The old center closed in April 2025 and was demolished by October. The new building is under construction, with completion expected in late 2028 and reopening in early 2029.
Exhibitor guide · Austin, TX · Updated
Austin Convention Center Exhibitor Guide
Also known as the Neal Kocurek Memorial Austin Convention Center and ACC
There is no Austin Convention Center to exhibit in right now. The 1992 building closed in April 2025 and was torn down by October; a $1.6 billion replacement with 620,000 sq ft of rentable space and underground exhibit halls is rising on the same downtown site, due to reopen in early 2029. Until then, Austin shows run in the Palmer Events Center, hotels and other venues.
- 3,000+ exhibitors served
- 10,000+ booths built
- 2 days to a design brief
Photo: the Texas Capitol, a short walk north of the convention center site. Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress, public domain.
- 620,000sq ft of rentable space planned in the new center
- 365,000sq ft rentable in the old center it replaces
- $1.6Bproject cost, paid from hotel tax and center revenue
- 2029reopening target, early in the year
- 70,000sq ft in two halls at the Palmer Events Center meanwhile
- 5 mifrom downtown to Austin-Bergstrom airport
Quick answers
What exhibitors ask about the Austin Convention Center
The city's Palmer Events Center (70,000 sq ft in two halls), hotel ballrooms and other venues. SXSW 2027 runs in hotels, theaters and clubhouses downtown.
Texas is a right-to-work state. Each interim venue and each show's contractor still sets who may build booths and run equipment, so read the kit.
Rentable space grows from about 365,000 to 620,000 sq ft, with exhibit halls and loading docks moved underground to shrink the footprint downtown.
Only at the Austin Convention Center
Austin Convention Center current status: demolished, rebuilding to 2029
This is the one guide on our site about a convention center that does not stand today. If your show is planned for downtown Austin before 2029, start here: the building is gone, the replacement is in structural construction, and the political fight over it has so far gone the city's way.
| When | What happened | What it means for exhibitors |
|---|---|---|
| April 2025 | The 1992 center closes; demolition runs to October | No convention center shows in Austin until the new one opens |
| Late 2025 | Crews excavate about 55 ft down for underground halls and docks | Freight will enter below street level in the new building |
| 2026 | Structural construction: rebar and concrete going up | Plan 2026–28 Austin shows at interim venues |
| Oct 2025 – Feb 2026 | A petition to force a vote falls short; a judge upholds that in February 2026; the opponents appeal | Construction continues; watch for court news |
| Late 2028 | Construction complete, per the city's schedule | Move-in rules and contractors announced closer to opening |
| Early 2029 | Reopening, with the city aiming for before SXSW 2029 | 620,000 sq ft of rentable space to book |
Sources: Community Impact and KXAN on demolition and construction, TSNN on the design, KUT and Community Impact on the petition case, Wikipedia (Austin Convention Center). Dates are the city's targets and may move.
History
Austin Convention Center history: SXSW's home base and a $1.6 billion bet
Austin built its convention center in the early 1990s because the old Palmer Auditorium was too small. Thirty years later the city chose to tear it down and build a much bigger one on the same site.
- 1989Voters approve a $69 million bond sale in July to build a convention center.
- 1992The Austin Convention Center opens on July 4: $35 million and 441,000 sq ft. It becomes the home base of South by Southwest.
- 2002An expansion begun in September 1999 reopens on May 18, nearly doubling the building to 881,400 sq ft, with five exhibit halls of 247,052 sq ft and a 40,510 sq ft ballroom.
- 2004The council renames the center for civic leader Dr. W. Neal Kocurek, who died that March.
- 2019The city raises the hotel occupancy tax by 2 percentage points, the money behind today's rebuild.
- 2025The center closes in April and is demolished by October. A petition to force a vote on the $1.6 billion project falls short of valid signatures.
- 2029The new center, designed by LMN Architects with Page, is due to reopen early in the year with 620,000 sq ft of rentable space.
Photos: "austin convention center" by joey.parsons, CC BY 2.0 Source · "Chalk boards @ The SXSW Trade Show" by inUse Experience, CC BY 2.0 Source · "Rainey Street" by mrlaugh, CC BY-SA 2.0 Source
Old vs new
Austin Convention Center floor plan: what the old center offered and what comes next
The new building's hall-by-hall floor plan has not been published, so this section compares what exhibitors had before demolition with what the city has announced for 2029, and shows the timeline in between.
