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From YouTube: MAPS 3 Update - Opening of the Bennett Event Center
Description
The Bennett Event Center, 3101 Gordon Cooper Blvd., is the cornerstone of the MAPS 3 Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Improvements project. The $58.7 million building is on the site of the former Travel & Transportation Building on the east side of State Fair Park.
The building has more than six acres of contiguous space under its roof and can host large exhibitions and private events, including banquet space for up to 2,500 people.
A
The
building
we're
about
to
experience
is
now
the
biggest
space
in
Oklahoma
City
and
when
I
say
big
I
mean
really
humongous.
The
building
is
two
hundred
and
seventy
nine
thousand
square
feet.
So,
if
you
think
about
it,
this
way
it's
more
than
six
acres
under
one
roof.
We
know
we
had
big
dreams,
but
this
is
really
big.
So
I
want
everyone
to
keep
the
Bennett
Event
Center
in
mind.
The
next
time
you
host
a
party.
This
facility
can
hold
a
banquet
for
2,500
of
your
closest
friends.
A
If
you're
going
to
entertain
2,500
people,
it
helps
to
have
a
high
end,
Hulan
Airy
kitchen.
This
kitchen
has
top-of-the-line
ovens,
warmers
stoves,
coolers,
a
freezer
and
a
giant
refrigerator
that
I
hope
we're
all
going
to
get
to
see.
Speaking
of
food
when
you
come
to
your
first
event,
here,
you'll
notice
that
we
have
greatly
improved
and
expanded
our
concession
stand
offerings
when
you
come
next
time
and
the
fair
is
open,
you'll
be
able
to
choose
from
Italian
fare,
Tex,
Mex
barbecue
and
the
ever-popular
all-american
food,
such
as
hot
dogs
and
hamburgers.
A
Another
incredible
piece
of
good
news
is
that
this
building
was
completed
within
its
54
million
dollar
budget
and
that
feat
in
and
of
itself
to
deserve
so
much
accolade
from
the
oversight
board.
Tim
O'toole
his
staff
leadership.
This
is
a
massive
undertaking
and
to
be
able
to
keep
these
projects.
You
know,
I
think
you
all
know
that
you
know
our
Maps
project
just
funded
with
our
penny
sales
tax
and
we
can
only
spend
what
we
collect.
You
know.
A
Oklahoma
City
is
very
unique
in
the
way
we've
handled
these
projects
going
back
to
Matt
back
to
maps
one
we
collect
our
pennies,
we
don't
begin
the
projects
until
we
have
the
money
in
hand
and
we
can
only
spend
as
much
as
we
collect
so
I'm
going
way
off
screen
script,
but
this
is
an
admonition
for
you
all
to
please
shop
in
Oklahoma
City.
We
need
that
penny
and
the
results
of
that
penny
are
what
you're
going
to
be
able
to
see
today
in.
B
December
of
2004,
with
the
assistance
of
mayor
Cornett,
the
Oklahoma
City
Chamber
of
Commerce,
our
friends
at
the
Oklahoma
City,
hotel,
Association
and
and
the
citizens
of
Oklahoma
City.
We
successfully
passed
a
hotel
tax
referendum
that
put
in
place
the
reference
transformation
of
State
Fair
Park
into
the
21st
century
tourism
destination
that
it
is
today.
At
the
time
there
was
a
hundred
and
fifty
million
dollar
master
plan
on
the
table.
No
one
could
figure
out
how
to
handle
it,
how
it
could
be
funded,
how
it
could
be
done.
B
We
were
able
to
work
together
using
the
philosophy
that
you
eat
the
elephant
one
bite
at
a
time.
We
came
up
with
a
program
that
started
out
with
the
original
hotel-motel
tax
to
improve
our
equine
facilities,
continue
to
transform
that
created
some
documents
about
economic
need
for
a
map's
three
that
we
knew
were
coming
on
the
horizon
and
transformed
this
property
into
what
it
is
today
today
when
we
open
this
building,
we
will
have
completed
12
years
later,
a
hundred
and
fifty
million
dollars
worth
of
improvements
to
State
Fair
Park
in
the
last
12
years.
C
It
is
magnificent,
it's
something
we
can
be
very
proud
of.
It
is
something
that
will
be
used
not
only
by
the
citizens
of
Oklahoma
City,
as
Tom
just
mentioned,
but
from
across
the
whole
state
of
Oklahoma,
and
actually
people
from
out
of
state
I
had
the
opportunity
many
times
to
come
out
to
the
fairgrounds
to
various
trade
shows
that
are
here.
Rv
shows
home
and
garden
shows.
C
Now
we
have
one
large
facility
that
these
very
shows
can
come
together
and
participate
together,
which
will
make
it
much
easier
to
attract
these
events
to
Oklahoma
City
and
when
we
attract
these
events,
all
is
it
fun
for
us
to
come
to
these
events,
but
it
also
is
an
economic
driver
for
our
city.
