Convention Center Expansion Marks One-Year Milestone
The $2.6 billion Los Angeles Convention Center project is on schedule and on budget one year after construction began.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Employment
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The Los Angeles Convention Center marked the one-year anniversary of its $2.6 billion Expansion and Modernization Project, which is on time and on budget. Eighteen new conventions have booked the center since its completion phase began.
Why it matters
The expansion is designed to increase the city's capacity to host large conventions and visitors ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games. Its job creation and contracting figures show the project's direct economic footprint in Los Angeles.
The project has delivered nearly $10 million in wages and more than 1,700 new union jobs, with $500 million in contracts awarded to small and minority-owned businesses. Projected figures for completion in 2029 include 15,000+ jobs, but those outcomes remain unrealized.
The players
Los Angeles Convention Center
The Los Angeles Convention Center is the city's principal venue for large trade shows, conventions and exhibitions in Downtown Los Angeles.
The details
The expansion connects the South and West Exhibit Halls over Pico Boulevard, creating 749,426 square feet of contiguous exhibit space. Construction is being done in phases, pausing for the 2028 Olympic Games before finishing in 2029.
Timeline
October 2025: Construction on the expansion broke ground.
October 7, 2026: Mayor Bass and officials celebrated the one-year anniversary.
2028: Construction pauses for the Olympic Games.
2029: Expansion project is scheduled for completion.
Economic Pipeline
The project is pacing its construction around the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, pausing for the event before resuming through completion in 2029. This positions the expanded center to host the convention business that follows the Games.
Hundreds of apprentices are building careers in the trades through the project, and union job creation is a direct employment outcome for Los Angeles workers. Local contractors and small businesses have received $500 million in awarded contracts.
The takeaway
The expansion is moving forward on schedule and budget, with its employment impact already visible in union and apprentice hiring. Its longer-term economic effects depend on the conventions and visitors projected for after 2029.
What happens next
Construction pauses for the 2028 Olympic Games before resuming, with completion scheduled for 2029.
Further reading
For more on local hiring and workforce trends, see Los Angeles Employment.
Source note: This article includes information reported by EXHIBITOR Online.
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