Meadows Expands With New Event Center For 2016
WASHINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) -- Right now it's a hole in the ground with dirt movers, but the Meadows in Washington County is thinking big for 2016.
"We're building an event center," says Sean Sullivan, the vice president & general manager of the Meadows Racetrack & Casino.
It's part of the ongoing expansion of the Meadows.
"It's going to be big. I believe it's a 182 feet -- about 19,000 square feet," Sullivan told KDKA money editor Jon Delano on Tuesday.
The idea is to construct a giant tent with lots of amenities.
Sullivan: "It's a tent. It will have HVAC so air conditioning and heat, and it can seat 1,500 people for events and 600 for dinners. So it's a temporary event center that's almost permanent."
Delano: "So it's not going to be up and running all year?"
Sullivan: "Yeah. We think during the snow months we'll take it down."
The tent is already booked next year for a Taste of Washington with area restaurants and the Washington County Auto Show, and then it's on to martial arts.
"We're also going to host three MMA [mixed martial arts] events. We started that last year. Great turnout. New customer demographic for us," says Kevin Brogan, the director of marketing at the Meadows.
"We're going to have three boxing events. We're going to have some private concerts, public concerts. We'll also have the ability to host a sit-down dinner show for up to 600 people."
Once this entertainment center opens in March, the Meadows hopes that it will add to Washington County's reputation as a destination for tourists.
It's one stop for entertainment -- racing at the track, casino gaming, dining, bowling, and all kinds of entertainment.
And with the recently opened Hyatt Place Hotel connected directly to the casino upping the number of nearby hotel rooms to 1,000, the Meadows is optimistic.
"Having a lot of things as an entertainment destination is the key to our success, and we're really delivering, and this is part of that execution," adds Sullivan.
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