Tennessee is right-to-work. Your full-time staff can generally set up with their own tools, under the show contractor's rules.
Exhibitor guide · Memphis, TN · Updated
Renasant Convention Center Exhibitor Guide
Memphis's old concrete Cook Convention Center, reopened in 2021 after a $200 million glass-and-terrace rebuild: a 118,000 sq ft column-free hall over Front Street, new truck docks, right-to-work labor and a glass bridge to the 600-room Riverline Hotel.
- 3,000+ exhibitors served
- 10,000+ booths built
- 2 days to a design brief
Photo (2010, before the renovation): “Cook Convention Center 2010-10-02 Downtown Memphis TN” by Thomas R Machnitzki, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source
Quick answers
What exhibitors ask about the Renasant Convention Center
The Winchester and Scene docks on N Front St, plus a Lower Level dock through the truck tunnel.
Utilities are ordered online from the RCC, not the general contractor. On-site orders cost more.
Same building at 255 N Main St. The Cook name was dropped in 2019 when the renovation began.
Photos: "Peabody Duck March 13" by brittreints, CC BY 2.0 Source · "Latino Memphis Festival 2017" by Overton Park, CC BY 2.0 Source · "Beale Street, Memphis" by artistmac, CC BY-SA 2.0 Source
Floor plan & exhibit hall
Renasant Convention Center floor plan: exhibit hall and ballrooms
Three main levels. The exhibit hall and Grand Ballroom are on Level 2, the Main Street lobby and most meeting rooms on Level 1, and the Junior Ballroom, parking and truck tunnel on the Lower Level. In all, 300,000 sq ft of meeting, exhibit and pre-function space.
118,000sq ft Exhibit Hall, Level 2 · column-free · divisible into three · raised over North Front Street
28,000sq ft Grand Ballroom, Level 2 · divides into one to five spaces · carpeted, tabletop and pipe-and-drape
18,000sq ft Junior Ballroom, Lower Level · ten breakout rooms · same level as the truck tunnel and exhibitor storage
46meeting rooms · 90,000+ sq ft · five Level 2 rooms with 16 ft ceilings and the glass-walled Memphis Board Room
~2,050seats in the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, Level 1 · for keynotes and plenaries (venue pages list 2,051 and 2,100)
RiverRiverview Terrace, Level 2 · outdoor receptions over the Mississippi · weather-dependent
No columns to plan around in the hall. Clear height and floor load are not on the venue's own pages: confirm both on the hall plans before designing a double-deck or a tall hanging sign.
Only at Renasant
From Cook to Renasant: the $200 million Memphis convention center renovation
The Renasant Convention Center is not a new building. It is the old Memphis Cook Convention Center, modernized and re-skinned between 2019 and 2021 and paid for with Memphis and Shelby County hotel-motel tax and tourism-zone funds. If your show last came here under the Cook name, these are the changes that affect your booth.
- 2019Work starts in January and the Cook name goes. Old exhibitor manuals, floor plans and freight labels that say "Cook" point to the same building at 255 N Main St, but work from current RCC plans.
- GlassSolid concrete walls with few windows became floor-to-ceiling glass, glass-enclosed concourses and terraces over the Mississippi: daylight in prefunction and an outdoor option for receptions.
- 4 docksNew truck docks the builder says let four 18-wheelers park side by side for load-in and load-out.
- BridgeA new pedestrian bridge to the neighboring hotel, now the 600-room Memphis Riverline, so staff and small boxes move between rooms and booth indoors.
- Feb 2021Completed, per architect TVS. The finished building has a 118,000 sq ft column-free hall and 46 meeting rooms.
Insider tips
Renasant Convention Center exhibitor tips: what experienced teams do
Twenty minutes at the dock, then move
Exhibitors unloading their own vehicles get a designated dock area for 20 minutes, and unattended vehicles are towed without notice. Bring a second person and a cart, and have the garage at 266 N Front St ready for the car.
Order power from the center, not the decorator
Booth utilities are ordered online from the RCC itself, and on-site orders cost more. Teams used to ordering electrical from the general contractor's kit miss this one.
Pack the right tape and the paperwork
Duct tape and other high-residue tapes are banned; the center lists Kendall 105, TC1900 or gaffer's tape. Drapes and build materials must be flame retardant, with the certificate on site.
Display vehicles: a quarter tank, max
Vehicles on the floor may carry no more than ¼ tank or 5 gallons of fuel, whichever is less. Matters for the Memphis International Auto Show and any other show with equipment on display.
Get the hall specs before a double-deck
Clear height and floor load are not on the venue's own pages, and third-party listings are not a safe basis for a tall build. Ask for the hall drawings before designing a double-deck or a big hanging sign.
Walk the bridge, ride the trolley
Block rooms at the Riverline and your team never goes outside to reach the booth. For client dinners on Beale Street or at the Peabody, the Main Street trolley stops at the center for $1 each way.
