RENO, Nev. - After nearly eight weeks of construction, the transformation of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center is complete, and the one-of-a-kind bowling venue is ready to welcome more than 20,000 bowlers for the 2013 United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships.

With the start of the 81-day event just days away (April 12), the local media, dignitaries and tournament sponsors were given a sneak peek of the venue, which includes 44 lanes, the world's largest mobile scoreboard, office and vendor space, locker area, squad room, concessions area and seating for hundreds of bowling fans.

Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority Vice President of Facilities Joe Kelley spoke about the excitement of hosting the USBC Women's and Open Championships in the same host city during the same year for the first time. The Open Championships, which started March 1 and will conclude July 7, is being held at the National Bowling Stadium.

The Women's Championships, which is making its record-eighth trip to Reno, kicks off April 12 and will go through July 1.

USBC Managing Director of Tournaments Brian Lewis and USBC Women's Championships Tournament Manager Eric Pierson were on-hand to put the event in perspective.

"We're very excited about having both the Open and Women's Championships in the same host city at the same time, and we're extremely proud of how great the venue turned out at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center," Lewis said. "It was nice to be able to show it off today, and we are looking forward to the first of more than 20,000 Women's Championships bowlers joining us this weekend."

The 2013 Women's Championships is the 94th edition of the storied event, which was contested for the first time in 1916 and is open to all female USBC members. Outside of Reno's National Bowling Stadium, where it has been held every third year since 1997, the tournament was held in traditional bowling centers until making its convention-center debut at the 2010 event in El Paso, Texas.

Competition at this year's tournament will run from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. daily as bowlers compete in team, doubles and singles in three average-based, all-handicap divisions for a prize fund of nearly $2 million.

Reno should expect competitors and guests headed to the event to stay in town for an average of three and a half days, and the city can expect an economic impact to potentially reach $150 million during the course of the Women's and Open Championships.

Presenting and brackets sponsors for the 2013 USBC Women's Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino and Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno, Nev.