When
people
come
and
put
on
various
shows
here
they
also
rent
hotel
rooms,
eating
a
restaurants.
C
They
tour
our
city,
they
go
to
our
museums,
they
talk
about
how
great
Oklahoma
City
is,
and
that
word
of
mouth
spreads
throughout
the
nation,
and
that
is
why
Oklahoma
City
is
getting
a
tremendous
reputation
now
across
the
nation
as
being
a
great
place
to
live,
work
and
raise
a
family
and
even
vacation.
The.
D
Exhibition
space
at
the
fairgrounds
generates
136
million
dollars
of
economic
development
activity
every
year.
The
horse
shows,
of
course,
are
well
over
200
million
on
the
other
side
of
it,
but
136
million
dollars
of
economic
development
generated
by
what
will
be
this
space
and
and
the
other
space
is
going
for
and,
of
course,
that's
very,
very
important
to
drive
the
economy.
The
fairgrounds
is
at
the
center
of
the
city,
the
center
of
the
state
and
the
center
of
the
country.
D
At
the
axis
of
two
interstate
highways,
I
mean
it
doesn't
get
much
better
than
that
for
for
real
estate,
and
so
there's
tremendous
opportunity
here
and
I.
Think
as
you
go
into
the
room,
if
you've
not
seen
it
I.
Think
you're
gonna,
you're
gonna
see
that
the
number
of
large
exhibition
opportunities
we're
going
to
have
is,
is
only
going
to
multiply
and
I.
Think
you're
gonna
see
vendors
come
in
this
first
year
and
see
opportunities
so
when
they
come
back
in
future
years,
they're
gonna
expand
their
their
presence
and
make
this
even
better.
D
Also
I
want
to
draw
attention
to
the
the
Fair
Board
and
their
wisdom
in
in
determining
last
May
that
the
name
of
this
building
should
be
the
Bennett
Events
Center.
It
was
a
unanimous
vote
by
the
the
State
Fair
Board
and
it
draws
attention
to
des
clay
and
his
wonderful
family
and
all
that
clay
has
given
to
this
community
and
Tim
hearkened
back
to
the
Olympic
Festival
in
1989,
which
is
a
distant
memory
today,
but
still
very,
very
important
in
the
annals
of
our
city's
history.
D
The
efforts
with
professional
sports
in
the
90s
and
then,
of
course,
in
2005,
making
sure
that
when
the
Hornets
arrived
in
Oklahoma
City,
the
NBA
understood
how
serious
we
were
about
having
a
permanent
team
and
then,
of
course,
four
years
later,
that
permanent
team
arriving
with
clay
and
his
ownership
group
supplying
the
necessary
political
capital
and
and
dollar
capital
to
make
it
work.
There's
no
question
today,
if
you
average
ask
the
average
person
on
the
street
they're
gonna
thank
Clay,
Bennett
and
the
Thunder,
but
I
think
those
of
us
in
this
room
know
this
is.
D
This
is
not
just
a
one
issue
of
one
opportunity:
a
business
leader.
This
is
a
guy,
that's
that's
been
doing
it
his
entire
adult
life,
and
you
know
we
could.
We
could
make
a
list
of
people
who
who
who
love
Oklahoma
City
a
great
deal,
but
Clay's
got
to
be
near
the
top
I
mean
this
guy
has
put
his
heart
and
his
soul
into
making
this
city
better
and
whatever's
in
the
city's
best
interest
is
clays
top
priority.
D
D
E
The
building,
I
think
I
think
it
has
great
promise
and
I'm
really
proud
of
it.
I'm
I
think
it
really
will
serve
a
need
and
will
really
help
the
city
grow.
I
want
to
thank
everyone
who
had
a
hand
in
it.
I
want
to
especially
thank
the
workers
and
the
trades
people
that
that
really
worked
hard
to
do
a
good
job
here
and
and
we're
in
their
debt,
and
we
appreciate
those
efforts
and
I
agree.
Also
with
with
the
governor.
The
citizens
are
the
star
of
the
show,
the
citizens
understood
maps,
they
believed
in
maps.
E
They
wanted
things
better
here.
They
believed
that
this
was
a
good
plan.
They
invested
in
the
plan
and
had
fostered
the
plan
and-
and
it's
worked
and
now
now
we're
all
enjoying
the
benefits
of
it
and,
as
Meg
said,
the
genius
of
maps
with
with
Ron's
leadership
and
the
three
incredible
mayor's
we've
had
with
Kirk
and
now
Mick,
you
know
paying
as
you
go
thoughtful
community.
You
know
oversight.
Smart
people
involved
committed
people
involved
in
the
process.
It
never
got
away
from
us.
Everything
stayed
in
line,
quality
projects,
quality
execution,
and
it's
it's.