Hunt-Penta JV starts $600M Vegas convention center upgrade | Dump Trucks Charlotte NC

As business travel takes off again post-pandemic, Las Vegas wants to cement its status as a top trade show destination.

A joint venture of Hunt Construction Group, an Indianapolis-based construction management firm owned by global contractor AECOM, and Penta Building Group, a Las Vegas-based general contractor, recently broke ground on a $600 million renovation of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s original campus.

Work will continue through 2025, with construction designed to accommodate and minimize disruption during events. More than 600 tradesworkers will be involved with the project. Once complete, the new convention center will hold nearly 15,000 square feet of meeting and event space, according to the release.

The renovation includes plans to extend the 1.4 million-square-foot West Hall, which opened in 2021. Project teams will also build an outdoor plaza and indoor lobby at the South Hall, which will provide direct access to new function space and a second-floor boardroom, as well as an expansive lobby between the North and Central halls. 

Outside, renovation plans also include a newly designed parking lot, and will feature a Vegas Loop station to transport guests to and from the Wynn and Encore hotels, according to the release.

The Vegas Loop is currently about 2 miles long with five stops around the convention center. However, The Boring Co., an American infrastructure and tunnel columbus oh dump truck company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, recently announced plans to build 65 miles of tunnels with 69 stations after Clark County, Nevada, commissioners approved the latest expansion.

Last year, Las Vegas hosted nearly 5 million convention attendees, whose spending during their stay directly supported an estimated 38,000 jobs, $2.1 billion in wages and $7.5 billion in the city’s economy, according to a Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority report on the economic impact of Southern Nevada’s tourism industry.

The project, originally set in motion in 2016, was ultimately delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The LVCVA’s general fund, bonds supported by the LVCVA’s general revenues and a 0.5% room tax, and the proceeds from the sale of the 10-acre Riviera parcel, will fund the project, according to the release.