1970. Always in opposition to metropolitan government, Mayor of Winnipeg Stephen Juba did not attend the announcing press conference.[7][8]
Winnipeg Convention Centre, 1974
Originally named the Winnipeg Convention Centre, the publicly-owned facility was built and opened in 1975. The building, designed by Canadian architect Isadore (Issie) Coop, of the Number Ten Architectural Group,[9] was among the first "purpose-built" convention centre of its kind built in Canada.[10]
Aside from trade shows and conventions, the Convention Centre has also been used as a sports venue and was home to the Winnipeg Cyclone basketball team from 1995 to 2001.
A $180-million expansion, completed between 2012 and 2015, roughly doubled the size of the facility, adding 131,000 square feet (12,200 m2) of exhibit space and underground parking.[11][12] In July 2013, the facility was rebranded as the RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg after its naming rights were purchased by Royal Bank of Canada.[13][14] By 2017 the annual visitor count to the Winnipeg Convention Centre had increased by about 50,000 to 557,000 which was directly related to the WCC expansion.[15]
Beginning in January 2021, the facility began operating as a "super site" for COVID-19 vaccinations.[16]
Events
This section needs expansion with: add more (notable) past and current events held at this venue.. You can help by adding to it. (December 2019)
The Winnipeg Convention Centre hosts regularly scheduled annual events such as a New Years' Eve dinner and dance, a Christmas crafts show known as the "Signatures Handmade Market", the Mid-Canada Boat Show, the Manitoba RV Show and Sale, the Winnipeg Career Fair, the Home & Garden Show (formerly Home Expression Show), the Winnipeg Comicon Show, a Wedding Show.
In the 1970s it was the host venue for the Progressive Conservative (1976) and the Liberal (June 1984?) leadership conventions. The WCC was the site of the January 1983 PC party convention where Joe Clark decided to step down as leader.[17]
All provincial leadership conventions, except recent NDP, since 1975 have been held at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.
^McMonagle, Duncan (September 10, 1970). "$50 million Downtown Plan Announced: Convention Centre And Hotels Proposed; Completion Scheduled In Early 1974". Winnipeg Free Press. pp. 1, 4.
^"$50 million building plan announced for city's centre: Should be finished by early 1974". The Winnipeg Tribune. September 10, 1970. p. 1.
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