- Demolished in 2025
- Under construction, opening early 2029
Schematic, not to scale: bar lengths follow the published rentable-space figures; the new center's floor plan, hall sizes and dock layout are not yet published. Figures from Wikipedia, TSNN, LMN Architects and the Palmer Events Center.
881,400sq ft in the old center after its 2002 expansion, up from 441,000 sq ft in 1992
247,052sq ft of column-free space in the old center's five exhibit halls, plus a 40,510 sq ft ballroom and 54 meeting rooms
620,000sq ft of rentable space planned: 550,000 indoors and 70,000 outdoors
55 ftexcavation for the new center's underground exhibit halls and loading docks
70,000sq ft in the Palmer Events Center's two connected, column-free halls, the city's main exhibit space in the meantime
Freight & move-in
Austin Convention Center loading docks: now and after 2029
Get directions to Austin Convention Center →
- NowThere is no convention center dock in Austin. Freight for a 2026–28 show goes to the interim venue or to the show contractor's warehouse.
- The new buildingThe design puts the loading docks underground with the exhibit halls, under the downtown site on Cesar Chavez Street.
- Palmer Events CenterAcross Lady Bird Lake at 900 Barton Springs Road, with in-house equipment, catering and security; ask the venue for its loading rules.
- Hotel ballroomsExpect freight elevators and short move-in windows; booth sizes and heights follow the room, not a hall.
- Getting inAustin-Bergstrom airport is about 5 miles southeast of downtown, and CapMetro bus 20 runs from the terminal to downtown every 15 minutes.
- Day −60Confirm the interim venue and its rules: ceiling, floor load and freight route in a hotel or at Palmer.
- Day −45Power, internet and catering ordered through the venue's in-house providers.
- Day −30EAC forms in, if the show uses an exhibitor-appointed contractor.
- Day −21Purple ships and installs from New York: freight leaves for Austin.
- Day 0Move-in at the interim venue's dock or freight elevator, on your target time.
- Show +1Move-out. Empties back, freight released, booth headed home or to the next show.
Labor & rules
Austin Convention Center labor and rules, once it reopens
Texas is a right-to-work state, as at every other Texas venue in our guides. The new center has not published its exhibitor rules, exclusive contractors or labor policy yet, so until 2029 the rules that matter are your interim venue's and your show contractor's.
✓Likely for your team
- Booth set-up by your own staff where the show kit allows, as is common at Texas venues
- Hand-carrying light materials, within the venue's rules
- Hiring an EAC if the show permits one
●Usually exclusive
- Material handling and dock work: the show's general contractor
- Power, internet and catering: the venue's in-house providers
- Rigging: the venue or its appointed provider
- Hotel ballrooms: the hotel's own AV, catering and engineering
!Check before you plan
- Booth height and floor load in hotel ballrooms
- Outdoor canopy and weather rules at Palmer
- Which contractor runs your show at the interim venue
- Any rule the new center announces before 2029
Background photo: "austin convention center, sxsw 2011" by eschipul, CC BY-SA 2.0 Source
Free tool · plan your Austin budget
Austin-area drayage estimator: Austin Convention Center and interim venues
Pick a booth size and type to get planning numbers for shipping weight, drayage at about $100 per hundredweight, and installation and dismantling (I&D) labor for a show at an interim Austin venue. Every number is a Purple planning estimate, not a quote: there is no convention center tariff while it is closed, and each venue and show contractor sets its own. Texas is right-to-work, so tick the box if your own staff builds. See all venues on the drayage rates page.
The fields below fill in from size and type. Change any of them.
Purple planning estimate · not a quote
Drayage + I&D labor, Austin
$4,010 – $7,600- Shipping weight planning estimate
- 1,800 lbs
- Drayage planning estimate
- $1,800
- I&D labor hours planning estimate
- 16 – 28 hrs
- I&D labor planning estimate
- $2,210 – $5,800
18 cwt at $100 per 100 lbs. Labor at $138–$207 per hour, straight time.
Get a real Austin quoteHow these planning numbers work
- Shipping weight: about 6 lbs per sq ft for a rental booth, 9 for custom or hybrid, 12 for fully custom, crated, with graphics and furniture.
- Drayage: $100 per 100 lbs (cwt), Purple's Austin planning rate, with a 200 lb minimum. Loose or pad-wrapped freight adds 30%.
- I&D labor hours: install plus dismantle, 0.06–0.10 person-hours per sq ft for rental, 0.08–0.14 for custom or hybrid, 0.12–0.20 for fully custom.
