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COBO
Convention
Center
takes on
new look
as it
prepares
for the
2012
North
American
International
Auto
Show
DETROIT,
MI (Tell
Us Det)
-New
cars
won't be
the only
thing
you will
see at
the
up-coming
North
American
Auto
Show at
Cobo
Center
in
January.
The
visitor
friendly
exhibit
center
will
have
more
room to
view
more
vehicles.
Contractors,
engineers,
designers
and
crews
are
working
feverishly
to
finish
upgrades
to
parking,
concessions,
restrooms
and a
25,000-square-foot
expansion,
all in
time for
the
biggest
show of
the
year.
Tell Us
Detroit
and
other
local
media
were
invited
to a
walking
tour,
giving
journalists
a sneak
peek at
the
renovations
and
additions
even as
crews
worked
to get
the
existing
portions
in place
for the
annual
auto
show in
January.
"We've
come a
long way
in a
short
time,"
said
Thom
Connors,
Cobo
Center
general
manager.
"The
people
working
here are
passionate
about
making
it
better."
Cobo
Center
will
become
more
accessible,
more
spacious,
and more
efficient
in its
use of
space.
It will
take
advantage
of its
anchor
position
on an
international
border
and as a
showpiece
of a
vibrant
downtown.
"We've
come a long way in a short time," said Thom Connors, Cobo
Center general manager. "The people working here are
passionate about making it better." (Photo by HB Meeks/Tell
Us Detroit)
From the
exterior,
the
changes
to Cobo
Center
will be
striking.
Along
the
river,
around
Cobo
Arena
and
along
the main
façade,
glass,
light
and
openness
will
bring
the city
into
Cobo as
never
before.
Multiple
new
entrances,
increased
parking,
and
improved
traffic
flow
will
enhance
the
visitor
experience.
And
everyone
will
pause to
admire
the most
striking
addition
to
Cobo’s
exterior
– a
massive
high-tech
digital
video
grid
that
will
promote
events
and
excitement
while
adding a
signature
element
to
Detroit’s
downtown
skyline.
But it’s
what’s
happening
inside
Cobo,
that’s
even
more
exciting.
The main
concourse
will be
opened
up to
improve
interior
traffic
flow,
while a
new food
court is
already
drawing
rave
reviews.
Most
significantly,
a
facility
that
never
had a
unique,
definitive
focal
point
now
will, in
the form
of a new
three-story
atrium
opening
onto the
Detroit
River.
This new
space
connects
Cobo to
the
riverfront,
connects
the
existing
concourse
level to
the
lower-level
convention
hall and
enables
one of
the
other
major
reinventions
of Cobo
Center’s
existing
footprint.
The $300
million
project
also
involves
big
changes
to the
Cobo
Arena.
The
seats
have
been
torn
out, the
walls
knocked
in and
concrete
rubble
rests on
the
ground.
(Photo
by HB
Meeks/Tell
Us
Detroit)
Cobo
Arena,
once one
of
Detroit’s
premier
sports
and
entertainment
venues,
is
finding
a new
life as
part of
Cobo
Center’s
transformation.
The $300
million
project
also
involves
big
changes
to the
Cobo
Arena.
The
seats
have
been
torn
out, the
walls
knocked
in and
concrete
rubble
rests on
the
ground.
But by
this
time
next
year,
Cobo
officials
promise
it will
transformed
into the
largest
ballroom
in
Michigan,
ready to
host
concerts,
theatrical
events
and --
of
course
--
automotive
displays.
It is
the
final
phase of
major
renovations
since
the
Detroit
Regional
Convention
Facility
Authority
took
control
in 2009.
The
improvements
and
refurbishments
will
increase
the
usable
space
from
about
755,000
square
feet to
more
than
850,000
square
feet.
Recent
studies
showed a
need for
not
necessarily
bigger,
but more
efficient
conference
centers,
said Tom
Constand,
director
of
communications
for the
Detroit
Regional
Convention
Facility
Authority.
"You
need to
make the
existing
space
more
usable,
more
adaptable,
more
flexible,"
Constand
said.
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