THE METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE in May received a Green Toronto Award of $5,000 to donate to the environmental organization of its choice. The Green Toronto Awards recognize environmental initiatives that contribute to the city's environmental health and sustainability. The center's recycling levels average 64 percent, and it has reduced energy consumption by 40 percent over the past five years. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre has more than 2 million square feet of space.

THE PHOENIX CONVENTION CENTER is in the second phase of its $600 million renovation and expansion. The new West Building opened in 2006; the new North building is slated to open in 2008. The first events in the completed facility are scheduled for 2009. Plans include use of recycled materials whenever possible and use of environmentally responsible wood products, adhesives, sealants, carpeting, and paint. When complete, the center will have 2.5 million square feet of meeting and event space.

In April, THE ALLIANT ENERGY CENTER, Madison, Wis., received Travel Green Certification from Travel Green Wisconsin. The facility includes the 22,000-square-foot arena, the 66,885-square-foot coliseum, and the 100,000-square-foot exhibition hall. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, Travel Green Wisconsin recognizes tourism-related businesses that are reducing their environmental impact.

THE BRANSON (MO.) CONVENTION CENTER is scheduled to open this month. The center will offer 220,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including two exhibit halls totaling 50,000 square feet, which connects to a 23,000-square-foot ballroom. The center will be linked to the HILTON BRANSON CONVENTION HOTEL, which will offer 290 rooms and suites and is also set to open this month.

The ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER, Orlando, Fla., in March became the first convention center in the U.S. to receive ISO 14001:2004 certification for its Environmental Management System. The International Organization for Standardization is a network of national standards institutes from 146 countries. The OCCC's accomplishments include 40 percent recovery on all waste in 2006; diversion of 9,000 tons of material for remanufacture; and recycling of 871 tons of cardboard and 5.8 tons of office paper. The Orange County Convention Center has 2.1 million square feet of space.

The Washington Convention Center Authority, which owns and operates the WASHINGTON (D.C.) CONVENTION CENTER, now offers a computer-aided design program that provides laser-accurate layouts of rooms in the 2.3 million-square-foot center, as well as hundreds of meeting room templates. The Room Diagrams tool is available on www.dcconvention.com, under the section titled Meeting Planners. The center has 703,000 square feet of exhibit space, 150,000 square feet of meeting space and is topped by a 52,000-square-foot ballroom.

The new $202.5 million VIRGINIA BEACH CONVENTION CENTER was finished in January. With more than 500,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, it is the largest meeting facility in the Hampton Roads region. The center has five meeting suites totaling 28,929 square feet, including the 972-square-foot VIP lounge. Exhibit space includes a 150,012-square-foot column-free exhibit hall and 53,800 square feet of pre-function space. The center's 31,029-square-foot ballroom features programmable LED lighting.

The design for the proposed $275 million expansion of the INDIANA CONVENTION CENTER was unveiled in late June. Construction will start in summer 2008 after demolition of the RCA Dome. When completed in 2010, the expansion — combined with space in the new stadium — will increase the total amount of exhibition, meeting room, and pre-function space from about 725,000 square feet to more than 1.2 million square feet. The new convention center/stadium complex will boast 747,000 square feet of exhibition space, 129,000 square feet of meeting room space, 67,000 square feet of ballroom space, plus 296,000 square feet of pre-function space. A walkway will connect the expansion with the new Lucas Oil Stadium.