WESTERN HOSPITALITY GETS A WORLD-CLASS EXPANSION The BMO Centre to Become a Convention Destination Written by Rennay Craats | Published by Brittany Fouquette Photos by BOOKSTRUCKER
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here are so many reasons for visitors to come to Alberta for work and recreation, and starting next summer, the BMO Centre will provide yet another compelling reason for businesses to check out the city. After years of planning, design, demolition and construction, Calgary’s largest meeting venue is getting even bigger. It is doubling in size to more than 1 million square feet to accommodate hosting large conventions. The expanded BMO Centre will be unrecognizable. In 1980, the building was originally known as the Round Up Centre, an agriculture building with a show arena surrounded by stalls. “It took about zero months to figure out that there was a need in Calgary for trade and consumer show space, so it quickly turned into that kind of space,” says Greg Newton, General Manager, BMO Centre & Stampede Park Events. BMO Centre •1
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