On schedule and on budget, the expanded Amarillo Civic Center is set to open April 22, 2003. The ribbon cutting and public open house will start at 4:30 p.m.

The added 70,000 square feet of meeting, exhibit and banquet space fills a great need for the city of Amarillo and brings the total meeting and exhibit space in the facility to nearly 340,000 square feet. As a result of this expansion, the Retired Teachers Association of Texas has booked Amarillo for its annual meeting in 2006.

�The Amarillo Civic Center is already one of the best municipal civic centers, for a city our size, in the nation. This expansion will help us keep pace with our clients� needs and industry demands,� Kris Miller, Amarillo Civic Center Manager, says.

A private preview party for past and future clients will be hosted by the Amarillo Convention & Visitor Council on May 16, 2003. Added is the 24,500 square foot North Exhibit Hall. This facility will have no internal columns impeding use as an exhibit hall and it will feature 25-foot ceiling clearance. Floor boxes for electrical and telecommunication service will be on 30-foot centers and wiring will include fiber-optic cables. The North Exhibit Hall will be nearly the same size as the existing South Exhibit Hall. Combined, the two halls will have space for up to 305, 10 X 10 exhibit booths.

Also added is a 20,700 square foot ballroom called the Heritage Room. The fully-carpeted facility will rival hotel ballrooms in all major Texas cities. The Heritage Room will seat nearly 1,100 for a formal dinner and 2,000 in theater-style seating. The room can be converted into as many as 20 breakout rooms.

The first major event using the North Exhibit Hall and Heritage Room will be the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce�s Business Connection on May 6, 2003. With up to 400 booths throughout the entire Amarillo Civic Center, the one-day trade show expects attendance of 7,000.

Other additions include- -two new cater/prep kitchens.

-a new, partially covered outdoor exhibit area on the west side of the building adjacent to the South Exhibit Hall.

-a new porte-cochere on the building�s east side to provide greater event access.

-a new covered patio perfect for small, informal breakout sessions or meals.

-an Amarillo Visitor Information Center, run by the Amarillo Convention & Visitor Council, featuring visitor information for local and regional attractions. The Visitor Information Center opens for business by April 1, 2003. Renovations included in the project are-

-renovation of the existing South Exhibit Hall including a new floor, new floor boxes with electrical and fiber-optic cable, and updated wall treatments.

-renovation of the south and east concourses around the Cal Farley Coliseum, doubling the size of the concourses and adding a box office to support Coliseum events.

-renovation of the ladies restroom next to the Civic Auditorium. Other existing, and very popular facilities, in the Amarillo Civic Center include- -the Cal Farley Coliseum, a 6,670-seat arena (4,870 permanent seats, 1,800 portable seats) with all new seating.

-the Grand Plaza, with its distinctive State of Texas floor, is ideal for meetings up to 1,100 and banquets up to 900.

-the Civic Center Auditorium, a first-class performance hall seating over 2,300 with renovated seating and new lobby carpet. Amarillo voters overwhelmingly approved expansion of the Amarillo Civic Center in a 1998 referendum passed by greater than a 3 to 1 margin. The plan was endorsed not only by almost every public official in the City of Amarillo and Potter County but also by the Panhandle Hotel-Motel Association (now called the Panhandle Association of Tourism and Hotels), the area�s largest group of hotel and motel owners and operators. Expansion of the Amarillo Civic Center began in January 2002. The project is estimated to cost $11.4 million. Wiley Hicks, Jr. Construction of Amarillo is the contractor. Shiver-Megert Associates LLP of Amarillo is the architect.

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Media Contact: Eric Miller +1 806-374-1497 eric@amarillo-cvb.org