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10 | I NSIGH T • F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 8 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m UP FRONT B y S e a n P. J o h n s o n S O M E T I M E S Y O U N E E D T H E last minute to get everything just right. at certainly seemed true last month as representatives from Fox Cities governments and tourism agencies scurried about the Fox Cities Exhibition Center preparing for a grand unveiling, first to a group of VIPs, then to the public. Aer 30 years of waiting, cajoling, pleading and wrangling the project to completion, they used all those final moments to make sure nothing was out of place. Open for business Leaders anticipate reaping benefits from exhibition center "Tourism is business. The taxes generated by tourism help to pay police, educators and for health care." — Stephanie Klett, Wisconsin Secretary of Tourism R e g i o n a l R o u n d u p » 1 2 F a c e T i m e » 1 5 C o n n e c t i o n s » 1 7 "I think the final truck and construction crew le just about 10 minutes ago," Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna said as he watched the media and early birds getting a preview before the grand opening. "Some materials were still arriving just a few days ago." It turns out they would need every last second. Just 10 days separated the grand opening and the venue's first major event, and the list of events coming up continues to grow. "We have more than 20 events already booked," says Linda Garvey, general manager of the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, which manages the exhibition center. She conservatively estimated those 20 events would result in at least 4,000 additional hotel room stays in the Fox Cities. e $31 million facility was constructed into the hillside of Jones Park, which will be renovated and reopened in 2019. Connected by a skywalk to the Paper Valley Hotel, the exhibition center houses more than 37,000 square feet of exhibition space, with more than 9,000 square feet of lobby and multipurpose areas. e center also boasts 17,000 square feet of outdoor plaza space that can be used for events. e structure is crowned by an 82-foot spire symbolizing the first hydroelectric plant operating on the Fox River in 1882. It can be lighted with different colors for events or holiday seasons. Pierce Manufacturing held its North American sales conference at the venue Jan. 25-28, the first major event the facility hosted. It drew more than 500 to the Fox Cities. Several other high-profile events are scheduled to follow, including the Wisconsin Governor's Conference on Tourism, which will draw more than 1,000 tourism professionals to the Fox Cities for three days from March 11-13. "When folks come and are treated Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna discusses the unique challenges of building the Fox Cities Exhibition Center and the performance of the crews that brought the project in on time and under budget. P H O T O B Y B R YA N A S C H E N B R E N N E R