FARGO, ND — Voters approved a city ballot measure which will end with the construction of a convention center in the city.
Fargo voters previously saw a combined Fargodome expansion and convention center vote in December of 2023. This year, voters voiced approval for only the convention center, which received 52% support.
Proponents of the convention center argued multiple events each year skip past Fargo due to a lack of a large conference space. The space is expected to house a 50,000 square foot space, with the ability to utilize room dividers, up to 20,000 square feet of breakout rooms, a catering kitchen, and more.
“There was $11.7 million dollars last year in direct visitor spending on the meetings side for us. Over $40 million in spending on the sports side. It’s not because one teams works harder than the other, it’s just because we don’t have all of those facilities,” said CEO of Visit Fargo-Moorhead Charlie Johnson.
The future convention center has the potential to be house next to the Fargodome, but is not guaranteed. Johnson says the city will put out a project for companies to submit bids. Fargo leaders will decide on a later date from one of those options.