- Labor rate: $138–$207 per person-hour, straight time, a planning range from published 2026 show labor rates elsewhere. No Austin rate is published, and overtime costs more.
- Own staff: only if this venue's rules and your show kit let your own full-time staff set up (see the labor section above). Then, I&D labor drops to $0 here.
- Not included: booth space, the exhibit itself, freight to Austin, power and internet orders, rigging, travel and tax.
Downtown Austin, a block-party night
Photo: "Austin loves a good party" by mrlaugh, CC BY-SA 2.0 Source
The calendar
Austin Convention Center events 2026–2027: where shows go during the rebuild
No events take place at the Austin Convention Center until it reopens in early 2029, so this guide lists no dated shows for it. The shows historically at the ACC, led by SXSW, are spread across downtown in the meantime. Confirm venue and dates with each organizer.
March 13–21, 2027
SXSW
SXSW EDU runs March 13–16 and the conferences and festivals March 15–21. Music programming moves to The Thompson and The Westin, film premieres to ACL Live at The Moody Theater, and the Film & TV Conference to The Driskill and the Stephen F. Austin hotel.
Interim venue
Palmer Events Center
The city's 70,000 sq ft events center across Lady Bird Lake, with two connected column-free halls, covered outdoor canopies and five meeting rooms. It is the closest thing Austin has to an exhibit hall until 2029.
Interim venue
Downtown hotel ballrooms
The Hilton, Fairmont and JW Marriott, each with about 800 to 1,050 rooms, host conferences with tabletop and small exhibit floors.
Early 2029
The new convention center
Booking for the new building is handled by the city's convention center department; ask it for opening dates before you plan a 2029 show.
SXSW dates and venues from SXSW's 2027 announcements (April and August 2026). Because the venue is closed, there are no event cards or event listings for it on this page.
Where to stay & getting there
Hotels near Austin Convention Center: getting there and staying
The big downtown hotels still stand around the construction site, so they are where SXSW and hotel-based shows land meanwhile. The Hilton and the Fairmont were linked to the old center by walkways; how they will connect to the new building has not been announced. Austin-Bergstrom airport is about 5 miles southeast of downtown.
| Map number | Hotel | Rooms | Link to center | Straight-line | Walk (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin Marriott Downtown304 East Cesar Chavez Street | — | Not stated | 0.09 mi460 ft | ≈ 2 min |
| 2 | Fairmont Austin101 Red River Street | 1,048 | Not stated | 0.11 mi610 ft | ≈ 3 min |
| 3 | Hilton Austin500 East 4th Street | 800 | Not stated | 0.23 mi1,190 ft | ≈ 6 min |
| 4 | JW Marriott Austin110 East 2nd Street | 1,012 | Not stated | 0.24 mi1,260 ft | ≈ 6 min |
| 5 | The Driskill604 Brazos Street | — | Not stated | 0.40 mi2,120 ft | ≈ 10 min |
Distance: straight line from the convention center site's map point; the building is under construction until early 2029. Walk: an estimate, straight-line, at 20 minutes a mile plus 30% for streets; not a measured route. "Not stated": the Hilton and the Fairmont were linked to the old center by walkways, but links to the new building have not been announced. Rooms: Texas meetings-press figures; "—" where we found no source.
Next to the site
Hilton Austin
About 800 rooms at 500 East 4th Street, beside the construction site.
1,048 rooms
Fairmont Austin
At 101 Red River Street, once linked to the old center by the Red River canopy walk.
1886
The Driskill
Austin's historic hotel at 604 Brazos Street, home of SXSW 2027's Film & TV Conference.
~5 mi
Austin-Bergstrom (AUS)
About 5 miles southeast of downtown. CapMetro bus 20 runs from the terminal to downtown every 15 minutes; a light-rail line is planned.
Insider tips
Austin Convention Center exhibitor tips: what experienced teams do
Check the venue line on every Austin show
Any show still listing "Austin Convention Center" before 2029 has moved or will move. Ask the organizer for the new venue and its dock details before you design.
Plan for a smaller hall
The Palmer Events Center's two halls total 70,000 sq ft, against 247,052 sq ft in the old center's five. Shows that moved there may have trimmed booth sizes or moved part of the floor outdoors.
Measure the ballroom door
Hotel ballrooms take freight through service corridors and elevators. Check door and elevator sizes before you ship crates or a tall backwall.
Book SXSW rooms like it is 2025
SXSW 2027 still fills downtown in mid-March, now spread across hotels and theaters. Book early near the hotels hosting the programs you need.
