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Awards, Venues & Destinations
EXHIBITOR Magazine Honors Best Convention Centers with 2026 Centers of Excellence Awards
11/3/2025
ROCHESTER MN - Exhibitor Group is proud to announce the following 25 convention centers as winners of its 2026 Centers of Excellence Awards. Exhibitor Group, which produces both EXHIBITOR magazine and Find It Marketplace, the buyer's guide to trade show products and services, launched this initiative to identify and recognize the best convention centers for trade shows and events.
The vast majority of exhibit managers are tasked with far more than just staging exhibits. According to the results of EXHIBITOR's Reader Survey conducted in summer 2025, about half of our readers are responsible for overseeing an array of corporate events, often more than ten events per year. Along with that additional responsibility comes the burden of vetting and selecting venues - critical decisions that mean the difference between meeting planner paradise and material-handling hell.
"The Centers of Excellence Awards allows exhibit managers to identify exhibitor-friendly venues that make their experiences at trade shows and events smooth and successful," said Emily Olson, editor of EXHIBITOR magazine, noting that everything from the number and size of the bays on the loading dock to the cost and quality of internet service can significantly impact exhibitors' experiences. "The facilities on this list have proven their ability to host trade shows and events of all sizes while providing world-class service and state-of-the-art accommodations."
The 25 venues that qualified for EXHIBITOR Magazine's 2026 Centers of Excellence include:
Special Awards Finalists
In addition to naming the world's 25 best convention centers for trade shows and events, EXHIBITOR Magazine's Centers of Excellence program will present five special awards. The finalists for those awards are listed below, and the winners will be announced at Expo! Expo!, which is taking place in Houston, Texas, in December 2025.
BEST CONVENTION CENTER (MORE THAN 1 MILLION SQ. FT. OF EXHIBIT SPACE)
Key to the evaluation was a survey of event organizers and exhibit managers who recently experienced events within each facility, as well as a review of entrants' event spaces, selling points, nearby attractions, and innovations, conducted by a panel of corporate exhibit managers. The highest-scoring entries earned the distinction of being named among EXHIBITOR Magazine's 2026 Centers of Excellence.
The winning venues are featured in a special supplement in October/November 2026 issue of EXHIBITOR, as well as on the online portal where readers can learn more about each of the facilities that qualified for this honor. The portal enables face-to-face marketers to quickly and easily research potential event venues and learn more about the convention centers hosting the trade shows and exhibitions on their annual calendars.
For more information on the Centers of Excellence competition, visit ExhibitorOnline.com/Awards/CoE.
About Exhibitor Group
The leader in trade show and corporate event marketing education, Exhibitor Group publishes EXHIBITOR magazine, an award-winning publication featuring best practices in trade show marketing. EXHIBITOR's learning events include: EXHIBITORLIVE, The Conference and Exhibition for Trade Show and Event Marketers; EXHIBITOR Education Week, the Professional Learning Conference for Exhibit and Corporate Event Marketers; and EXHIBITOR eTrak, professional online learning. Exhibitor Group is also the founder of CTSM (Certified Trade Show Marketer), the industry's only university-affiliated professional certification program. Learn more at ExhibitorOnline.com.
EXHIBITOR is a registered trademark, and EXHIBITORLIVE, EXHIBITOR Education Week, and EXHIBITOR eTrak, are trademarks of Exhibitor Media, LLC, in the USA and other countries. All company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated.
Contact:
[email protected]
ROCHESTER MN - Exhibitor Group is proud to announce the following 25 convention centers as winners of its 2026 Centers of Excellence Awards. Exhibitor Group, which produces both EXHIBITOR magazine and Find It Marketplace, the buyer's guide to trade show products and services, launched this initiative to identify and recognize the best convention centers for trade shows and events.
The vast majority of exhibit managers are tasked with far more than just staging exhibits. According to the results of EXHIBITOR's Reader Survey conducted in summer 2025, about half of our readers are responsible for overseeing an array of corporate events, often more than ten events per year. Along with that additional responsibility comes the burden of vetting and selecting venues - critical decisions that mean the difference between meeting planner paradise and material-handling hell.
"The Centers of Excellence Awards allows exhibit managers to identify exhibitor-friendly venues that make their experiences at trade shows and events smooth and successful," said Emily Olson, editor of EXHIBITOR magazine, noting that everything from the number and size of the bays on the loading dock to the cost and quality of internet service can significantly impact exhibitors' experiences. "The facilities on this list have proven their ability to host trade shows and events of all sizes while providing world-class service and state-of-the-art accommodations."
The 25 venues that qualified for EXHIBITOR Magazine's 2026 Centers of Excellence include:
- Albany Capital Center
- Anaheim Convention Center
- Baird Center
- Baltimore Convention Center
- Charlotte Convention Center
- Colorado Convention Center
- Edmonton EXPO Centre
- Grand River Center
- Greater Columbus Convention Center
- Greater Tacoma Convention Center
- Hawaii Convention Center
- Huntington Place
- Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium
- Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas
- Kentucky International Convention Center
- Los Angeles Convention Center
- McCormick Place
- Miami Beach Convention Center
- Overland Park Convention Center
- Owensboro Convention Center
- Raleigh Convention Center
- Renasant Convention Center
- San Diego Convention Center
- Seattle Convention Center
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center
Special Awards Finalists
In addition to naming the world's 25 best convention centers for trade shows and events, EXHIBITOR Magazine's Centers of Excellence program will present five special awards. The finalists for those awards are listed below, and the winners will be announced at Expo! Expo!, which is taking place in Houston, Texas, in December 2025.
BEST CONVENTION CENTER (MORE THAN 1 MILLION SQ. FT. OF EXHIBIT SPACE)
- Anaheim Convention Center
- McCormick Place
- Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium
- Miami Beach Convention Center
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center
- Edmonton EXPO Center
- Greater Columbus Convention Center
- Seattle Convention Center
- Albany Capital Center
- Grand River Center
- Overland Park Convention Center
- Anaheim Convention Center
- Edmonton EXPO Center
- San Diego Convention Center
Key to the evaluation was a survey of event organizers and exhibit managers who recently experienced events within each facility, as well as a review of entrants' event spaces, selling points, nearby attractions, and innovations, conducted by a panel of corporate exhibit managers. The highest-scoring entries earned the distinction of being named among EXHIBITOR Magazine's 2026 Centers of Excellence.
The winning venues are featured in a special supplement in October/November 2026 issue of EXHIBITOR, as well as on the online portal where readers can learn more about each of the facilities that qualified for this honor. The portal enables face-to-face marketers to quickly and easily research potential event venues and learn more about the convention centers hosting the trade shows and exhibitions on their annual calendars.
For more information on the Centers of Excellence competition, visit ExhibitorOnline.com/Awards/CoE.
About Exhibitor Group
The leader in trade show and corporate event marketing education, Exhibitor Group publishes EXHIBITOR magazine, an award-winning publication featuring best practices in trade show marketing. EXHIBITOR's learning events include: EXHIBITORLIVE, The Conference and Exhibition for Trade Show and Event Marketers; EXHIBITOR Education Week, the Professional Learning Conference for Exhibit and Corporate Event Marketers; and EXHIBITOR eTrak, professional online learning. Exhibitor Group is also the founder of CTSM (Certified Trade Show Marketer), the industry's only university-affiliated professional certification program. Learn more at ExhibitorOnline.com.
EXHIBITOR is a registered trademark, and EXHIBITORLIVE, EXHIBITOR Education Week, and EXHIBITOR eTrak, are trademarks of Exhibitor Media, LLC, in the USA and other countries. All company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated.
Contact:
[email protected]
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