Loading dock & move-in
Renasant Convention Center loading dock and freight
Get directions to Renasant Convention Center →
- Front Street docksWinchester Dock at 272 N Front St and Scene Dock at 226 N Front St.
- Truck tunnelA Lower Level dock reached through the truck tunnel, next to exhibitor storage.
- 20-minute windowExhibitors unloading their own vehicles get a designated dock area for 20 minutes. Unattended vehicles are towed without notice.
- ParkingCovered parking in the garage at 266 N Front St.
- Freight townI-40 and I-55 meet in Memphis, and FedEx runs its global hub at MEM. Late freight is less likely, not impossible.
- Day −50Design approved. Order utilities online from the center.
- Day −30File the EAC form and insurance certificate if the show requires them.
- Day −14Purple ships to Memphis through our carrier network.
- Day −7Advance warehouse deadline.
- Day 0Targeted move-in through the Front Street docks and truck tunnel.
- Show +1Move-out. Empties return, MHA turned in.
Labor & floor rules
Who can do what on the Renasant Convention Center floor
Tennessee is right-to-work, with no union jurisdiction over booth labor. The show's general contractor rules in your exhibitor kit set the details, including any EAC filing. The center's own floor rules:
✓Your team or your contractor
- Booth setup by your full-time staff with their own tools, generally
- Unloading your own vehicle in the designated dock area, 20 minutes max
- Tape: Kendall 105, TC1900 or gaffer's tape
●Through the center
- Utilities, ordered online from the RCC (on-site orders cost more)
- Sample-size food and drink giveaways need event-management approval; fees may apply
- Cannon Center stage, lighting and AV, booked separately
!Not allowed / fire code
- Drapes, decor and build materials must be non-combustible or flame retardant, with paperwork on site
- Display vehicles: max ¼ tank or 5 gallons of fuel, whichever is less
- No duct tape or other high-residue tape
- No helium balloons in the building
Background photo: "Empty halls." by PatLoika, CC BY 2.0 Source
Free tool
Renasant Convention Center drayage cost estimator
There is no published venue rate; each show's general contractor sets it. Plan about $95 per hundredweight as a planning number and check the show kit. See all venues on the drayage rates page.
Estimated drayage
$1,425
Cut this with a lighter booth
Game night at FedExForum
Photo: "grizzlies — nov 19" by theogeo, CC BY 2.0 Source
The calendar
Renasant Convention Center trade shows 2026–2027
Agricultural and outdoor consumer shows, regional associations and scientific meetings. Attendance figures are Purple's planning ranges; confirm each event with its organizer.
Cities United Annual Convening
Community safety and youth violence prevention · 13th annual convening · 2026
UCA/UDA Mid-South Regional
Cheer and dance competition · 2026
SERMACS 2026: Molecules in Memphis
Chemistry · American Chemical Society Southeastern Regional Meeting · 2026
Mid-South Farm & Gin Show
Agriculture, cotton ginning · 75th annual show · ~15,000 · 2027
Ducks Unlimited Expo
Waterfowl hunting and outdoors, consumer · 2027
Fall 2026 dates are from the venue calendar; Farm & Gin and Ducks Unlimited dates are from the organizers. The Memphis International Auto Show (held in spring; April in 2026) had not posted 2027 dates when we checked.
Where to stay
Hotels near the Renasant Convention Center
Downtown Memphis has about 4,000 rooms across 25 hotels. The Main Street and Riverfront trolleys stop at the center, $1 each way.
Connected
Memphis Riverline Hotel
600 rooms on a glass walkway to the center. Formerly the Sheraton Memphis Downtown; the standard block for big shows.
Under half a mile
Crowne Plaza Memphis Downtown
A short walk. A good second block.
About a mile, by trolley
~3 hours east on I-40Beale Street & the Peabody
Client dinners and nightlife, down Main Street.
Nashville hotels
Running a Tennessee swing? Nashville is next.
Music City Center guide →The building
From Ellis Auditorium to a glass box
A riverfront block that has held Memphis's big rooms for a century, from John Philip Sousa to the Memphis Symphony.
- 1924Ellis Auditorium opens at Poplar and Front: 30,000 sq ft of display space and 12,000 seats. It books Sousa, Rachmaninoff, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and Jimi Hendrix.
- 1974The Brutalist Cook Convention Center opens next to Ellis, one of the larger centers in the country at the time. (Some sources give 1968.)
- Late 1990sEllis Auditorium closes and is torn down; terra-cotta medallions from its facade are saved.
- 2003The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts opens in January on the Ellis site, home of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.
- 2011The Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, now Memphis Tourism, takes over management on July 1 from SMG, which ran it from 1992.
- 2019Construction starts in January and the Cook name is dropped. In November, Renasant Bank signs a 10-year, $6.8 million naming deal.
