Expansions and renovations are a constant in the meetings industry. During the past two years, Cincinnati's Duke Energy Center has completed a $135 million convention center expansion, renovation, and reconfiguration. Earlier this year, the Phoenix Convention Center opened its new West Conference Center with 156,000 square feet of meeting space, and its under-construction North Building, to open in 2008, will bring the center's total space to 900,000 square feet. And at the Kansas City Convention Center, a $135 million expansion to the ballroom and multipurpose space is scheduled to be completed in May 2007. The list goes on and on (see p. 62 for a schedule of convention center renovations and additions).

If you regularly hold meetings at convention centers, it's likely that you'll eventually work with a center that is undergoing an expansion or renovation. While some center construction projects may not affect your meeting at all, others could have a major impact.

For instance, at one meeting of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), a center renovation was not clearly disclosed and because meeting planners had not made a site visit in several months, they didn't realize until they arrived on site how the renovation would affect their meeting. "The renovation was described as a 'non-issue' for our convention; however, it was clearly more invasive than described," said Brenda Bishop, CMP, meeting services director for ANA. "Though our meeting was impacted, we worked around the inconveniences, noise, and dust."

Another center expansion in an ANA meeting destination caused the association enough concern to delay their event in that city for two years. "Fortunately, we were able to trade with one future venue that had availability for the earlier year," Bishop said. "Contracts were all redone, which is no easy task. In this case, the city and local host group that gained our meeting two years early was delighted, and the one that was delayed two years, needless to say, was not crazy about the idea."

While Bishop has confronted expansions that had potentially damaging effects on her meeting, some planners say their encounters with convention center expansions have truly been non-issues. "We're fortunate enough to use convention centers and hotels for our programs," said John Hawkins, CMP, director of conference and meeting logistics for the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). "Even if they're renovating the convention center, there's usually more than enough space for us in the areas that aren't being renovated because we can do part of our program in hotels. We can usually work around it."

To ensure that a potential renovation or expansion won't negatively affect your meeting, keep the following tips in mind:

• Address the topic in contracts. "Contractually is the only sure protection [from negative consequences due to a renovation or expansion that is not completed in time for your meeting] that will likely result in financial compensation should a venue not meet deadlines," Bishop said. "Our association books five to seven years out, and we are not to book a hole in the ground, so to speak. Considering a renovation or expansion, we are protected financially [through contracts]."
• Visit, visit, and visit again. Don't leave it up to center personnel to let you know how the construction project is progressing; go and see for yourself. "Go in as close to your date and as close to their completion date as possible," Hawkins said. "If, one year from our event, it looks as if a renovation or expansion is not meeting anticipated deadlines, adjustments would need to be made to ensure meeting space is adequately met," Bishop added. "My experience is that with advance knowledge of this, which is both the center's responsibility as well as my own, accommodation can be made."
• Ask questions. "If a planner knows that a center is undergoing construction, Meeting Planning 101 tells us to ask, ask, ask," Bishop said. "Visit their Web site, obtain images and reports. Ask how the construction is directly impacting your contracted meeting space. If you are unhappy with answers and results, make a visit and schedule a meeting with those that you will hold accountable for delays, and particularly off-limits areas."
• Enlist expert help. Keep in mind that the burden is on the planner to ask the right questions, as only you understand exactly what your group needs. However, even you may not know all the right questions to ask, so enlist the help of your expert vendors. "[The convention center staff] don't know your program so they're going to be giving you general information," Hawkins said. "Take your AV company, take your decorating company, take your experts with you because they'll ask questions that you wouldn't think to ask. If you ask the question, the center will give you the answer. But you have to ask the right questions."
• Foresee difficult situations. Try to learn so much about the renovation or expansion that you are as knowledgeable as those who work at the center. "Understand their timeline and know where any challenges lie," Hawkins said. "For instance, are they going to be working on their electrical system at a time when you don't need them to be working on the electrical system? Know that in advance and discuss options with them."
• Communicate your specific needs. Just as you would in negotiating a contract, develop a list of priorities and make your top priorities clear to the center. If you're willing to be flexible on some items, expect the center to be flexible enough to meet your most important demands. "Be able to tell them what you need," Hawkins said. "You might say, 'I have Bill Clinton coming in this weekend and I need you up and running at full capacity - but he'll only be there for an hour, so can you just work on something else during that time?'"
• Be flexible when possible. Your flexibility on some items is sure to produce reciprocal flexibility from the center on other items. "The more you know, the better able you'll be to work around what's going on at the center," Hawkins said. "If needed, try to reschedule or move some of your events to work around their project."

° Contributing Editor Nancy Mann Jackson is a freelance writer in Birmingham, Ala. Convene's Meeting Budget series is sponsored by The Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Visit its Web site at www.mtccc.com.