CONVENTION CENTERS:
RETHINKING THE CONCOURSE FOR TOMORROW’S GUESTS By Ken Stockdell, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
In recent years, we have spent a lot of time thinking and talking about the impact of the next generation of event attendees on our industry. Much of that conversation has been about how that gener- ation is impacting the programming and organization of meetings, conventions, and other events. What hasn’t been discussed as much in our meetings is how the industry will adapt the facilities we already have. How will they change? What will drive the design of future renovations and expansions? The public spaces in our facilities are the place where we have been seeing the most dramatic change. Rather than thinking of the concourse as a corridor to move from one room to another between sessions, these spaces are increasingly used for purposes beyond cir-
essential. The level of ambient noise control should also be a factor will continue to be preferred, and the design of the ceiling and its sessions might be held. Because concourses in most convention centers are daylit and bright, visibility of the presented material requires bright screens and glare control. Power and data connections for the audiovisual equip- displays—are a must-have. Technologies that increase the opacity of
Over the last couple of years, I have attended the PCMA Conven- ing Leaders conference. PCMA uses this event to experiment with new approaches to content delivery and the use of spaces. At each of the events I have attended, public concourse and prefunction spac- es have been used in a variety of interesting ways. Those include things that have been done for many years like food and beverage service, registration, and association information booth or stations. There has, however, been a growing trend toward content delivery and dedicated space for networking and temporary work space being placed in these areas. Delivering educational and informational content in open, public spaces presents some challenges. The background noise of people moving around the facility, which will remain a primary function in these areas, creates an acoustic problem. Because people need to be
84 Facility Manager Magazine
the glass based on where the sun is can help manage glare and bright- ness, especially in a new facility. Less expensive solutions like window treatments can be installed in existing facilities to improve visibility. Designers and operators must also consider how to locate open
that we would have worked hard to reduce in previous designs, such as alcoves and wider spaces, are now valuable to event planners. In existing facilities, that can mean new life for, and rev- enue from, spaces that previously would have been viewed as un- usable. For new and expanded facilities, it means that we will see a higher percentage of public concourse and prefunction spaces as a component of facility area. the social gathering places in our communities. In the best ones, there are a variety of seating choices, both in type and arrangement,
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