- 2021The roughly $200 million renovation is reported complete: floor-to-ceiling glass, river terraces, a Main Street lobby, more breakout rooms, new truck docks and a glass walkway to the hotel.
FAQ
Renasant Convention Center FAQ for exhibitors
Is the Renasant Convention Center the old Memphis Cook Convention Center?
Yes. It is the same building at 255 N Main St. The city dropped the Cook name when the renovation began in January 2019, and Renasant Bank signed a 10-year naming deal later that year.
How big is the Renasant Convention Center exhibit hall?
118,000 square feet, column-free and divisible into three spaces, within 300,000 square feet of total meeting, exhibit and pre-function space. The 28,000 square foot Grand Ballroom and 18,000 square foot Junior Ballroom add more room.
Is the Renasant Convention Center union?
No. Tennessee is a right-to-work state with no union jurisdiction over booth labor. Your full-time staff can generally set up with their own tools under the show's general contractor rules; check the exhibitor kit for any EAC filing.
Where is the Renasant Convention Center loading dock?
Trucks use the Winchester Dock at 272 N Front St, the Scene Dock at 226 N Front St and a Lower Level dock reached through the truck tunnel. Exhibitors unloading their own vehicles get a 20-minute window, and unattended vehicles are towed.
Where do exhibitors park?
Covered parking is in the garage at 266 N Front St.
How much is drayage at the Renasant Convention Center?
There is no published venue rate. Plan about $95 per hundredweight and check the general contractor's tariff in the show kit.
How do I order electricity for my booth?
Utilities are ordered online from the Renasant Convention Center, not the general contractor. Orders placed on site are charged at a higher rate than advance orders.
Can I use duct tape or helium balloons?
No. High-residue tape such as duct tape is prohibited; the center lists Kendall 105, TC1900 or gaffer's tape as acceptable. Helium balloons are not allowed in the building.
Which hotel is connected to the Renasant Convention Center?
The 600-room Memphis Riverline Hotel, formerly the Sheraton Memphis Downtown, connects to the center by a glass walkway.
Which airport should I use?
Memphis International (MEM), 12 miles away, a 15 to 20 minute drive. It is also FedEx's global hub.
Exhibiting in Memphis?
Tell us the show. We will fit the booth to the hall.
Tell us your show, hall section and booth number. We will plan freight around the Front Street docks and the advance warehouse, remind you to order power from the center rather than the decorator, and send a design brief, drayage estimate and build timeline within two business days.
Background photo: "Beale Street at Sunset" by Heath Cajandig, CC BY 2.0 Source
Compare venues
Renasant Convention Center vs other Tennessee venues
How the Renasant Convention Center stacks up against the other Tennessee halls we have guides for. Drayage figures are Purple planning rates, not published tariffs.
| Venue | Type | Largest space | Ceiling | Labor | Drayage (plan) | Airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renasant Convention CenterThis guide | Convention center | 118,000 sq ft Exhibit Hall | — | Right-to-work | ≈ $95/cwt | MEM · 12 mi |
| Chattanooga Convention CenterChattanooga | Convention center | 36,000 sq ft Hall A (100,800 sq ft combined) | 30 ft | Right-to-work | ≈ $85/cwt | CHA · 10 mi |
| Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention CenterNashville | Resort convention center | 150,746 sq ft Ryman Exhibit Hall C | 16 ft (B) · ~19.5 ft (C) | Right-to-work | ≈ $100/cwt | BNA · under 10 mi |
| Knoxville Convention CenterKnoxville | Convention center | 70,626 sq ft Hall A (119,922 sq ft combined) | ~30 ft | Right-to-work | ≈ $85/cwt | TYS · 12 mi |
| Music City CenterNashville | Convention center | 353,143 sq ft exhibit hall (Halls A–D) | 32 ft 6 in | Right-to-work | ≈ $100/cwt | BNA · 8 mi |
| Omni Nashville HotelNashville | Hotel ballrooms | 23,760 sq ft Broadway Ballroom | 24–29 ft | Right-to-work | ≈ $100/cwt | BNA · 15–20 min |
More Tennessee guides
Other Tennessee venues
Music City CenterNashville · ~3 hours on I-40
Gaylord OprylandNashville
Omni Nashville HotelNashville
Chattanooga Convention CenterChattanooga
Knoxville Convention CenterKnoxville
Written by the Purple Exhibits team. Reviewed for the 2026–2027 season. Sources: Renasant Convention Center (event spaces, exhibitor guidelines, getting here, hotels), W.G. Yates & Sons (renovation project), Action News 5 (naming rights, November 2019), Memphis Magazine, Meetings Today, Historic-Memphis (Ellis Auditorium), Wikipedia (Renasant Convention Center, Cannon Center for the Performing Arts), Mid-South Farm & Gin Show, Memphis Tourism, TVS Design and ConventionSouth (renovation).