The much-anticipated Placer Valley Event Center, the latest and the largest piece in the transformation of @the Grounds in Roseville, will open Feb. 13, creating new opportunities to attract major amateur sports competitions, large meetings, trade shows, concerts and other events to the region.
The Event Center – one of the largest meeting spaces in the Sacramento region – is the “crown jewel” but far from the only gem in the extensive transformation of @the Grounds, a 61-acre campus formerly known as the Placer County Fairgrounds.
The Event Center, which can accommodate as many as 12 full-length basketball courts or 24 volleyball courts, is one of the largest-ever public-private partnerships in the Sacramento region. The $34 million project is a collaboration between Placer County and Placer Valley Tourism, a business improvement district (BID) that includes the cities of Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln.
“The Event Center is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when government and the private-sector work together,” said Bonnie Gore, Chair of the Placer County Board of Supervisors. “This is truly a project we can be proud of.”
Placer Valley Tourism will hold an invitation-only grand opening celebration for the Event Center 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, located @the Grounds, 700 Event Center Drive (entrance off Junction Boulevard) in Roseville.
A public grand opening – including free performances by Light Balance and tours of the Event Center -- will follow that night. Light Balance, an acrobatic and dance group that wears custom-made suits with high-tech neon and LED lights, was a Golden Buzz Award winner on America’s Got Talent in 2017. Light Balance will perform at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Attendees must choose their performance and register for the free tickets at https://www.atthegrounds.com/placereventcenter.
The 160,000-square-foot building can transform to meet many needs, from organizers seeking a dozen basketball courts for a tournament to those looking for a large performance venue – and just about everything in between.
The Event Center includes a 10,000-square-foot lobby – complete with a bank of TV screens – and eight flexible meeting rooms. The state-of-the-art lighting and scoreboards hanging from the 35-foot high ceiling can be controlled with an app on a tablet.
“It’s thoughtful and flexible,” said David Attaway, Chief Executive Officer of Placer Valley Tourism and @the Grounds. “Everything was designed specifically for the Event Center.”
The one-of-a-kind building, comfortable for a black-tie affair or a high-top hoops tournament, has already become a huge selling point when marketing the region to event organizers.
About 40 events, including a large home show and a renaissance festival, are booked at the Event Center during the first year, Attaway said. Numerous sports events, from basketball and volleyball tournaments to regional gymnastics competitions, are also scheduled.
“We can now aggressively compete with other communities and attract major events to the region,” Attaway said. “It’s putting Placer Valley on the map for organizers of large events.”
The Event Center will have an estimated $12 million annual economic impact in Placer County, as attendees eat at restaurants, shop at nearby stores and stay in local hotels. The dollars will create jobs and generate more sales-tax revenue for the region.
A video of the new center can be found here.
“The Event Center is a huge investment in the community that will pay off in so many ways,” said Lauryl Hernandez, Chair of Placer Valley Tourism and General Manager of Hyatt Place in Roseville. “The Event Center is a high-profile project but just part of the transformation of @the Grounds.”
In spring 2018, Placer Valley Tourism celebrated the completion of a more than $10 million transformation of @the Grounds, including the renovation of Johnson and Jones halls and the multi-use barns, installation of digital marquees, new landscaping and walkways and paving of the south parking lot. But the Event Center was the largest and much-needed piece. Construction started in January 2019 and will be completed on time.
“It’s not just this building, but the entire campus,” said Attaway during a recent tour of the soon-to-open Event Center. “It’s hard to believe what we’ve accomplished with the Event Center and @the Grounds in a very short period.”
About Placer Valley Tourism - Placer Valley Tourism is a Business Improvement District that serves South Placer County and the cities of Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln. The BID operates to help generate incremental room night stays in hotels within Placer Valley Tourism’s geographic footprint through various conferences and youth and amateur sports events. PVT’s aim is to coordinate community and sports events with the best hospitality options in the region. Placer Valley Tourism is a nonprofit and classified as a 501(c)6. For more information, please visit https://www.placertourism.com/.
About @the Grounds - @the Grounds, formerly the Placer County Fairgrounds and Event Center, is a multipurpose event facility on 61 acres in the heart of Roseville, California. For more than 80 years, @the Grounds has been the home of the Placer County Fair – an annual celebration of the diversity of the community – along with countless other community, family and corporate gatherings. @theGrounds hosted almost 200 events in 2019. For more information, please visit https://www.atthegrounds.com/.
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