A convention center is a large venue that hosts conventions, conferences, trade shows, and other large events. Eight key features of a convention center are listed below.
- Large, open spaces that can be configured into rooms of various sizes using movable walls/partitions. This allows hosting multiple events simultaneously.
- May contain one or more auditoriums for keynote speeches and presentations. Auditoriums can seat hundreds or thousands of attendees.
- Exhibit halls for trade shows and expos. These large, open halls allow companies to set up booths/displays.
- Meeting rooms for breakout sessions and smaller meetings. Rooms can host anywhere from a dozen to hundreds of people.
- Catering facilities like kitchens and banquet halls to serve food and refreshments to event attendees.
- Additional facilities like lobbies, registration areas, press rooms, etc. to support events.
- Designed to host thousands of attendees simultaneously across multiple events. Location is usually in or near major cities.
- Managed by professional event staff who handle booking, logistics, room setups, catering, audio/visual, security, etc.
A convention center is a versatile, large-scale facility purpose-built for hosting conventions, conferences, trade shows, and other major events in a metropolitan area. The configurable space and support facilities allow serving many events and attendees simultaneously.