One of the largest meeting, wedding, and social event venues in the Midlands will close its doors  on December 31, 2018. Located near I-26 and I-20 in the Irmo/St. Andrews Road area, Columbia Conference Center was opened by local businessman Mike DuBose in 2003. Since then, the 40,000 sq. ft. facility has hosted nearly 5,000 meetings, weddings, receptions, socials, and high school proms serving more than 400,000 individuals, as well as providing on- and off-site catering services. For many years, it also hosted other businesses owned by the DuBose family, including Research Associates, The Evaluation Group, DuBose Web Group, and DuBose Fitness Center.

“When my family and I opened Columbia Conference Center, our goal was to build a first-class, state-of-the-art meeting facility. It was an exciting experience working with architect Derek Gruner and Hood Construction to bring our creative vision to life. The conference center has been an ideal base from which to pursue our purpose of ‘creating opportunities to improve lives,’” DuBose said.

In July, with the help of Colliers realtor Allen Wilkerson, DuBose sold the building to a nonprofit healthcare provider. The facility will serve as headquarters for the buyers’ 100 staff members and as a training center for healthcare professionals. DuBose plans to retire in December.

Events scheduled to occur before the end of 2018 will be unaffected by the sale, and Columbia Conference Center will continue accepting business for dates until December 31, 2018. Staff members are assisting customers booked for 2019 and beyond to find other venues for their events.

“I want to thank all of our customers, whom we considered to be like family, and our dedicated staff who worked diligently to provide such outstanding service over the years. Most importantly, we are grateful to God for blessing us with such a great business and an incredible team,” DuBose said.