With events returning at the San Diego Convention Center this weekend for the first time since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, a celebration was held Friday as the city staple and its employees look forward to a sense of normalcy.
The doors of the Convention Center are officially reopening to the public on Sunday for the exhibit halls’ intended use. Friday morning’s announcement on that return had city and county leaders welcoming back events at the space after a long year without festivities.
More than 150 events booked at the center were canceled, postponed or held virtually in wake of the pandemic, including the world-beloved San Diego Comic-Con. But while closed to the public, the Convention Center served as a space for humanitarian efforts.
The facility was turned into a temporary shelter for houseless San Diegans and then afterward, served as a shelter for unaccompanied migrant children. But now, city and county leaders and Convention Center officials have a plan for a comeback.
A temporary shelter that was set up to house thousands of migrant children at the San Diego Convention Center has closed. NBC 7’s Audra Stafford shares what’s next for the facility.
Already there are more than 30 events scheduled from August through December at the Convention Center, and a smaller version of the iconic Comic-Con is slated to grace America’s Finest City in late November.
“It’s emotional being here and being inside for this reopening,” said David Glanzer, a Comic-Con representative. “Seeing the staff, people don’t realize without them, we can’t do this.”
The Convention Center’s first event back will be hosted by scientific and research non-profit organization, SPIE Optics + Photonics. To see a calendar of events at the center, click here.