OKLAHOMA CITY — Overlooking a snow‑filled downtown on Wednesday, city leaders and community partners gathered at the Oklahoma City Convention Center for hors d’oeuvres and a celebratory champagne toast marking the venue’s fifth anniversary.
The event reflected on five years since the Convention Center opened in January 2021 and highlighted its role as a cornerstone project of MAPS 3.
At the celebration, city officials, Convention Center leadership and community partners shared reflections on the facility’s first five years and highlighted key milestones. Since opening, the Convention Center has hosted more than 700 events, welcomed nearly 970,000 attendees and generated $147 million in direct spending between 2021 and 2025.
“This center is more than just conferences. It is Oklahoma City,” Angela Smith, Director of Sales at the Oklahoma City Convention Center, said during the event.
Oklahoma City Convention Center General Manager Barbara Beaton said the facility’s performance over five years has exceeded expectations, especially considering its launch during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
“We started slow,” Beaton said in an interview with Free Press. “When you open in the middle of COVID it’s a challenge, but we’ve grown and grown and grown, and we’ve become more of a destination for conventions.”
She added that demand has accelerated to the point that the Convention Center is booking events into 2030 while continuing to serve local organizations.
MAPS milestone
The Convention Center’s anniversary also underscores how major public investments in Oklahoma City have evolved through the Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) program.
Since voters first approved the original MAPS sales tax in December 1993 to fund downtown revitalization efforts, residents have consistently supported subsequent MAPS initiatives. Each program is funded by a temporary one-cent sales tax and built debt-free using a pay-as-you-go model.
Before MAPS 3, Oklahoma City’s primary downtown event venue was the Cox Convention Center, originally known as the Myriad Convention Center, which opened in 1972. MAPS 3’s approval in 2009 made possible a new, modern convention facility paired with a headquarters hotel, designed to significantly expand the city’s convention capacity.
The Convention Center project cost $288 million and remains the largest single MAPS project in city history, completed on time, under budget and without incurring debt.
A significant feature of the Convention Center is the addition of public art to the outside and inside of the facility. Local artists have been commissioned to generate art that adds a warmth and sense of creativity to what could, because of its scale, feel like a massive and overwhelming space.
As Free Press reported in 2018, the bids for the convention center came in a full $20 million below budget.
Earlier, in 2017, the City Council entered into an agreement with the owners of the Omni Hotel chain to issue bonds with their agreement to make a much larger investment to establish a 600-bed convention hotel next door.
Sue Hollenbeck, Executive Manager and Special Projects Manager in the City Manager’s Office, said the facility provides a critical asset for the city’s continued growth.
“This was not only the largest project in MAPS 3, but the largest and most expensive project any MAPS program had ever done,” Hollenbeck said. “You can’t really have a thriving city without having quality space like ballroom space, meeting space, and convention space.”
Moving on to MAPS 4
While reflecting on the success of this MAPS 3 project at the anniversary event, speakers also looked ahead to the future. The anniversary comes as Oklahoma City continues work on MAPS 4, approved by voters in 2019, which includes 16 major projects focused on neighborhood needs, quality of life, and community infrastructure, with funding scheduled through 2028.
Among the highlighted MAPS 4 initiatives is a proposed over 10,000-seat multipurpose stadium, which will find its home right next to the Convention Center. The $121 million venue, partially funded by MAPS 4, has generated both excitement and apprehension. It is expected to host a variety of sports and events, with construction anticipated to begin in 2026 and an opening targeted for 2028.
Overall, The MAPS 4 program is projected to raise about $1.07 billion over eight years, with more than 70 percent of funds dedicated to neighborhood and human needs, including parks, youth and senior centers, mental health and addiction services, homelessness initiatives and a Family Justice Center, which has already begun construction.
“I’m so happy that the citizens are so excited about the projects and that it’s gone through every time,” Oklahoma City Convention Center’s Barbara Beaton said about ongoing MAPS initiatives.
Zoe Elrod covers events and happenings around Oklahoma City for Free Press bringing her skill as a reporter and photographer. Zoe has spent her career covering local musicians, artists, politicians, and everyday folks.
