The original building was built in 1938, as a gift to the city by Dr. Charles H. Mayo and Mayo Properties Association (now Mayo Clinic) and has been expanded and renovated several times over the years. It consists of a ballroom (40,000 sq. ft.) used for conferences and galas, an arena (5,200 seats) used for concerts, wrestling, and basketball, an auditorium (3,000 seats) used for concerts, performing arts, and sporting events, an exhibit hall for consumer shows and a theatre for the arts (1,084 fixed seat theatre). The Mayo Civic Center also has 23 meeting rooms/suites varying in size.[citation needed]
Convention center expansion
In 2017, the Mayo Civic Center nearly doubled in size by adding a convention center to its existing footprint. The $84 million expansion features a 40,000-square-foot ballroom (can divide into three sections), 16 meeting rooms/suites, and two executive boardrooms. The expanded center hosts medical and technical conferences, large business meetings and healthcare summits.
Mayo Clinic
The Mayo Civic Center acts as the main place for meeting and events of the Mayo Clinic, as it plays host to medical lectures and company gatherings.