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Changes Could Be Coming For National Western Complex, Convention Center

DENVER (CBS4) - When the city of Denver faced a battle to keep the National Western Stock Show in town it promised to take a closer look at the condition of the buildings. Now the study has been released that recommends improvements there and at other major Denver attractions.

Consultants say that while the National Western Stock Show is the highlight of stock shows, many of the attendees complain about the actual facility. So the study focused on ways to continue to capitalize on the success while keeping competitive with other cities.

Denver Coliseum
The Denver Coliseum (credit: CBS)

The study suggested by building new facilities at the National Western Complex, organizers can bring another 88 events to town and with it 900,000 new visitors to the complex yearly.

The Denver Coliseum would be replaced to add nearly 2,000 more seats as well as other amenities. The stadium arena would be replaced with a new arena that could be used year round and hold 5,000 seats.

Improvements to the Colorado Convention Center were also included in the study. More ballroom space and increased bandwidth for technology needs are part of those suggested improvements.

On Tuesday officials talked about the need for the new arenas and also the improvements to the historic facilities.

"Denver needs to think holistically about its current facilities to continue growing our convention and tourism business," Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said. "The recommendations made by the study could help strengthen Denver's position as a global city as well as a desired convention destination that would generate local and regional job growth for years to come."

"Our goal is to develop a strong year-round program for the National Western Complex that brings together education, economic development, tourism and entertainment in one location," said President and CEO of the National Western Stock Show Paul Andrews. "Our process will include a variety of key partners, and the community, that will help us create a sustainable and profitable plan for the National Western Stock Show."

Now that the study is complete they'll start exploring financing options which could include a mixture of public, private and nonprofit funds.

LINKS: Feasibility Study SummaryFeasibility Study FAQ

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