Expect freight to go underground
The new center's exhibit halls and loading docks are being built below grade. Truck routes and marshaling will be new, so wait for the first show kits.
Fly in, bus or drive in
Austin-Bergstrom is about 5 miles from downtown, and CapMetro's route 20 runs every 15 minutes.
FAQ
Austin Convention Center FAQ for exhibitors
Is the Austin Convention Center open right now?
No. The old building closed in April 2025 and was demolished between April and October 2025. The new center is under construction, with completion expected in late 2028 and reopening in early 2029.
Where is SXSW happening during construction?
Across downtown Austin. For 2027 (March 13–21), SXSW moves music programming to The Thompson and The Westin, film premieres to ACL Live at The Moody Theater, and the Film & TV Conference to The Driskill and the Stephen F. Austin hotel.
Where can I hold an Austin show right now?
The city's Palmer Events Center (two connected halls, 70,000 sq ft, plus covered outdoor space), downtown hotel ballrooms and venues outside downtown. Match the venue to your booth size and ceiling needs before you sign.
Is the rebuild actually happening?
Yes. Demolition finished in 2025 and structural construction is under way. A petition to force a public vote fell short of valid signatures, and in February 2026 a Travis County judge upheld that ruling; the opponents appealed, but work has continued.
Will labor rules be different once it reopens?
Texas will still be a right-to-work state. The new center has not published its exhibitor rules, exclusives or labor policy yet, so check the first show kits for what your own staff may do.
How big was the old center?
881,400 sq ft in all after its 2002 expansion, with 247,052 sq ft of column-free space in five exhibit halls, a 40,510 sq ft ballroom and 54 meeting rooms. Its rentable space was about 365,000 sq ft.
How big will the new center be?
About 620,000 sq ft of rentable space, 550,000 indoors and 70,000 outdoors, with exhibit halls and loading docks underground. The project costs $1.6 billion and is designed by LMN Architects with Page.
Which airport should I use?
Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS), about 5 miles southeast of downtown. CapMetro bus route 20 links it to downtown every 15 minutes.
Where does Purple ship from?
Purple ships and installs from New York and coordinates crews and freight for Austin-area shows, whether they run at the Palmer Events Center, in a hotel or, from 2029, in the new convention center.
Planning an Austin show?
Tell us where your show landed.
Send the show, the interim venue and your booth size. Within two business days you get a design brief sized to that room's ceiling and doors, a drayage estimate and a build timeline, and when the new center opens, the same for it.
Background photo: "Downtown Austin skyline by night" by Kumar Appaiah, CC BY-SA 2.0 Source
Compare venues
Austin Convention Center vs other major U.S. convention centers
How the Austin Convention Center stacks up against other major U.S. convention centers. Drayage figures are Purple planning rates, not published tariffs.
| Venue | Type | Largest space | Ceiling | Labor | Drayage (plan) | Airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Convention CenterThis guide | Convention center (closed, rebuilding) | Closed · 620,000 sq ft rentable from 2029 | — | Right-to-work · venue closed | ≈ $100/cwt | AUS · ~5 mi |
| America's Center Convention ComplexSt. Louis | Convention center | 574,000 sq ft contiguous, with Dome floor | 40 ft | Union · 300 sq ft rule | ≈ $150/cwt | STL · 14 mi |
| Anaheim Convention CenterAnaheim | Convention center | 221,284 sq ft Hall D | 25 ft Hall D · 13 ft 8 in Hall E | Union · check kit | ≈ $172/cwt | SNA · 13 mi |
| Boston Convention & Exhibition CenterBoston | Convention center | 516,000 sq ft contiguous (Halls A–C) | 35 ft low · up to 100 ft | Union · staff setup OK | ≈ $324/cwt | BOS · 3 mi |
| Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention CenterSalt Lake City | Convention center | 515,000 sq ft contiguous, 10 halls | 30 ft | Right-to-work | ≈ $120/cwt | SLC · ~6 mi |
| Charlotte Convention CenterCharlotte | Convention center | 280,000 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–C | 30 ft listed max | Right-to-work | ≈ $115/cwt | CLT · 7 mi |
| Colorado Convention CenterDenver | Convention center | 584,000 sq ft on one level, Halls A–F | 30 ft to low steel | IATSE 7 · 60-min rule | ≈ $160/cwt | DEN · 30–40 min |
| Ernest N. Morial Convention CenterNew Orleans | Convention center | 127,364 sq ft Hall E · 1.1M sq ft in all | — | Right-to-work | ≈ $155/cwt | MSY · 25–30 min |
| Fontainebleau Las VegasLas Vegas | Resort ballrooms | 105,264 sq ft Royal Ballroom | 28 ft 10 in | Union · check kit | ≈ $185/cwt | LAS · 4.3 mi |
| Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention CenterChula Vista | Resort ballrooms | 140,049 sq ft California Exhibit Hall | 34 ft hall · 27–28 ft ballrooms | Check show kit | ≈ $176/cwt | SAN · ~10–12 mi |
| George R. Brown Convention CenterHouston | Convention center | 547,730 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–E | 35 ft (Level 1) · 30 ft (Level 3) | Right-to-work · check kit | ≈ $95/cwt | HOU · ~9 mi |
| Georgia World Congress CenterAtlanta | Convention center | 1M+ sq ft contiguous (Halls B, BC, C) | 30 ft to grid | Right-to-work | ≈ $150/cwt | ATL · 15–20 min |
| Hilton AnatoleDallas | Hotel ballrooms | 73,000–75,900 sq ft Trinity Exhibit Hall | 18 ft hall · 28–29 ft ballrooms | Right-to-work · check kit | ≈ $100/cwt | DAL · ~4 mi |
| Hilton New Orleans RiversideNew Orleans | Hotel ballrooms | 26,894 sq ft Grand Ballroom | 18 ft Grand Ballroom · 12 ft Grand Salon | Right-to-work · check kit | ≈ $155/cwt | MSY · ~25 min |
| Hilton OrlandoOrlando | Hotel ballrooms | 48,167 sq ft Orlando Ballroom | 26 ft Orlando · 24 ft Orange · 18 ft Florida | Right-to-work | ≈ $155/cwt | MCO · 11 mi |
| Huntington PlaceDetroit | Convention center | 623,000 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–D | 30 ft (A–D) · 18 ft 8 in (E) | Union · 400 sq ft rule | ≈ $155/cwt | DTW · 20 mi |
| Hyatt Regency OrlandoOrlando | Hotel ballrooms | 54,638 sq ft Regency Ballroom | 31 ft Regency (listed) · 21 ft Plaza | Right-to-work | ≈ $155/cwt | MCO · 12 mi |
| Indiana Convention CenterIndianapolis | Convention center | 566,600 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–K | 35 ft | Union · own staff OK | ≈ $135/cwt | IND · ~15 min |
| Iowa Events CenterDes Moines | Convention center | 150,000 sq ft contiguous, EMC Expo Center Halls A–C | 35 ft (Halls B–C) | Right-to-work | ≈ $100/cwt | DSM · ~10 min |
| Javits CenterNew York | Convention center | ~500,000 sq ft contiguous (Level 3) | Varies by hall · check plan | Union · 250 sq ft rule | ≈ $195/cwt | EWR / LGA / JFK · 45–70 min |
| Kansas City Convention CenterKansas City | Convention center | 388,800 sq ft column-free, Bartle Hall A–E | 33 ft A–C · 42 ft D–E | IATSE 31 · check kit | ≈ $145/cwt | MCI · ~19 mi |
| Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center DallasDallas | Convention center | 304,250 sq ft open in Halls A–C (2026) | 35 ft (A, B) · 31–37 ft (C) | Right-to-work · check kit | ≈ $100/cwt | DAL · ~6 mi |
| Los Angeles Convention CenterLos Angeles | Convention center | 346,890 sq ft South Hall G–K | 40 ft South · 36 ft West | Union · check kit | ≈ $175/cwt | LAX · ~20 mi |
| Manchester Grand Hyatt San DiegoSan Diego | Hotel ballrooms | 34,000 sq ft Grand Hall | ~14 ft Grand Hall · 18–21 ft ballrooms | Union dock · check kit | ≈ $176/cwt | SAN · 3 mi |
| Marriott Marquis San Diego MarinaSan Diego | Hotel ballrooms | 35,631 sq ft Marriott Grand and Pacific ballrooms | 26 ft Grand · 16 ft Pacific | Union · check kit | ≈ $176/cwt | SAN · 3 mi |
| McCormick PlaceChicago | Convention center | 840,000 sq ft Hall A (South) · 1.2M+ on one level | Varies by hall · check plan | Union · staff setup any size | ≈ $210/cwt | MDW · ~20 min |
