LAYTON — The $10.5 million Davis Conference Center opened Friday following a ribbon-cutting ceremony that included local dignitaries and a recreation expo.

Construction on the 42,000-square-foot expansion, which includes a 25,000-square-foot exhibit hall, took about one year and brings the footprint of the entire center to 85,000 square feet.

Funding for the construction comes from revenues from tourism taxes collected in Davis County.

Davis County commissioners opted to build the conference center after a feasibility study by Convention, Sports and Leisure International indicated that the county was missing out on significant conventions and the accompanying tax dollars that show up when people from out of town book Davis County hotel rooms and eat in Davis County restaurants.

The first phase of the conference center was projected to have a $16 million economic impact in Davis County. The expansion is expected to double that impact.

Already, plans are in the works for the conference center to host groups that normally hold large meetings elsewhere.

Dave Hilliard, catering director, said the Northern Utah RV Show, which is normally held at the Golden Spike Event Center in Weber County, has decided to come to Layton May 8-10 because of the indoor facility.

Barbara Riddle, president and CEO of the Davis Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the Utah Farm Bureau Federation, which has held its annual convention at the Salt Lake City Marriott for the past 25 years, will be holding its convention at the Davis Conference Center in November.

Jonathan Bradshaw, an architect with GSBS Architects, called the center an "idea place."

"What goes on here sparks new relationships, new ideas," he said, adding that it was created with people in mind, Davis County people. "I'm one of those."

Brad Knowlton, president of Ascent Construction, which built the center, said it includes 26 miles of communication cable and 41 miles of electrical wiring.

Following the ceremony, the Northern Utah Recreation Expo opened to the public at 4 p.m. to showcase the Eclipse Expo Hall, the largest part of the expansion's space. The expo opens today at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. and is open to the public.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com