With much fanfare Thursday morning, the $34-million Placer Valley Event Center @the Grounds opened its doors. The Event Center is at 700 Event Center Drive in Roseville.

The 160,000-square-foot building can transform to meet many needs, from organizers seeking a dozen basketball courts for a tournament to those looking for a large performance venue.

The Event Center includes a 10,000-square-foot lobby, complete with a bank of TV screens and eight flexible meeting rooms. The state-of-the-art lighting and scoreboards hanging from the 35-foot-high ceiling can be controlled with an app on a tablet.

The highly-adaptable building has already become a huge selling point when marketing the region to event organizers.

About 40 events, including a large home show and a renaissance festival, are booked at the Event Center during the first year, according to David Attaway, chief executive officer of Placer Valley Tourism and @the Grounds. Numerous sports events, from basketball and volleyball tournaments to regional gymnastics competitions, are also scheduled.

An estimated $12-million annual economic impact in Placer County is expected with the Event Center’s presence, as attendees eat at restaurants, shop at nearby stores and stay in local hotels.

As noted by Lauryl Hernandez, Placer Valley Tourism chair and Hyatt Place general manager in Roseville in a past Gold Country Media article, “The Event Center is a huge investment in the community that will pay off in so many ways.”

In spring 2018, Placer Valley Tourism celebrated the completion of a more than a $10-million transformation of @the Grounds, including the renovation of Johnson and Jones halls and the multi-use barns, installation of digital marquees, new landscaping and walkways and paving of the south parking lot.

The nonprofit Placer Valley Tourism is a Business Improvement District that serves south Placer County and the cities of Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln. The district operates to help generate incremental room night stays in hotels within Placer Valley Tourism’s geographic footprint through various conferences and youth and amateur sports events.

Placer Valley Tourism’s aim is to coordinate community and sports events with the best hospitality options in the region. For more information, visit placertourism.com.