After 9 years of political maneuvering, planning, and construction, the expansion
opened on May 7, 1993, to great expectations and self-congratulations.
Over the course of 3 days of events, convention and development
officials were praised for producing a design that was aesthetically pleasing
and that possessed all the requisite amenities and functions of a contemporary
exhibition and meeting facility. A redesign of the docks, the addition of a
1,400-seat lecture hall, and the “largest ballroom west of the Mississippi,” all
combined to produce an outstanding facility. Two years later, a multi-purpose
domed stadium attached to the convention center was completed (the Trans
World Dome; renamed the Edward D. Jones Dome in 1992). When not used
for sporting or other events, the domed stadium can be opened to the convention
center for an additional 162,000 square feet of exhibition space, which is
essential for large events such as auto and home and garden shows.