The Raleigh Convention Center, due to officially open on September, features the remarkable art installation—the "Cree Shimmer Wall"— of 79,464 four-inch aluminum pixels and 56 LED fixtures.

Set to open September 5, the new Raleigh Convention Center, in Raleigh, North Carolina, will not only feature 500,000-square-feet of meeting/event space and the ability to be configured to accommodate groups of 50 to 5,000, but boasts an innovative and spectacular art installation—the "Cree Shimmer Wall."  A $1 million gift from Cree, Inc., a Durham-based innovator and manufacturer of semiconductors, the 9,284-square-foot "Shimmer Wall" is comprised of 79,464 four-inch aluminum pixels and 56 LED fixtures, is located the center's western side, welcoming all not only to the new convention center, but to downtown Raleigh as well.

 "We're the hub of a region renowned for its imagination and innovation," said Roger Krupa, Director, Raleigh Convention Center. "The Cree Shimmer Wall not only epitomizes those qualities but puts them up in lights for everyone to see." Krupa added the gift of the Cree Shimmer Wall is the first of several commemorative opportunities at the new convention center and the center city plaza: "We are offering naming opportunities for the plaza, a tower, a fountain and meeting rooms."

The 500,000-square-foot Raleigh Convention Center includes 19 individual meeting rooms and 150,000 square feet of space of exhibit space.

The state-of-the-art Raleigh Convention Center is located in what many consider to be a growing, economically vibrant, knowledge-rich region and a dynamic downtown. The $221.9 million facility will include more than 500,000 square feet of space, 19 individual meeting rooms, an exhibit hall with 150,000 square feet of space and a 32,000-square-foot ballroom. An attached four-star Marriott hotel—due to open in Summer 2008— will offer 400 guest rooms, including 9 suites and 15,000 square feet of meeting space 9,000-square-foot ballroom and 6,000-square-foot of breakout meeting space.

The Raleigh Convention Center is the centerpiece of a $10 million renovation of The Fayetteville Street Mall, which features dinning and entertainment venues as well as public artwork.

Interest in this new South East meeting venue has already been gaining considerable mention.  More than 150 meetings and events have been booked, including international conferences as well as national, regional and state. In October, the World Burn Congress, an international conference with 1,405 hotel nights, is scheduled to be the venue’s inaugural event. Other meetings that have booked the Raleigh  Convention Center through 2009 and beyond include: The American Chamber of Commerce Executives (3,240 hotel nights) N.C. Community College System, (2,500 hotel nights); Tekakwitha National Conference (3,000 hotel nights); Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (3,230 hotel nights);and the National Genealogical Society (2,980 hotel nights). Other meetings include the North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association, the N.C. Center for Nonprofits, the National Consortium on Health Science and Technology Education, and the Southeast U.S./Japan Association Meeting.

Organizations that have booked the venue for multi-year conventions include: The North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children; The N.C. Reading Association; The N.C. Association for Educational Communications and Technology; the North Carolina Veterinary Conference; the N.C. Association of County Directors of Social Services, the North Carolina Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, the N.C. State Fireman's Association and the North Carolina Chapter of the American Water Works Association.

A 32,000-square-foot ballroom is one of the prominent meeting space features of the state-of-the-art Raleigh Convention Center.

"We're seeing sustained excitement in the market about Raleigh, and that's very important," said Laurie Okun, Director of Sales at the Raleigh Convention Center. "The initial interest in our new center wasn't a passing thing. We're convincingly showing meeting planners that Raleigh has what it takes to host outstanding conventions."