Exhibitor guide · Downtown Austin, Texas
Austin Convention Center: the exhibitor's guide
The home of SXSW is being demolished and rebuilt: a $1.6 billion project that will double the center's size by 2029. Here's what exhibitors need to know about booking Austin right now, mid-construction.
Austin CC · 500 E Cesar Chavez StWhy this page exists
This is the one page in this guide about a building that does not currently exist. The Austin Convention Center was demolished between April and October 2025 to make way for a significantly larger replacement, a $1.6 billion project expected to open in 2029. Despite being the home base for SXSW and one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, the old center ranked only 60th largest in the U.S., which is exactly the capacity problem the new building is meant to solve. Exhibitors planning an Austin show between now and 2029 need to know the center is unavailable and where events are landing instead.
This guide covers what the old center offered and what the new one is planned to be, labor under Texas right-to-work law, drayage, the shows that have historically used Austin including SXSW's pop-up arrangement during construction, hotels downtown, and the political and financial fight over the project's cost.
Right now
Current status: demolished, rebuilding
If your show is planned for downtown Austin before 2029, start here. The building is gone and the replacement is under construction, funded by hotel occupancy tax revenue and the center's own future income.
Demolition to 2029
The old Neal Kocurek Memorial Austin Convention Center was demolished from April to October 2025. The new facility is targeted to open in 2029, roughly doubling the old footprint to 620,000 sq ft of rentable space.
A pop-up Creative Village
With the center under construction, SXSW is building a pop-up campus across downtown Austin for its 2026 and 2027 editions rather than using a single home venue.
Hotel tax and a ballot petition
The project is funded by the center's revenue and a 2019 hotel occupancy tax increase. In October 2025, a political action committee submitted a petition with more than 20,000 signatures to force a public vote halting construction; the city found it could not verify a required 25 percent sample of signatures.
Where Austin shows are landing
Hotel ballrooms, the Palmer Events Center and venues outside downtown are absorbing exhibit business during the rebuild. Purple can help identify the right substitute venue for your show's size and dates.
The building (2025 and earlier)
What the old center offered
For context on what Austin is rebuilding toward, here is what exhibitors used before demolition.
| Space | What it was | Typical shows | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five exhibit halls | 247,052 sq ft of column-free space, individual halls from 32,640 to 79,525 sq ft. | SXSW trade show floors, regional shows | The new center is designed to roughly double this capacity. |
| Total facility | 881,400 sq ft after the 1999–2002 expansion, up from 441,000 sq ft at the 1992 opening. | All events | Ranked 60th largest in the U.S. despite Austin being the 11th largest city, the capacity gap the rebuild targets. |
| New facility (planned) | 620,000 sq ft of rentable space, expanded exhibit halls, breakout space and a grand ballroom. | Larger citywide shows, potentially events at DNC scale | Opening targeted for 2029; design details subject to change during construction. |
Figures from the Austin Convention Center's historical facts pages and public reporting on the 2025–2029 rebuild; all planned-facility figures marked verify are subject to change during construction.
Labor
Labor and rules, once it reopens
Texas's right-to-work law will apply to the new Austin Convention Center exactly as it does at every other Texas venue in this guide.
Full-time staff will be able to build a booth of any size with their own tools, with no union-only requirement, once the new center opens.
Expect material handling to remain an exclusive, contractor-run service as at every other convention center, regardless of the state's labor law.
Shows using hotel ballrooms or the Palmer Events Center during construction follow that venue's own labor rules, which may differ from a true convention center's. Confirm per venue.
History
SXSW's home base and a $1.6 billion bet
The original center opens
The Austin Convention Center opens at 441,000 sq ft, later named for Neal Kocurek, and becomes the primary home base for South by Southwest, the film, interactive media and music conference that grows into one of the city's defining annual events.
First major expansion
An expansion adds 440,400 sq ft, bringing the total to 881,400 sq ft, the size the building held until 2025.
Austin outgrows its center
The city's population and tech sector grow faster than the convention center's capacity. By the 2020s, Austin's limited exhibit space is cited as a reason the city cannot bid on the largest national conventions.
Demolition begins
The old center is demolished between April and October 2025 to make way for a $1.6 billion replacement, funded through the center's own revenue and a 2019 hotel occupancy tax increase, with construction and operating costs projected at $5.6 billion over three decades.
Planned reopening
The new facility is expected to roughly double the old center's rentable space, positioning Austin to bid on events it could not previously host.
Free tool
Austin-area drayage estimator
Planning numbers for shows at interim Austin venues during the rebuild; confirm the specific venue's tariff. All-venue comparison and a glossary on the drayage rates page.
The calendar
Shows historically at the ACC
SXSW is the anchor event; the rest of Austin's calendar has historically mixed tech, music and regional trade shows. Confirm venue and dates directly with each organizer during the rebuild.
| Event | When | Industry | Typical attendance | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SXSW | March 15–21, 2027 | Film, music, interactive media, tech | 280,000 | Custom environments |
| Healthcare and professional conferences | Spring, fall | Healthcare, professional services | 4,000 | 10×10 rentals |
Attendance figures are historical or organizer figures; confirm venue and dates with each organizer given the ongoing rebuild.
Logistics
Getting there and staying
- Airport: Austin-Bergstrom International is about 15 to 20 minutes from downtown.
- By car: I-35 runs directly through downtown Austin.
- Interim venues: confirm freight and dock details with the specific venue hosting your show during the rebuild.
- Downtown: the Texas Capitol, Sixth Street and Lady Bird Lake are all within walking distance of the old center's site.
- Crew: Purple coordinates Texas crews for Austin-area shows.
| Hotel | Distance | Why exhibitors pick it |
|---|---|---|
| The Driskill | 10-min walk | Austin's historic 1886 landmark hotel downtown. |
| Downtown Austin hotels | 5 to 15-min walk | A range of price points near Sixth Street and the Capitol. |
| South Congress and East Austin hotels | 10-min drive | Music, food and nightlife for staff and clients. |
The city
Austin in pictures
Resources
Free resources you can link to
Cite the numbers
One-page cheat sheet
Rebuild timeline, interim venues, SXSW plan, right-to-work rules.
Questions
Austin Convention Center FAQ
Is the Austin Convention Center open right now?
No. The old building was demolished between April and October 2025. A new, roughly twice-as-large facility is targeted to open in 2029.
Where is SXSW happening during construction?
SXSW is building a pop-up Creative Village across downtown Austin venues for 2026 and 2027 rather than using a single convention center.
Where can I hold an Austin show right now?
Hotel ballrooms, the Palmer Events Center and venues outside downtown are the main options during the rebuild. Purple can help match your show's size and dates to the right substitute.
Is the rebuild actually happening?
Construction is underway as of this writing. A 2025 petition seeking a public vote to halt it did not meet the city's signature verification requirements, though political opposition continues.
Will labor rules be different once it reopens?
No. Texas's right-to-work law will apply the same way it does at every other Texas venue: full-time staff can build a booth of any size with their own tools.
How big was the old center?
881,400 square feet total with 247,052 square feet across five column-free exhibit halls, ranked only 60th largest in the U.S.
Which airport should I use?
Austin-Bergstrom International, about 15 to 20 minutes from downtown.
Where does Purple ship from?
Purple coordinates Texas crews and regional freight for Austin-area shows.
Planning an Austin show?
Send us the show and dates. We'll help you find the right interim venue and build a timeline within two business days.
Venue guides
Every venue we have a guide for
Same standard, every hall: the building, the rules, the tools and the calendar.