Inside the convention center open house, and the question that matters most

A friend of mine asked me a blunt question a while back. "Vince, why should I care?" He's got a kid, a job and a full calendar. City projects feel far away.

I thought about him the whole time I was at the convention center open house Thursday night. Because that's the real test for any big idea in this city. Not whether the people in the room get it. Whether he does.

So here's my best shot at the plain-words version.

The short version

• The idea: a modern convention center downtown, near hotels, restaurants and things to do.
• The current one stays. The Sioux Falls Convention Center on West Avenue would keep the trade shows, ag events and local gatherings.
• Who's leading: Experience Sioux Falls and Forward Sioux Falls. Both are private groups, not the city.
• Still not decided: where it goes, what it looks like, what it costs and who pays.
• Next chance to weigh in: Wed., Dec. 2, at the Downtown Library, or online anytime.

If you want the background first, start with our explainer from earlier this week.

Two centers, two jobs

The pitch Thursday was built around one idea. This isn't about replacing the building we were sitting in. It's about adding a second one with a different job.

The current center is good at things that need big doors and parking for trailers. Combines, boats, trucks. Ag shows and local events where people drive in and drive home the same day. The organizers were clear that it's done well, and they want to keep it.

A downtown center would chase a different kind of event. Regional and national conventions. Thousands of people who fly in, stay a few nights and want to walk to dinner after their sessions. Those groups expect a hotel attached and restaurants within a few blocks. Right now, the area around the West Avenue center doesn't offer that.

They pointed to Fort Wayne, Indiana, as an example. It's a city with deep ag roots that kept its expo center and also built a convention center downtown.

Why they say now

Three reasons came up again and again.

We've outgrown it. When the current center opened, Sioux Falls had about 115,000 people. Today it's about 225,000. By 2050, the organizers' slide projects 395,000. The center has about 60,000 square feet. They said many groups now ask for 100,000 at minimum.

Business is going elsewhere. Experience Sioux Falls says Sioux Falls lost $293 million in economic activity to other cities over the last two years. Its team has tracked 329 pieces of business it couldn't book because of space, open dates or no attached hotel. And it stopped tracking closely, because it can't even bid on many of them anymore. They said those events are going to cities like Omaha, Des Moines, Boise and Milwaukee.

Pheasant Fest. When the National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic came here in 2024, it drew more than 35,000 people. It was the biggest turnout of any host city. But vendors were turned away for lack of space. In a letter this spring, the organizers said they won't come back unless our convention facilities are upgraded. The presenters estimated that one weekend brought in $23 million.

They also tied it to things residents use. Visitor spending already brings in more than $126 million a year in state and local taxes, according to their numbers. Their pitch is simple. More visitors means more money for parks, pools, libraries and public safety that residents don't have to pay for themselves.

Where it stands

The presenters showed a five-step path:

1. Build understanding and support
2. Explore possible sites
3. Develop a concept and design
4. Understand costs and funding options
5. Shape what's next, together

They're on step one. They said that's on purpose. In the past, they said, the public usually got brought in near the end, after the big decisions were already lined up. This time they want people involved from the start. "We're in the kitchen and we're cooking," one presenter said, "and you're in here too."

On sites, they pointed to the city's Downtown 2035 plan, which already maps areas marked for development. If you have a site you like, or one you'd hate, they want to hear it.

What people asked

The Q&A was short, but it went to the right places.

What about the people who'd work there? One person who represents workers across the region asked about transit, bus stops and housing. A downtown convention center needs cooks, servers and housekeepers who can get there and afford to live here. The organizers said housing and transit aren't their focus right now but will be part of the conversation.

Who's connecting the dots? I asked this one. We have a lot of generational projects happening at once. The viaducts. The Smithfield site. The Quarry. Railroad crossings. How much is this effort talking with those? Decisions this big should at least be in the same room.

Can it grow? A longtime hospitality worker suggested that whatever gets built should be able to expand, with room for a hotel. Other cities are on their second or third expansion.

What people put on the boards

Before the presentation, people added sticky notes to two boards.

What makes Sioux Falls a good place to live? Great schools. Great health care. Four seasons. Safe downtown. A great park system. Livable neighborhoods. Philanthropy and community. Friendly people. And "pragmatic growth."

What do you want to see in Sioux Falls or your neighborhood? Gathering spaces like Lincoln Commons. More "third places" in central Sioux Falls. Youth sports facilities. Baseball fields on the west side. Easy access to bike trails. Benches at bus stops. Intentional public transit. Good road maintenance. Neighborhood tool libraries and maker spaces. More restaurants downtown.

There was also a map where people pinned where they live. The pins were spread across the whole city.

The question that matters most

Back to my friend.

After the presentation, a few of us stayed and talked. We kept coming back to the same thing. Most people in Sioux Falls weren't in that room. They won't read a market study. And when they hear "convention center," the first thing they'll ask is what it means for them.

That's a fair question. And it deserves a clear answer.

The best case I heard Thursday wasn't the economic impact number. It was this. Pheasant Fest came, broke records and couldn't fit. A bigger room means bigger events with more vendors and more things for us to go do, not just for visitors. And the taxes those visitors pay can go toward the pools, parks and roads we use every day.

The fair questions are just as real. Where would it go? What would it cost? Who pays, and how much of it comes from taxpayers? Does it fit with everything else we're already building? Those answers aren't here yet. The organizers say we'll help shape them.

So my ask is the same one I'd give my friend. You don't have to be for it or against it yet. Just know enough to have a say when it counts.

Your move: weigh in Dec. 2

The next open house is Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Downtown Library, 200 N. Dakota Ave. The presentation starts at 6:20. It's the same presentation, so if you missed Thursday, this is your chance.

Can't make it? Share your ideas through the "What's Your More?" form on Experience Sioux Falls' convention center page. It asks for your name and contact information, and the mailing list is optional.

Follow along on our downtown convention center issue page, and see what's next on the civic calendar.

These are my notes from the open house. Numbers come from the presenters' slides and remarks unless another source is listed.

Sources

• More Visitors Means More for Sioux Falls, Experience Sioux Falls
• After record-breaking trade show, new Convention Center planning begins, SiouxFalls.Business, March 11, 2024
• More Visitors Means More for Sioux Falls: The Vision for a Downtown Convention Center, Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, Nov. 5, 2026