By the end of 2023, the Carmike Theater will have completed a 22,000-square-foot transformation into a convention center

Billings, Montana – A 22,000-square-foot convention center is being constructed inside the former Carmike Cinema. By the end of 2023, it will be finished.

The convention center will contain three board rooms in addition to meeting space, according to project manager Brent Sumner. He claimed that all of the lighting and audio systems are being upgraded and integrated with touchpad control. Guests will be able to select the color and brightness of the full-spectrum lighting from 0 to 100%.

Proprietor David Veeder said the procedure is enjoyable.

“It’s fun, that’s why I do it,” he said. “I enjoy it. It’s just plain fun. I like to see what it looks like six weeks from now, and 13 weeks from now. Twenty-five weeks from now.”

The 7500 square foot ballroom, is one of the convention center’s most notable features (or pre-function room). There are three sizable skylights in the ballroom. Moreover, there will be almost 60 hanging light features. The lights will be suspended at various heights between 17 and 22 feet. 14-foot glass doors will open on either end of the ballroom to let automobiles in. Three screens will be present in the space, including two 16×9 foot video walls, according to Sumner.

“I like to do stuff like this,” Veeder said. “That’s as simple as it is. I’ve been building things for a long time and in a lot of places. And I just like to do it.”

In 2012, Veeder acquired the Carmike Theater. His initial goal was to develop flexible lease office space. He later switched to the notion of a conference center after deciding he wanted to construct a hotel on the property.

Next to the convention center, a Marriott Courtyard hotel is being constructed. The hotel should be built by 2024 summer, according to Sumner.