UPDATE: We've updated the original story about the completion of the Savannah Convention Center to include information and photos from its opening ceremony, April 30, 2025:
The game-changing Savannah Convention Center expansion officially opened April 30, 2025, and Meetings Today was there to witness the action.
From Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Visit Savannah President Joseph Marinelli to myriad dignitaries and stakeholders in the Savannah meetings and tourism scene, the festive atmosphere celebrated the $275 million project that added a 100,000-square-foot exhibit hall, 40,000-square-foot ballroom, 15 meeting rooms and nearly 1,000 parking spaces to the property.
Following is the original story:
Savannah Convention Center in Savannah, Georgia, has completed a $276 million expansion and facility enhancement, completing a project that originally began in 2018.
The expansion has doubled the facility’s total square footage to 660,000 square feet and adds a 100,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a 40,000-square-foot ballroom, 14 meeting rooms, an additional boardroom and over 900 additional parking spaces. With the new additions, the convention center now features 200,000 square feet of total meeting space, 27 meeting rooms and five boardrooms.
"People always love coming to Savannah from a leisure standpoint, but this expansion will truly put Savannah on the map for meetings and conventions," said Angela Daniels, director of sales and marketing for the convention center in a press release. "With new spaces showcasing the destination—like the stunning Savannah Terrace overlooking the Savannah River and the Landmark Historic District—attendees will experience spectacular views and warm breezes that set Savannah apart from competing markets."
The newly improved convention center isn’t the only development in the works for the city of Savannah, with a new headquarters hotel adjacent to the convention center also in development.
"These enhancements will allow us to attract a wider variety of events and larger groups that may have previously faced challenges due to Savannah's space limitations," said Joseph Marinelli, president and CEO of Visit Savannah in a press release.
The expansion project faced years of delays due to a variety of construction challenges, with the expected completion time being pushed multiple times. And while the delay did impact some planned events, the main convention facility did remain open throughout much of the process.
