Mohegan Sun Casino Expands Expo Center

The $80 million project will transform the venue into one of the largest convention facilities in the Northeast.

By Scott Baltic, Contributing Editor

Uncasville, Conn.—Construction is under way on an $80 million, 240,000-square-foot expansion of the Exposition and Convention Center at Mohegan Sun, the casino, hotel, entertainment, arena and conference complex in southeastern Connecticut, tribal leaders announced late last week.

Exposition and Convention Center at Mohegan Sun

Exposition and Convention Center at Mohegan Sun

The expansion will be sited near the Winter Entrance and Winter Parking garage and Mohegan Sun’s newest hotel, Earth Tower.

New York–based architect firm KPF (Kohn Pedersen Fox) and the construction team out of North Stonington, Conn., A/Z Corp, are partners on the project, which targets an opening date of summer 2018.

“This new conference center will help solidify Mohegan Sun as not just the premier conventions destination, but the premier resort in the Northeast region,” Mohegan Tribal Chairman Kevin Brown said in a prepared statement. “It will enable us to host some of the largest trade shows in the nation and take back some of the lost conventions that seek bigger venues in Boston and New York.”

Key features will include:

  • A 21,412-net-square-foot ballroom, divisible into two and featuring over 3,000 net square feet of pre-function space;
  • The Exposition Center itself, at 131,000 net square feet;
  • Free parking, six loading docks from an open parking field and additional drive-in access from two grade-level doors;
  • A total of 18 meeting rooms, from 360 to 675 net square feet;
  • A 1,263-square-foot boardroom with 230 square feet of pre-function space and its own outdoor terrace;
  • 3,600 net square feet of outdoor space, including a wrap-around terrace for the full center;
  • A 5,361-net-square-foot kitchen;
  • A mobile box office, digital displays inside and outside the center, and free Wi-Fi.

The expanded Expo Center is intended to attract more corporate and association trade shows, in addition to exhibitions such as the Barret-Jackson Car Collector’s Auction and the National Association of Postal Supervisors, consumer-oriented shows like Terrificon (reportedly the state’s largest comics convention), and other events.

Once the Expo Center expansion is completed, Mohegan Sun reportedly will have the largest meetings and convention spaces between Boston and New York.

Current expo/conference facilities at Mohegan Sun include more than 100,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including a 38,000-square-foot pillar-free ballroom.

Mohegan Sun did not respond to Commercial Property Executive’s request for additional information.

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