While renovations to the Coastline Conference and Event Center are expected to begin soon, it seems that it will be business as usual at the property. Despite the beginning stages of construction of a seven-story Aloft Hotel on the site at 501 Nutt St. in downtown Wilmington, scheduled events will continue at the conference and event center.
 
According to the center’s website, almost half of its nearly 13,000 square feet of meeting space will remain available “during the construction process.” Construction of the 125-room Aloft is expected to take 18 months.
 
“The Coastline Center [will] remain open with events Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” explained Jackie Blake, general manager of Best Western-Plus Coastline Inn.
 
The space could also remain available on other days, Blake said, but that was not a certainty as of press time.
 
What’s more, the opening of the new hotel – under development by Laurinburg-based Poteat Hospitality – won’t signal the closure of the longtime center. According to Blake, a portion of the center’s meeting space will remain in operation after the hotel’s completion.
 
That means organizations and the like that annually booked the space might not have to look for a replacement venue in the future. And those with upcoming events there won’t likely face any disruption in plans.
 
Among them is Operation Pretty Things (OPT). In October, the local nonprofit’s third annual OPT ONE Gala will return to the center for the second year in a row, after outgrowing its initial location.
 
“Coastline had what we were looking for, for our second annual ONE Gala,” said Operation Pretty Things Executive Director Missy Boneske. “It had the capacity to accommodate as many guests as we needed [and] on-site parking, and a short walk to the hotel made it ideal for guests.”
 
Boneske noted that cost was also a mitigating factor in the venue’s initial appeal, and in the benefit gala’s return. OPT aids victims of domestic violence.
 
“Compared to several other venues, they were more affordable,” Boneske continued. “It was imperative that the money raised for the event was used to serve the women and shelters. Coastline made that possible.”
 
As renovations are expected to be well underway by Boneske’s event, she said that center officials told her the project won’t cause an issue. As for the gala’s growth – the event has sold out each year – the center’s shrinking size may become cause for some yearly events to have to look elsewhere.
 
“They have ensured us that the renovations will not affect our event; knowingly, with any event, there are the unforeseen challenges,” said Boneske. “I don’t have any plans for the fourth ONE Gala yet; I am just excited to see what this year’s black tie gala holds.”
 
Like Boneske, Cape Fear Comic Con Executive Director John Stamey is also using a wait-andsee approach. Stamey moved the Wilmington-area Comic Con to the conference center to accommodate increasing turnout – about 1,300 people attended the mid-year Comic Con in February, he said.
 
However, Stamey noted that the smaller size wouldn’t pose a problem for Cape Fear Comic Con’s foreseeable future.
 
“We want to stay there if possible… it’s a perfect venue for what we do,” he said. “If you have a large venue [like the Wilmington Convention Center] and only use half the space, people will wonder if less people are there or if vendors did not return. You want it to look full and robust.”
 
Plans for the Aloft Hotel incorporate structures from the conference and events center, which will comprise the ground floor. In addition to the 7,000 square feet of meeting space, the ground level will also have a full-service restaurant, outdoor pool and fitness center.
 
The hotel’s top floor will feature a rooftop bar.