Big changes: Red Hat Amphitheater could be relocated as part of Raleigh Convention Center's proposed expansion

More people want to come to Raleigh than the city can accommodate, a representative of the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex told Wake County Commissioners on Monday.

Kerry Painter, general manager and director of the complex, presented plans for an expanded and renovated Raleigh Convention Center and a move for Red Hat Amphitheater, to create a two-square-block destination for meetings, events and entertainment in downtown Raleigh.

"We are out of space, we are out of space," says Painter. "As crazy as that sounds at 500,000 square feet, we are out of space."

That's why Painter is asking commissioners and Raleigh City Council to relocate Red Hat Amphitheater as part of a proposal for a $425 million expansion that would double capacity for major future events – from eSports to bluegrass festivals to dinosaur conventions.

“We have some really great conferences that have grown and we have been with them through. They are so big and now they have to leave," says Painter.

This proposal comes at a time when the center’s occupancy rate is 88%, which is only 70% of the industry standard.

However, the thought of moving the amphitheater didn’t sit well with some concert lovers.

"We know it needs to stay!" says Painter. "It is a wonderful amenity for the city. We are going to slide it over not even a whole block to the left."

The Wake County 2022 Tourism Industry Report shows hotel occupancy tax and prepared food and beverage tax collections pulled in more than $73 million – record highs – last year.

"The truth is, we turned away business because we simply didn’t have room, not to mention the potential clients who weren’t even able to consider us due to our limited capacity," Painter said. "More space means more dollars spent at all of our surrounding and supporting businesses.”

She shared renderings of a Red Hat Amphitheater with an expanded footprint, shifted to the south of its current location on McDowell Street, and a multi-story, multi-building convention center connected by a glass skyway.

Raleigh set a record in 2022 for hotel room nights, and tourism.

More than 4.7 million people visited the area in 2022 to attend events, conferences and tournaments hosted by Visit Raleigh and the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance (GRSA).

For 2023, Visit Raleigh and GRSA have already booked 333 events, with an impact of nearly 206,000 room-nights of future business and a projected $131.3 million in economic impact.

Dennis Edwards, president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, said, “This type of an expansion will give us the ability to layer a number of events simultaneously, which is difficult to do today, and attract larger conventions which we cannot host with the current footprint."

The County and City Manager will review the proposal and then make a recommendation.

On June 20, the Board of Commissioners and Raleigh City Council will vote on if the funding for the expansion will be approved.