Images that show what a new convention and event center in Springfield could look like were unveiled Thursday afternoon at the Discovery Center.
City Manager David Cameron said ideas gathered at community envisioning events were incorporated into the initial design by Populous, an architecture firm out of Kansas City that specializes in convention and event centers.
"What I heard after the ballot measure in November of 2025," he said, "was there needed to be a picture There needed to be more to the story."
Springfield voters said no last November to a hotel/motel tax increase that would have helped pay for a new center. Voter turnout was 7%, and the measure failed by fewer than 400 votes.
The City’s Quality of Place Director Tim Rosenbury unveiled the images Thursday.
"These images are intended to reflect warmth, energy and authenticity," he said. "Springfield is proud, grounded and welcoming, and the center should embody that spirit."
The 250,000-square-foot space (125,000-square-feet of actual program space) would incorporate the Expo Center.
The initial design calls for new construction to the east of the Expo Center with lots of windows and open spaces and a variety of places for people to meet. There would also be green space outside the center.
"So, this view here is the view from the University Plaza parking lot, looking to the northwest," Rosenbury explained. "The idea here is that the form of the addition follows the Expo Center. In this case, the sweep of the existing Expo Center facade, which is at the far left in this picture, except that the addition is intentionally even more exuberant, more iconic and more memorable."
The proposed design, which Rosenbury said is “not by any means, a proposed architectural solution,” calls for green roofs. The project would be LEED certified, and he said he hopes they could go beyond that. The design, Rosenbury said, "is intended to be aspirational, and I hope maybe a little inspirational."
The new addition would have an elevated ballroom with a view of downtown Springfield. He said they wanted to "take advantage of these Ozarkian views of the tree line and the horizon even while at the same time, you're in a very urban area, which is kind of cool to be able to do both."
He said people who plan conventions are looking for something different and more innovative, and that's what they've endeavored to do with Populous' help.
The proposed renovation and expansion, estimated to cost $175 million, would include:
- a 65,000-square-foot modernized exhibit hall (expanded from the existing footprint)
- a 30,000-square-foot grand ballroom for banquets, ceremonies, and general sessions
- a 14,000-square-foot junior ballroom for mid-sized events
- 16,000 square feet of breakout and meeting rooms
- a full-service kitchen and food service infrastructure
- improved loading, rigging, lighting and production systems
- Multi-court indoor sports configurations
- Modern circulation with escalators, elevators and guest amenities.
Spaces would be flexible to accommodate a variety of events, such as expos, trade shows, conventions, sports tournaments, graduations, weddings, meetings, concerts and more. By making Springfield more competitive in attracting large events, the project, if approved, is expected to breathe new life into downtown Springfield and position the city for sustainable, long-term economic growth.
City leaders have said an attached hotel is vital to the project's success. They've identified one or two places that could work for a hotel, Rosenbury said, but they don't have control of the properties, "but maybe a developer could get control of it." But no developer will commit to a project unless voters approve the 3% hotel/motel tax increase in April, he said.
If the convention and event center is built, it will be the largest project the city has done since the new airport was constructed.
Bob Grand stood outside the Discovery Center with a sign that detailed why he’s against the proposed tourism tax increase.
"We need to have affordable housing. We need to have a better health care system in Springfield — affordable health care," he said. "There's so many other issues that are more important, and we seem to be focusing on this to the exclusion of everything else."
Cameron told the crowd gathered for the unveiling that a new convention and event center would boost sales tax revenue in the city, which could be used for things like public safety and animal control.
"How it benefits us is dollars are coming in," he said. "They're not leaving our community, and that sales tax generated from people shopping and staying here doesn't go back into the hotel/motel tax. It actually goes into the public safety fund. It goes into the public works fund."
Voters go to the polls on April 7.
Additional information added Friday morning.
