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Greenpoint to Get a Convention Center

By Radhika Marya | April 15, 2014 6:06pm
 The Brooklyn Expo Center is slated to be up and running later this year at 79 Franklin St.
The Brooklyn Expo Center is slated to be up and running later this year at 79 Franklin St.
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Brooklynexpocenter.com

GREENPOINT — Move over, Javits Center — a new convention center is coming to town.

Brooklyn Expo Center, located at 79 Franklin St., is slated to open in Greenpoint later this year, as Bedford + Bowery first reported.

According the center's website, the site will offer 28,000 square feet of total exhibition space, office and meeting space, a cafeteria and onsite parking. The website also boasts natural lighting and floor-to-ceiling glass.

Chris Rechner, a manager at the Dumbo Loft family of event spaces, told DNAinfo New York that organizers behind the project are fairly confident the space should be up and running by October. He said the center will be open to expos, trade shows and larger private functions.

"Sometimes people do need seated capacities in the 1,000 to 1,500 range, whether it's for galas or larger wedding type situations, that can only really happen in hotels at this point," Rechner said. "We wouldn't be opposed to having music type of events there."

The center is only accessible via the G train on the subway, but its website also mentions a close proximity to the Williamsburg Bridge, Queens Midtown Tunnel, Long Island Expressway, area airports and more. Rechner said despite limited subway access, organizers felt it was worth the risk to set up the expo center.

"We feel like companies do want to do stuff here. People are looking to bring bigger corporate functions to these more smaller cultural emerging neighborhoods," he said, adding that it while it could take some time to get the ball rolling, it could gain momentum.

Those behind the project have also worked on other event spaces, such as Greenpoint Loft, which hosts weddings and other functions at 67 West St.

"We have a similar situation with transportation in that area, and we haven't had major problems with it," Rechner said.

"Also, with having parking... I feel that companies that want to get people there, I think they find ways to get people where they want to bring them."