An interior conceptual image of ilani’s soon-to-be-completed Meeting and Entertainment Center, scheduled to open in April.
A conceptual image of the Cowlitz Ballroom in banquet configuration, capable of seating 800 people and a full 2,500 when in concert configuration.
The first expansion of ilani Casino Resort is set for April as its Meeting and Entertainment Center is scheduled to open just in time for the casino’s first anniversary.
The casino announced on social media Feb. 5 of the spring opening of its expansion featuring 30,000 square feet, 22,000 of which make up the Cowlitz Ballroom, a 2,500-seat venue at theater capacity.
Those who have visited in the past few months might not have noticed any new additions, because the exterior for the structure was built alongside the initial phase of the casino. Kara Fox-LaRose, president and general manager of ilani, said that construction was getting close to the laying of carpet in an interview with The Reflector last week.
The event center’s central space is the 22,000-square-foot Cowlitz Ballroom which Fox-LaRose said could seat 800 in a banquet-style layout, but could go up to 2,500 when set up for concerts. The ballroom itself can be further subdivided to accommodate smaller events.
The event center will also feature a pre-function area for receptions and a board room for smaller meetings, she said. The event center will have access from a concourse to provide direct entry without having attendees go through the casino floor.
Backing up the events will be a production team involving lighting, sound and catering at a range of price points, Fox-LaRose said. The cost of getting the event center up and running was included in the more than $500 million price tag for the entire casino, she said.
Fox-LaRose explained the plan for the space was to expand on the entertainment focus of the casino started by Muze Lounge, the current venue for acts. She said they will be doing much the same with Muze’s free shows while having ticketed events in the ballroom, looking at more nationally-known headliners for that space.
Fox-LaRose said they were looking for a “really aggressive” schedule for April in celebration of the event center’s opening and the one-year anniversary. As of the interview she said the planned acts were not finalized, but to expect back-to-back weeks of entertainment.
The Cowlitz Ballroom joins other county venues, including Sunlight Supply Amphitheater and the Clark County Event Center, which have a 18,000-seat capacity and 97,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space respectively. Fox-LaRose said that for ilani’s event center people can expect to see the same level of nationally-known acts but in the smaller space, allowing for a more intimate setting than that of an amphitheater.
“Any seat in the house is going to be great,” Fox-LaRose said.
Fox-LaRose said ilani was not trying to directly compete on the other venue’s business, explaining that when scheduling acts they would take into account what’s going on at Sunlight Supply to avoid issues such as too much traffic from simultaneous events.
In anticipation of traffic increases guaranteed to happen with the opening of the event center, Fox-LaRose said the casino will be adding additional parking by paving more than 400 parking spaces in an overflow lot as well as road enhancements to mitigate potential traffic concerns during events.
Fox-LaRose said perceived traffic problems caused by the casino is a common misconception.
“That really only happened on day one” and a few times afterward, she explained, adding that in an effort to avoid traffic the concerts would be hosted “bordering” the weekend, on Thursday and Sunday nights, so as not to strain the casino’s infrastructure during already peak weekend times.
Looking back on a year of business, Fox-LaRose commented on how far the casino has come.
“It’s amazing that we opened just last April and the team is so acclimated to the business,” Fox-LaRose said, mentioning that many employees had no experience in the casino industry.
“You don’t feel that when you are here,” Fox-LaRose said.
Fox-LaRose was excited to see the expansion come to fruition, coinciding with the end of the first full year of operation.
“It’s a great plan, and we’re just excited to continue to evolve,” Fox-LaRose said.
