CHICAGO — North America’s largest convention centers have a common theme of continually improving their facilities. Whether renovations or expansions, six of the top 10 convention centers in the U.S. by prime exhibit space are pursuing projects to provide trade show and meeting planners with new event space. Trade Show Executive’s Major Convention Centers Report has the full details on developments at Tier I (over 1,000,000 square feet (sq. ft.) of prime exhibit space) and Tier II (350,000 to 999,999 square feet of prime exhibit space) convention centers.
Related. $100 million Mandalay Bay convention center expansion to be completed by end of April 2024
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas (ranked No. 9 by Prime Exhibition SF) completed its renovations in spring 2024 and now has a fully modernized technology infrastructure and new digital signage available to show organizers. The Venetian Expo/The Venetian Resort Las Vegas (No. 5) and the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (No. 7) are also renovating and refreshing their facilities.
Related. New Orleans champions sustainability and culture through development and renovations
In Louisville, the Kentucky Exposition Center (#6) is in the design and site selection phases for its expansion, and a groundbreaking date has not yet been set. Discussions for an expansion of the Orange County Convention Center (#3) in Orlando are ongoing, and no specific plans have been announced at this time. The Las Vegas Convention Center (#2) is in the midst of a renovation that will reconfigure its floor plan to provide 2,449,337 square feet of premier exhibit space once construction is complete in December 2025.
Tier II venues also have no shortage of new event spaces. The Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Florida plans to complete its expansion in Q4 2025, while the Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis plans to break ground on its new space in late 2026. An expansion is also underway at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas, with a completion date set for Q4 2028.
Related. The Venetian Las Vegas Celebrates 25th Anniversary with $1.5 Billion Investment
TSE’s Major Convention Center Report also provides an in-depth look at Tier I and Tier II venue statistics. North America is home to 55 of these facilities, and when combined, they offer 40,532,825 square feet of prime exhibit space. The average center has 736,960 square feet of prime exhibit space, and the median amount of space among these complexes is 574,000 square feet.
In Texas, everything is bigger, including convention centers, as the Lone Star State is home to five Tier I and II complexes, the most of any state. However, in terms of large venue square footage, Nevada offers 5,213,186 square feet, making it the leading state in this area with over 1 million square feet.
Check out the full report on major convention centers in the August issue of TSE magazine.
Subscribe to receive a copy today at
To submit a venue for consideration in TSE’s World’s Best Convention Centers directory, email Carson Stoolmiller at carsons@tradeshowexecutive.com.