Where Can District Conventions Be Held?

Because of the constant growth, it became increasingly difficult to rent adequate facilities for district conventions. Auditorium rents were high, and the management often did not respect the terms of the contract. It was inconvenient as well as inefficient to transport and assemble the sound system and other necessary equipment. Additionally, in the large open-air stadiums, the audience was exposed to the weather, making it harder to benefit fully from the program.

To solve these problems, land was purchased at Cañuelas, a rural area southwest of the capital city. A Convention Hall would be built and used for district conventions as well as other assemblies. This would supplement the four Assembly Halls already operating in the country.

The spacious 9,400-seat Convention Hall was ready for the first district convention in October 1995, less than six months after the project started. (Joel 2:26, 27) In March 1997 this facility was dedicated to Jehovah. Carey Barber of the Governing Body gave the enthusiastic dedication talk, and the next day he also participated in a special meeting held in the large River Plate Stadium. The stadium was packed with 71,800 brothers from all over the country, including a group who traveled 1,900 miles [3,000 km] from Patagonia.

[Picture on page 204]

Cañuelas Convention Hall