LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — On Wednesday, the Las Vegas Convention Center is celebrating its 64th anniversary.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said the convention center opened on April 12, 1959 with The World Congress Of Flight.
In 1955, the state legislature agreed to finance construction with money collected from a room tax at hotels in Clark County. That revenue also created the Clark County Fair and Recreation Board, which became the LVCVA.
When the convention center originally opened, it was 20,340 square feet with 18 meeting rooms as well as a 90,000-square-foot exhibit hall.
According to the LVCVA, during that first year, the center hosted eight conventions that welcome 22,519 people.
Now, the facility is the second largest convention center in the country at 2.4 million square feet with 225 meeting rooms.
When looking at LVCVA data, the convention center has welcomed 1,176,400 people so far this year. Those numbers are just for January and February 2023.
The convention center is currently undergoing renovations, which are expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
