The City of Monterey has announced that construction to revitalize the Monterey Conference Center is scheduled to begin in late November 2015. The renovation will infuse up to $45 million in physical and technological improvements into the building. The first floor of the revitalized center is scheduled to be re-opened by late summer 2016, and the grand opening of the entire center is expected in early 2017.

Conference Center staff is working with groups who are booked into the facility during construction to provide alternative locations for conferences and events. A temporary pavilion will accommodate many groups. Adjacent hotels, the Portola Hotel & Spa and the Monterey Marriott, do not expect to be affected by the remodel and are open for business.

The Conference Center renovation will create more flexible meeting space, more usable pre-function space, advanced technology, and the ability to host multiple meetings simultaneously in a silver LEED-certified building with a contemporary exterior that evokes the Monterey style. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP is providing architecture, interiors, and engineering for the renovation.

Set on the spectacular coast of central California, the Monterey Conference Center is located in the heart of Old Monterey. The Monterey Conference Center opened April 30, 1977 and quickly became an important economic engine for the growth of the hospitality and tourism industries in the City of Monterey and Monterey County. The Monterey City Council authorized renovation of the Conference Center in 2013 based on a study by experts in the field. The project will be financed by a bond.