Los Angeles is spending big to make its convention center competitive again before the world shows up. The city broke ground in October 2025 on a $2.62 billion expansion and modernization of the LA Convention Center in downtown, racing a hard deadline set by the 2028 Olympics.
Project Scope
The job connects the existing South and West exhibit halls into one contiguous space of more than 750,000 square feet, adding 190,000 square feet of exhibit space plus 39,000 square feet of meeting rooms and 98,000 square feet of multipurpose space. Populous leads design. A PCL Construction and Webcor joint venture is building it, with Plenary Americas as the city’s development partner under a public-private deal. Most work wraps by spring 2028, with full completion in spring 2029.
Why It Matters
Contiguous exhibit space is the whole game in the convention business. Splitting a show across disconnected halls costs cities bookings, and LA has lost events to newer venues for years. The 2028 Games gave the long-stalled expansion a deadline nobody could push. The P3 structure also shifts some delivery risk to Plenary, a model U.S. cities are testing more as public budgets tighten.
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Project Team & Details
| Developer | Plenary Americas |
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| Owner / Client | City of Los Angeles |
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| Architect | Populous |
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| General Contractor | PCL Construction / Webcor JV |
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| Status | Under Construction |
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| Delivery Method | Public-Private Partnership (P3) |
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| Funding Source | Public-Private Partnership (P3) |
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