In the Works: Convention Centers Are Expanding to Meet the Next Era of Events -

From Louisville to Los Angeles, a wave of convention center expansions is reshaping the North American trade show and convention landscape, adding continuous space, modern amenities, outdoor terraces, and pedestrian-friendly districts to accommodate more flexible, more experiential events.

Los Angeles: A $2.6 Billion Expansion to Compete at the Top Tier

Construction officially began Oct. 1, 2025, on the Los Angeles Convention Center Expansion and Modernization Project, a $2.6 billion upgrade approved by the Los Angeles City Council in September.

The project will deliver:

190,000 square feet of new contiguous exhibit space connecting South Hall and West Hall over Pico Blvd
A 98,000-square-foot rooftop ballroom, one of the largest on the West Coast
Additional meeting rooms and improved pre-function areas

The project is expected to be about 80 percent complete a few months before the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in July, allowing access to the facility, with final completion scheduled for May 2029.

Cincinnati: Reimagining to Become a Mid-Sized Powerhouse

Cincinnati is in the midst of a $264 million overhaul of the Duke Energy Convention Center, a project that will position it as one of the Midwest’s most advanced meeting hubs when it reopens in January 2026.

Upon completion, the center will total 750,000 square feet, including:

200,000 contiguous square feet of exhibit space
A 40,000-square-foot ballroom, plus 17,400 square feet of secondary ballroom space
30 breakout rooms supporting meetings from 25 to 4,100 attendees
A full-service banquet kitchen capable of serving 5,000 guests
A rooftop terrace overlooking downtown

The project is part of Cincinnati’s broader $800-million Convention District transformation, a major reinvestment in its urban core designed to elevate the attendee experience both inside the venue and around it.

Houston: Major Expansion to Scale Up Citywides

In Houston, the George R. Brown Convention Center is embarking on a $2 billion, 700,000-square-foot expansion expected to boost events by 30 percent annually.

Phase One—GRB Houston South, opening May 2028 (pictured above)—includes:

Two new exhibition halls (150,000 square feet total)
The largest ballroom in Texas, estimated between 60,000 and 80,000 square feet
A 50,000-square-foot multi-purpose hall connected to a new Central Plaza
Linkage to the Toyota Center

The redevelopment is designed to support large-scale conventions, sports-adjacent programming, and multi-facility events across Houston’s growing entertainment district.

Austin: Unconventional ATX

Austin has broken ground on a $1.6 billion urban redevelopment project, dubbed Unconventional ATX, that is scheduled to be completed by the 2029 spring festival season. As part of the project, the convention center redesign will almost double rentable space, from the existing 365,000 square feet to over 620,000 square feet. UnconventionalATX emphasizes walkability, sustainability and a street-level experience that integrates dining, hospitality, and cultural touch points.

Louisville: A Major Boost for the Kentucky Exposition Center

The Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville is undergoing a $460 million transformation to expand its 1.1 million square feet of prime exhibit space to 1.38 million square feet by the end of 2026.

Phase One includes 350,000-square-foot multi-purpose facility
Phase Two adds 249,000 square feet of interconnected Class A exhibit space, 40,000 square feet of updated food and beverage operations, and other upgrades

Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center: A $1 Billion Waterfront Makeover

Waterfront view and ample outdoor space are just some of the features of the upgraded Fort Lauderdale / Broward County Convention Center. Slated to open by the end of 2025, it will also feature:

1.2 million square feet of combined event space, representing an addition of approximately 525,000 square feet over the previous size
350,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space
A new 65,000-square-foot waterfront ballroom, enhanceable meeting rooms, a six-acre outdoor waterfront plaza
An 801-room Omni Fort Lauderdale headquarters hotel interlinked with the center

Las Vegas: A $600 Million Upgrade to Secure Mega Events

The Las Vegas Convention Center District Project is undergoing significant renovation and expansion to bolster its flexibility, production readiness and sustainability credentials.

Key features include: