SHARONVILLE – Bigger trade shows, bigger conventions and fuller hotels in the northern suburbs are promised when the expansion of the Sharonville Convention Center is finished, scheduled for the fall of 2011.

Although some excavation work has already begun, the center held a formal ground breaking Friday, kicking off two years of construction and remodeling.

When the $30 million project is completed, the center expects to compete for conventions that bring up to 1,500 people, said Executive Director Will Greiner. “The small to mid-sized market is something we have not been able to tap into,” he said.

The center will expand from eight rooms to 19, allow for more than double the exhibit space and create a larger ballroom space.

In addition to conventions, the center will seek more trade shows, Greiner said. “Trade show business is out-of-town visitors and out-of-town vendors who fill hotel rooms,” he said.

Bigger corporate meetings, including annual meetings, are also in the plans, he said.

The center will stay open during the construction, which includes a remodeling of the existing space.

The project is being funded through the Hamilton County hotel tax.