At ilani Casino Resort, interior construction recently began on a planned event center attached to the northeast corner of the building.
The exterior of the center was completed along with the rest of the casino last spring. The center was originally expected to open this fall, but will now open sometime this spring. When it does, the center will be capable of seating 2,500 people.
“We’ve taken time to ensure our planning, programming and budget is aligned with the operations team to confirm we’re meeting their needs,” said Paul Tresnan, director of program and project management, on pushing back the opening date.
Tom Teesdale, vice president of marketing, said project crews are making good headway. Swinerton Builders are doing the construction and Friedmutter Group is leading design work.
According to Teesdale, the entertainment center will utilize air walls capable of dividing the space into six different rooms if needed. For other events, those air walls will simply be tucked away to maximize capacity.
“There’s going to be all kinds of events in here, so those (air walls) will be great to configure the space however needed for each event,” Teesdale said.
According to Teesdale, when stages are used for events such as concerts, they will likely sit along the west wall because adjacent storage rooms will make moving large equipment in and out relatively easy. For other events, such as boxing matches, Teesdale said the stage will probably go in the middle of the room and seating will circle all the way around it.
Along the east wall, the event center will have a few large windows that view Mount St. Helens. Just outside the windows there will be a patio area to serve cocktail events and other various meetings.
“The event center will serve as a regional group meeting space for Clark County and will be used for large group meetings, conferences and conventions as well as entertainment,” Teesdale said. ‘We also foresee this space enhancing entertainment offerings in the Pacific Northwest.”