APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – After 15 months of hard work, the grand opening of the Fox Cities Exhibition Center in downtown Appleton is less than a week away, on January 11.

Friday, Local Five got to take a sneak peak of the center, which includes a skywalk connected to the Radisson Hotel and an exhibition space that can hold up to three events at once.

Officials said that almost 20 events have already been booked for 2018.

Nearby restaurants say they have already seen a boost in foot traffic from construction workers working on the project, but they are even more excited for the future business from expo and convention attendees.

Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna says that the hope is that once visitors get a look at the downtown, they’ll stick around to do their eating and shopping.

“Everything’s here. you don’t have to get in your car, you don’t have to go drive, you know if you want to stay put, you can stay put.,” he said. “You can have your trade show, you can have your meetings, you can have your conventions, and you can have your entertainment and all of the other things that go along with it.”