Whether it’s hosting the Silicon Valley Auto Show or legendary Stan Lee and Steve Wozniak’s latest conference merging pop culture and technology, the San Jose McEnery Convention Center is a stunning venue for community, business, or non-profit events in downtown San Jose—the “city center” of California’s technology hub, Silicon Valley.

When the 372,754-square-foot convention center needed an in-depth analysis and engineering design services for renovations in its Exhibit Halls A, B, and C, the City of San Jose knew they could trust Salas O’Brien to deliver excellence, out-of-the-box thinking, and sustainable solutions for the project.

This $18-million renovation aimed to produce a ceiling and rigging system that could be set up and broken down faster and more efficiently, and our team’s services included the preparation of three design options for achieving this goal.

The final design removed the existing ceiling and relocated utilities to higher structural members to avoid conflict with rigging beams and T-bar supports. These changes meant new designs for the exhibit halls’ architectural acoustics, stage and ceiling rigging, electrical lighting, low voltage, security (CCVT), sound systems, mechanical HVAC, and fire protection. The finished product was an open ceiling with an exposed T-bar and rigging system and state-of-the-art ventilation, sound, and LED lighting.

Salas O’Brien completed these complex designs and provided the bridging document that outlined safety management for the project. The finished renovation achieved the city’s ambitious versatility and efficiency goals, effectively broadening the usefulness of the exhibition areas.