Downtown Albany convention center moves opening date for MAAC tournament
Times Union Center
The new convention center in downtown Albany, New York, will have a soft opening March 2 to coincide with the MAAC basketball tournament at the Times Union Center— about three weeks before the Albany Capital Center hosts its first trade group.
The convention center will be the site of a fan fest March 2 to 6 with activities for adults and children, giving the public its first look at the $78 million, 82,000-square-foot facility at the corner of Eagle and Howard streets.
The Albany Capital Center will have a "soft opening" March 2 to coincide with the MAAC… more
Siena College hosts the championship tournament for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, an event that draw thousands of people to Albany.
Details are still being worked out, but it's possible the fan fest will include basketball hoops. The convention center's ballroom was designed to accommodate three full-size basketball courts, an amenity officials say is part of the bid to bring back the NCAA Division I basketball tournament.
Officials from the NCAA and from the National Invitation Tournament, also a Division I basketball tournament, will be in Albany for the MAAC tournament. Making a great first impression on them could improve Albany's chances for getting those tournaments in the future.
"I pushed really hard to have this open in a way that they'll be able to see it," said Gavin Donohue, chairman of the Albany Convention Center Authority.
The Albany Capital Center will host its first trade group March 22 when the annual conference of the New York State Council for the Social Studies brings about 300 attendees to town.
Thirty-two events are booked so far in 2017 on multiple days, with a goal of attracting 95 by the end of the year.The facility is also being jointly marketed as the Capital Complex with 159,000 square feet of meeting space at Times Union Center, Empire State Plaza and The Egg performing arts center.
The Albany Capital Center is expected to bring 150,000 people annually to the Capital Region when the operations are stabilized, with an estimated economic impact of $36 million. The facility will be managed by SMG of Philadelphia, which also manages the county-owned Times Union Center.