The newly renovated Trotter Convention Center will host its first big event Saturday, despite continued construction on the buildings exterior.
WCBI and Main Street Columbus is sponsoring the 2015 Bridal Showcase at the Trotter Saturday. The Showcase will feature a session beginning at 9 a.m. and another at 1 p.m. Both sessions feature fashion shows, and will have a plethora of gown designers, venue representatives, caterers, jewelers and other wedding-related services to help plan nuptials.
The renovations on the interior of the Trotter are complete and ready to host the event, according to Major Andrews IV, the architect behind the $2.3 million renovation project. Andrews said the remaining construction to the exterior of the building will be complete by Feb. 15. The Trotter will continue to host events while exterior construction is completed, including a big band concert on Feb. 13.
“We feel very comfortable with the progress,” Mike Anderson, the newly appointed convention center director, said Thursday. “The convention center is moving along nicely.”
This weekend will mark the first event of a new era for the Trotter.
Last week, Anderson was chosen to replace Frank Goodman, who is officially retiring in April. Goodman has been the director of the Trotter since it opened in 1987.
The city created the Trotter by renovating the old National Guard Armory and city auditorium. The most recent renovations updated the upstairs “Columbus Room” — complete with state-of-the-art sound equipment — and improved the center’s three lower level ballrooms. The Trotter has been booked for most weekends this year, and is starting to fill up for 2016 and 2017, too, according to Anderson.
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