I’ve attended a convention there. It is in the worst location for any urban activation.
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exactly right. One of the best convention centers close to a lot of the vibes and energy of downtown is the Nashville Music City Center. It’s just steps from Broadway and their downtown arena plus all the bars retail etc. But inside the convention center it’s the bare minimum of a 7-11 style store and a lonely dunkin donuts at the far end all by itself.
We need to keep in mind that many of the events hosted in the ballrooms and exhibition space include meals and receptions for attendees as part of what they register and pay for when they register. There’s not a lot of need for in-house retail or food/beverage, and when there’s no events in-house, it’d be a ghost town indeed for any customers of the retail some here are complaining isn’t included. Those who plan events that use convention centers (and I’m one of them) have to coordinate with the conventon center staff when booking the space to allow the facility to plan to staff (or not to bother staffing) any of their quick-serve outlets like coffee stands or grab and go snack places which they can staff if there’s $ to be made for enough people not being fed by the convention itself.
It’s also pretty common policy that if you’re not attending an event with a registration and attendee badge, security won’t allow you into downtown convention centers unless you have business there you can prove. They are keeping out the gate-crashers and those who didn’t register, along with providing security by keeping out potential protesters, the general public, and the homeless. Excuse me, “unhoused.” Were there to be retail, the convention center merchants would go bankrupt. So while it’d be nice to see retail for the sake of activating the streetfront, it just doesn’t usually work for convention center spaces.
Or as others pointed out, the convention center could be off by itself with no reason for people to be there unless they drove or ubered there for the meeting. This kind of space isn’t meant to be an active city square.
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i dig this big time. glad to see the rha adjacent sides well-pedestrianized
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Call me a hater but I really could do without the corny 
statue lol
Just do a big ol’ guitar statue, that’s just fine 
6 Likes
I actually assumed that was a Wolfpack reference, would be much happier with your read on it. 
1 Like
Design language is very NCSU-Centennial, I like it.
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This looks better than I expected based off the bland rectangle design.
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Snippet from TBJ article:
“Timelines for the convention center and amphitheater projects have been pushed back. Originally, Red Hat Amphitheater was set to open its new location in time for the 2026 season. Due to permitting and the controversial closure of a portion of South Street, Painter said the project won’t be open until the beginning of the 2027 concert season. (the current amphitheater will operate next year).
The delays will also push back the opening of the 600-room Omni Hotel planned for downtown, now set to open in late 2028, followed by the opening of the convention center expansion in 2029.”
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Hey let’s look at the positives - that’s 3 ENORMOUS projects slated to be completed and OPEN within the next 5 years.
5 years goes by quick.
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- No it doesn’t. The last 9 months have been excruciatingly slow.
- I don’t want it to. I’ll be pushing 50 by the time this stuff all gets done, assuming it even stays on this delayed schedule.
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I don’t disagree, it completely depends on the execution. But I really want it to be mechatronic and be able to change for shows/events, Wolfpack hand sign (Go Pack!), 
(jam and folk bands), (rock and metal),
(rallys/protests),
(nerds 
), 
(reggae?), 
(politics)
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Homie… this city half-asses SIDEWALKS lmao. No chance in rotten hell the statue will be animatronic.
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It’s the first thing I noticed and it’s really dumb. Need to start a whisper campaign that it means “Hail Satan” so the crazies get it changed
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Look, Dylan dreamed of a gondola, and now it’s made it into presentations… I’m manifesting here, lol
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That was my first thought as well.
Dig this and the dark scheme big time
Yeah, this architectural style has been a trend for institutional buildings lately. The glass is timeless, and the paneling can be changed out or replaced. Much better compared to brutalist architecture which can look nice for a few years, then ugly a few decades later.
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