Raleigh Convention Center Rebounds After Dec. 1 Fire

The Raleigh Convention Center is making substantial progress toward welcoming events back after a fire on Dec. 1. The cost for repairs and lost revenue is still under assessment according to the venue’s Marketing Manager Liam Aubrey.

The fire damaged portions of the roof, but Aubrey credits the quick action of the first responders with the Raleigh Fire Department for evacuating everyone safely and preventing any fire damage to the interior of the building. Although there was water damage, event spaces were largely unaffected. Within the week, work crews removed water from the building, applied a temporary seal to the roof, and began restoring the boiler to operation. Affected staff areas are currently undergoing repair.

“We can’t express enough how grateful we are for the fast action and bravery of our amazing first responders,” states Kerry Painter, Executive Director of the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex. “We appreciate Chief Griffin and every one of the more than 60 personnel who responded. And every department in the City of Raleigh has played a vital role in the progress we’ve made toward getting events back in our venue. The support and collaboration from our colleagues and community have been incredible. This challenge was just such a beautiful testament to all the wonderful people who make Raleigh what it is, and we’re so thankful.”

Convention center staff along with other City of Raleigh departments and contractors are working to restore operations at the 500,000 square-foot facility. Staff at the Raleigh Convention Center have worked with the event organizers through the remainder of December to reschedule, move, or cancel their event.

Organizations that were unable to host their event at the venue will have their deposit refunded. Two events were able to find new venues including one at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, another venue in the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex, which also includes Red Hat Amphitheater.

The convention center is part of a $400 million expansion that includes a second building across the street that will add an additional 298,100 square feet of meeting space which will bring the center’s total square footage to 798,100. The fire was confined to the existing building and early reports cite a possible mechanical failure in an HVAC unit’s cooling area as the likely cause. The expansion gives The Complex the ability to attract bigger events – including booking simultaneous conferences.

In July, the Raleigh Convention Center was presented with the 2025 Venue Excellence Award from the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) at their VenueConnect conference in New Orleans. The award recognizes five IAVM venues of any type within the membership that demonstrate excellence in the management and operation of public assembly venues. 

The Raleigh Convention Center has welcomed more than 6.5 million guests and generated an excess of $963 million in economic impact since opening in 2008. In the past year, the Center hosted 163 events over 332 event days, with 379,431 guests. The city-owned and managed facility consistently strives to be an industry leader in security, sustainability and accessibility. Staff are trained in crowd safety, accessibility for neurodiversity and the facility is LEED Silver certified.