Why AI Will Likely Be Part of the Visioning Process for Dallas’ Convention Center Expansion

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Big D better get ready to think even bigger. Not just regionally. Not even nationally. For Kansas City-based Populous—the company behind the Las Vegas Sphere—it’s time for Dallas to think globally. 

A countdown began this past June, when the city broke on an expansion of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. The ticking got even louder in September, when the city approved $141.5 million for work by Perkins&Will and Populous for architectural, engineering, and design services for expanding the complex west of Lamar. 

The weight of the project on the future is evident. But for Michael Lockwood—a senior principal with Populous, who took the stage at a Visit Dallas event in late October—its substantial impact inspires more opportunity and creativity than it does pressure.

“It’s mega projects like these that have the chance to transform your community for generations,” Lockwood told attendees. “We understand that deeply. We not only want to build a great American convention center, we want to build an international convention center that’s planned to welcome the world. That’s really our job—to set that bar incredibly high and amplify Dallas on the world stage. That’s our responsibility. We take that very seriously.” 

Lockwood is a convention center expert with fingerprints on major projects around the globe from San Antonio to Qatar to Australia. Images of the Dallas project weren’t available in time for the Oct. 29 presentation, Lockwood told the crowd, but there are clues from around the world that give hint at what Populous hopes to bring to Dallas. 

Pointing to examples like the ICC Sydney in Australia, the expansion and renovation of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, and the BMO Centre in Calgary, Lockwood highlighted tactics that helped the projects become activated regularly beyond convention programming. That included intentionally creating areas that welcome the community to spend the day at the “front door” of the sites. 

Lockwood also highlighted the importance of focusing on community connectivity, development opportunities, and brand authenticity. The BMO Centre, for example, leans into both the Calgary Stampede’s identity as the “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,” he said, but also embraces a future-focused design.

A crucial part of the mission will be reflecting—and helping define—Dallas’ identity for the next few generations. It’s a task that Lockwood says will require a lot of listening on the front end.

“We depend on our clients and our local partners to help us understand what’s important and what’s emblematic of that community,” he said. “Not only what you want to be today, but it’s really about who you want to be for the next generation. These buildings should last 50 to 100 years; designing something that’s going to have that longevity is incredibly challenging, but also very fun when you get it right.”  

And for Populous, part of “getting it right” will likely involve AI. After the company, known for its sports architecture acumen, delved into the convention center practice about 20 years ago, it launched an annual multi-day “imagine that” event focused on getting insights from industry partners to prepare for the future of the sector.

This year, for the first time, the event included generative AI. On day one of the event, industry leaders spitballed ideas about what convention centers of the future could do. “And then while I took all the clients to dinner, the designers stayed behind and used AI to generate images reflective of those conversations,” Lockwood said. 

Populous designers sifted through hundreds of resulting images, curating the ones that would be shown to clients the next day. Those showcasing visual representations of concepts like a convention center library or “community quad” were presented within hours, exemplifying a process that Lockwood says can “shorten the distance between client and architect.” 

It’s a process that Lockwood says will likely be used in Dallas in the coming weeks. “It’s incredibly fun,” Lockwood said. “And although this is not the [final] answer, this is the process to envision a new future together.” 

Beyond the Sphere in Las Vegas, Populous’ resume includes iconic projects like Qiddiya City Esports Arena in Saudi Arabia and Co-op Live in Manchester. “We want to raise the bar so high for the convention and media industry that everyone’s going to be looking to Dallas as the most enviable destination, not only North America but in the world,” Lockwood said.   

The clock on that goal is still ticking; the expansion is slated for a 2029 opening. But for Lockwood, the process ahead goes beyond that. “I want people to think big,” he said. “I want people to think about 2029, [but I also] want them to think about a legacy and a building and a district that is actually outside of our lifespan, something that we leave our children, our grandchildren. That’s how big we need to think—and we have the tools to get there.”