If Spokane was audacious 30-plus years ago, when a handful of dreamers were pushing a world’s fair, the city today is, well, confident. A new 100,000-square-foot exhibition hall has put this community in a loftier convention and tourism league.

Or, as Convention and Visitors Bureau President Harry Sladich put it, “We’re in a whole new dating pool.”

Indeed. Thanks to a $96 million bond issue approved in 2002, the Spokane facility that received the lion’s share of those funds goes from being the 269th largest to 169th out of 313 across the country. That enables Spokane to court substantially bigger trade shows and conventions than in the past, and that means millions of outside dollars that will be spent here on food, entertainment, services and merchandise.

That word “outside” bears stressing. In the past, national business has accounted for 15 percent to 18 percent of the activity booked in the smaller 57,000-square-foot exhibition space. Now, based on events already booked for the expanded facility, national business is 37 percent. And that should grow as the city strengthens its reputation as a host.

Officials estimate $78 million in economic impact from the events scheduled at the expanded convention center through 2012, and most of that – about $60 million – will come from events that were too big for the facility in the past.

Grand as it is, the $75 million facility will not assure success all by itself. Visitors who come here will expect an array of experiences that make them want to return. The community needs to meet that expectation.

We must commit ourselves to being attractive and vibrant in every way – first-rate events, reliable transportation, classy architecture, dining and shopping opportunities for a full range of tastes. Adequate parking, especially near the facility itself, is an ongoing concern.

Meanwhile, the current surge in downtown loft and apartment living is a testament to the core area’s future. An important university district is poised for development just east of the Convention Center. In time, a renovated Fox Theatre will anchor a bustling arts and entertainment district that already is evolving in the once-neglected southwest quadrant of the city.

For too many years, Spokane had a timid self-image. Uncertainty marked the early ‘70s until the community had pulled off Expo ‘74 and it turned out to be a rare economic success. In the years since, Spokane has compiled a spotty but overall impressive record of achievements that support its claim to being taken seriously as a municipality.

No longer are we self-conscious about going after national figure-skating championships or NCAA basketball tournament games.

The work is not over, and it’s a challenge for the full community. But this week, the convention center expansion is tangible evidence that Spokane County voters’ support four years ago was not misplaced.