When the International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society's annual conference came to the Savannah Convention Center in mid-September, it used every square inch of the center's space, said General Manger Kelvin Moore.
That includes the 200,000 square feet of new exhibit halls brought by the center’s $276 million expansion. IVECCS' conference marked the center’s largest single convention since its February 2025 opening.
“Had the convention center not been expanded, we simply would not have been able to house them,” Moore said.
The convention was 5,500 registered attendees and about 5,475 booked hotel room nights. The event was branded by IVECCS as the “premier
conference for emergency and critical care veterinarians, technicians, practice managers, and students,” according to its website.
Moore said conventions are particularly strong from an economic impact perspective because convention attendees typically stay multiple nights, and frequent restaurants or other entertainment options such as museums. The estimated economic impact from the IVECCS event was $1.3 million, he said.
But the event was also significant for when it happened—Monday through Thursday. Local tourism leaders have said the city typically sees bustling activity on the weekends, but visitation has historically not been as strong during the week.
Attracting weekday visitors was one purported advantage of the expansion space at the time of opening, according to reporting by the Savannah Morning News. Moore said that when convention centers are at their highest use, they fill restaurants and businesses throughout the city Sunday through Thursday.
“That’s real tangible economic impact,” he said. “You can look at it, you can see it. It’s no longer a philosophical thing.”
Moore said providing that community impact to Savannah is key to the center’s mission, adding that he hopes the local community will feel a sense of pride and ownership in the space
While IVECCS was the center’s largest convention to date, it wasn’t the largest event held in the expansion. The Nike Savannah Showdown volleyball tournament upon the expansion’s launch brought 14,000 attendees over three days.
But those 14,000 weren’t utilizing the space at the same time. But conventions are different, Moore says.
At IVECCS, attendees were generally all in the building at the same time. The exhibit halls had booths and exhibits expected a veterinary conference, ranging from technology to stands with vet practitioners.
The other exhibit halls had hands-on demonstrations and interactive activities. The meetings rooms held regular business sessions and educational lectures.
Moore said he felt the center’s operations went “without a hitch.”
“I think it goes to show Savannah as a destination, (and) the Savannah Convention Center are capable of playing in that next big league of events,” Moore said. “This event was one of those that gave us the opportunity to demonstrate that.”
The next step in the center’s growth is already sprouting up to its west in the planned Signia hotel. The hotel will over 400 new hotel rooms adjacent to the center when completed in mid-2028.
“Once that opens, our ability to compete for events like IVECCS will only skyrocket,” Moore said.
Evan Lasseter is the City of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@savannahnow.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Why Savannah's expanded convention center just hosted its largest event
