Raleigh Convention Center Reopens After December Fire

The Raleigh Convention Center reopened this week following a fire on Dec. 1. The four events set to take place at the venue include software company Prometheus Group’s Sales Kickoff, the CHG Roadshow, Smartsheet user group and City of Oaks Challenge Volleyball tournament.

Reaching this reopening milestone was a group effort from convention center leadership and staff, staff from across all departments of the City of Raleigh, contractors and community partners. The convention center was able to retain approximately $4 million in revenue and 28,000 hotel room nights by reopening this week. 

“We’re so thrilled to have guests back in our building and thankful for all the planners who we’ve gotten to work with this past month to make sure their events can still happen. City of Oaks Volleyball was our first large scale event following the COVID-19 pandemic, so to have them in right now after this is special, that they’ve been part of several great comebacks with us,” states Kerry Painter, Executive Director of the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex in the announcement.

While the convention center’s kitchen is under repair, a temporary mobile kitchen has been set up at Red Hat Amphitheater. Construction on the temporary facility began on Jan. 7 and was completed on Jan. 11. The mobile kitchen is approximately the same size as the permanent kitchen and features all the same equipment. The kitchen will be set up as long as needed, but it will be out before the beginning of concert season at the amphitheater.

The cost of repairs and lost revenue is still being assessed. The fire damaged portions of the roof but not the interior of the building. Although there was water damage, event spaces were largely unaffected.

“Our team, other city departments, and our contractors have worked day and night for the last month to get here, and it’s incredible to see where we were on Dec. 1 and where we are today,” continues Painter. “We’re able to provide the same excellent service our clients expect with an innovative mobile kitchen setup in Red Hat Amphitheater. This is the same mobile kitchen used for incredibly large-scale, high-end events like Formula One racing, so we’re not just making do but continuing to operate at a really high level while our permanent kitchen undergoes repairs.”