I moved to Monroeville last year. The Expomart is very close to my house. I read the post by Dave Hohaus about the demolishing of the ExporMart. This morning at about 10:30 I personally drove to the Radisson Hotel, went to the front desk and spoke to a very knowledgeable employee there. The Expomart is NOT going to be torn down. Along with the rest of the hotel it is going to be renovated. New carpet, new paint, wallpaper, lighting, elevators, etc. The Hilton Corporation did buy it. Hopefully, after this year the MAX will return there.

Hi Bob, Thanks for the update,will look forward to seeing you again,,,DAVE

Great news Bob. Living so close to Monroeville I thought I would be out of luck for the MAX in the future. Best, Erich

Thule,
I am posting the following reply for Tom Wittman:

Dear Sir,
Thanks for your news and also thanks for going to the Radisson yourself. This news would be great - if true. Tom Johnson and I are on our way to Monroeville on Sunday and will be there trying to find some additional hotels for our group.
The boss is still saying the ExpoMart is history.. Hope you are right.

Best,
Tom Wittman

Going to the ExpoMart is easy for me. It is 10 minutes from my house. In fact, today I went to a store nearby and past right by the Radisson.
If Tom Johnson knows that the ExpoMart is to be torn down, then the employee at the Radisson lied to me.
I hope Tom and Tom keep us all informed.
Signed, Thule.

I found this in the Pittsburgh Business Times:

Downtown-based Oxford Development Co., the developer and owner of Monroeville's ExpoMart exposition center and adjacent Radisson Hotel, plans to redevelop the two facilities.

The plans, which will be heard at the June 18 meeting of the Monroeville Planning Commission, call for the demolition of the southern portion of the hotel as well as the construction of two restaurant buildings on the site.

Representatives with Oxford were not immediately available for comment.

A portion of the nearby Wickes Building, a former furniture store, will also be demolished as Oxford continues its conversion of the property into a restaurant.

The ExpoMart and its 106,000-square-foot conference room are facing possible renovations this fall and will remain open through October.

In addition to the large conference space, the ExpoMart has eight large conference rooms, free on-site parking for 1,600 vehicles and 14,000 square feet of meeting and banquet facilities at the adjacent Radisson Hotel.

The hotel revamp includes a downsizing, from 332 rooms to 186 with the demolition of the southern tower.

It is unclear how long the facilities will remain closed and what the renovations will yield.

About a dozen consumer shows that were scheduled at the ExpoMart are seeking space at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center Downtown, according to Joe McGrath, president and CEO of VisitPittsburgh, the regional tourism marketing and promotion agency.

As I stated in other posts, I live in Monroeville. A few nights ago while surfing on my TV, I came across a local Pittsburgh channel. It actually was a live Monroeville township meeting. This particular part of the show was about zoning/site variances. An architectual firm was requesting a change to the parking lot and adding additional shrubs/trees around the Radisson and ExpoMart. In the course of the conversation it was stated that the ExpoMart will be converted to office space.
However you slice it, this will be the last year ever for the MAX Show in Monroeville.

Thule,

Looking at your first post here.

Did you ever figure out why the front desk guy fibbed ?

Dave

They guy probably didnt know himself that it was coming down...otherwise he would have jumped ship and quit.

Dave, I don't know why the first person at the Radisson was not truthful. I really thought I had the right information at the time. The ExpoMart building will be left standing but will no longer be a show hall. It is a shame because throughout the year there are many other events held there; garden shows, home shows, bridal shows, local merchant shows, toy shows, and even a cat show. I think this hall will be missed not only by the MAX attendees but also the local population.
Lets all come and enjoy the MAX this year and show our support for the 'father' of the big military show.