Las Vegas Convention Center

The Las Vegas Convention Center is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in Winchester, Nevada.Being one of the largest convention centers in the world with 1940631sqft of exhibit space, it hosts shows with an estimated 200,000 participants. It is the largest single-level convention center in the world. The Conexpo-Con/Agg construction trade show in 2008 used the most space, 2400000sqft. The LVCC is adjacent to the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino and the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel and is accessible from the Las Vegas Monorail.At the end of 2010, the entire Las Vegas Valley had more than 10000000sqft of exhibit space.HistoryCity and county community leaders realized in the 1950s, the need for a convention facility. The initial goal was to increase the occupancy rates of hotels during slow tourist months. A site was chosen one block east of the Las Vegas Strip at the site of the Las Vegas Park Speedway, a failed horse and automobile racing facility from the early 1950s. A 6,300 seat, silver-domed rotunda, with an adjoining 90000sqft exhibit hall opened in April 1959. It hosted The Beatles on August 20, 1964.The Convention Center was the site of several major professional boxing fights in the 1960s, including Gene Fullmer versus Sugar Ray Robinson on March 4, 1961; Fulmer versus Benny Paret on December 9, 1961; Sonny Liston versus Floyd Patterson on July 22, 1963; and Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) versus Floyd Patterson on November 22, 1965.