| Miami Beach Convention CenterMiami Beach | Convention center | 491,654 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–D | — | Union · IATSE/IBEW · check kit | ≈ $170/cwt | MIA · ~12 mi |
| Minneapolis Convention CenterMinneapolis | Convention center | 376,200 sq ft contiguous, Halls B–E | 30 ft 6 in to truss · 85 ft domes | Union · open dock | ≈ $150/cwt | MSP · ~20 min |
| Moscone CenterSan Francisco | Convention center | 502,440 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–F | 37 ft Halls A–C · 28 ft Hall F | Union · check kit | ≈ $180/cwt | SFO · 25–40 min |
| Oklahoma City Convention CenterOklahoma City | Convention center | 200,730 sq ft continuous, up to 4 halls | 30 ft | Right-to-work | ≈ $105/cwt | OKC · ~9–10 mi |
| Orange County Convention CenterOrlando | Convention center | 1,103,538 sq ft West Building | 30–40 ft | Right-to-work | ≈ $155/cwt | MCO · 12 mi |
| Oregon Convention CenterPortland | Convention center | 255,000 sq ft Halls A–E | 30 ft | Union · check kit | ≈ $150/cwt | PDX · MAX ~30 min |
| Phoenix Convention CenterPhoenix | Convention center | 312,500 sq ft contiguous, lower Halls 1–6 | 32 ft lower · 35 ft upper | Right-to-work · check kit | ≈ $140/cwt | PHX · ~3 mi |
| Reliant CenterHouston | Convention center | 706,000+ sq ft on one level, Halls A–E | 25–60 ft · avg 30 ft | Right-to-work · check kit | ≈ $116/cwt | HOU · ~8 mi |
| Rosen Centre HotelOrlando | Hotel ballrooms | 35,000 sq ft Grand Ballroom | 25 ft Grand · 22 ft Executive, Junior | Right-to-work | ≈ $155/cwt | MCO · 12 min |
| San Diego Convention CenterSan Diego | Convention center | 525,701 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–H | 27 ft 4 in A–E · up to 64 ft F–H | Union · check kit | ≈ $176/cwt | SAN · 3 mi |
| San Jose McEnery Convention CenterSan Jose | Convention center | 143,000 sq ft Halls 1–3 | 32 ft | Union · 30 min / 10 ft rule | ≈ $160/cwt | SJC · 4 mi |
| Santa Clara Convention CenterSanta Clara | Convention center | 90,014 sq ft Halls A–D | 28 ft 6 in | Union · check kit | ≈ $160/cwt | SJC · 5–6 mi |
| Seattle Convention CenterSeattle | Convention center | 205,700 sq ft Arch Halls 4A–4F | 25 ft Arch · 30 ft Summit | Union · check kit | ≈ $165/cwt | SEA · Link ~40 min |
| Sheraton Grand Chicago RiverwalkChicago | Hotel ballrooms | 40,003 sq ft ballroom · 35,000 sq ft Riverwalk hall | 22 ft ballroom · 10 ft 6 in hall | Union · pop-ups ≤ 10×10 | ≈ $225/cwt | MDW · 13 mi |
| Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet CreekOrlando | Resort ballrooms | 35,925 sq ft Bonnet Creek Ballroom | 20 ft Bonnet Creek · 18 ft Waterside, Floridian | Right-to-work | ≈ $155/cwt | MCO · 19 mi |
| Walt Disney World Swan and DolphinLake Buena Vista | Resort ballrooms | 110,500 sq ft Atlantic + Pacific halls | 30 ft Atlantic · 25′8″ Pacific | Right-to-work | ≈ $155/cwt | MCO · ~20 min |
| Walter E. Washington Convention CenterWashington | Convention center | 473,000 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–C | 30 ft (A–C) · up to 52 ft (D–E) | Union · check kit | ≈ $175/cwt | DCA · ~4 mi |
More Texas guides
Other Texas convention centers
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention CenterSan Antonio, TX
George R. Brown Convention CenterHouston, TX
Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention CenterDallas, TX
Fort Worth Convention CenterFort Worth, TX
Reliant CenterHouston, TX
Gaylord Texan ResortGrapevine, TX
Written by the Purple Exhibits team. Reviewed for the 2026–2027 season. This page describes a facility under construction; details may change and figures marked for verification are being confirmed with the City of Austin. Sources: Wikipedia (Austin Convention Center; Austin–Bergstrom International Airport), Community Impact, KXAN, KUT and TSNN reporting on the demolition, rebuild and petition case, LMN Architects, the Palmer Events Center's planning pages, SXSW's 2027 announcements, and the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division (Carol M. Highsmith Archive).