You might have noticed some construction happening at the St. John’s Convention Centre downtown, or perhaps it just blended into a widespread banging and clanging of construction throughout the city this summer.

An expanded and improved convention centre is set to open in 2016. Why? Because St. John’s has the capacity to be a great host city for conventions, huge seminars, business meetings, annual general meetings, etc, etc, and the new convention centre will make us better able to host these kinds of things.

This $60 million expansion will double the current capacity of the Convention Centre, and create a direct link to the St. John’s Delta Hotel, and Mile One Centre, putting 100,000 square feet of space under one roof.

There will be more than 45,000 square feet of divisible meeting space, and boasting such fancy square footage will make the St. John’s Convention Centre “one of the leading buildings of its kind in Canada.”

The Centre is currently seeking a naming rights partner. So if you love the spirit and vision of the project, and what it can do for the city, you’re welcome to make a bid to be the person who can slap their name or company name on it. ( The St. John’s Overcast Convention Centre?)

As SJSE CEO Sheena McCrate has said, naming rights are common practice throughout Canada and represent a unique opportunity for the right brand or company to align with a showcase facility.

“Over the next decade, the St. John’s Convention Centre will become an economic driver within the local marketplace and enable St. John’s to continue its efforts [to be] a desired destination for conventions and business meetings in Canada.”

According to Destination St. John’s, the City of St. John’s hosted 104 meetings, conventions, and events in 2013, with an economic impact of approximately $60 million.

Naming rights will come with other perk such as “exposure in marketing materials, exterior and interior signage, and hospitality opportunities … and a chance to participate the final design elements.”

“The business case for a naming rights partner has been built around strong advance bookings for convention business and projected building usage across a number of industries and user groups”, says Seamus O’Keefe, principal of a St. John’s based sponsorship agency, SOK Associates Inc.

Anyone interested in becoming a naming partner should get in touch with Michelle Eagles, Operations Manager for the St. John’s Convention Centre, at (709) 758-5498 or [email protected].

Anyone interested in a sneak peak can take the virtual tour below: