Convention Centers in Arizona With Plans

Arizona gives organizers two kinds of show space: city convention centers in Phoenix and Tucson, and a large supply of resort and hotel ballrooms across Phoenix, Scottsdale and Glendale that host conferences with an expo attached. Below are Arizona convention centers and expo venues that already have ready-made floor plans in Map D's Venue Library, grouped by city and type and linked to their venue pages so you can open a plan and start your booth layout. After the list you will find how to choose between a convention hall and a resort ballroom, what to ask before you sign, and how to turn a venue plan into a show floor you can sell.

Dimensions in this article come from the plans drawn in Map D's Venue Library, not from official venue specifications, so confirm every measurement, column, door and utility location with the venue before you sell a single booth.

How to Use This List of Arizona Convention Centers

This is not a ranking and not a complete directory of every venue in Arizona. It is a working list of venues with plans drawn in Map D's library, so you can see the approximate shape of a hall and test a booth layout before your first site visit. Some buildings have more than one listing, such as a full hotel plan and a single ballroom, and those are listed together under the venue.

Each venue page in the Map D venue directory shows the drawn floor plans for that building with their dimensions in feet and a preview of each plan. Choose a hall, select Use This Floor Plan Free, create a free account, and the plan opens in the editor as your starting canvas, ready for booths, aisles, labels and sponsor areas. Treat every plan as a starting point: halls get renovated, airwalls move and service corridors change, so check the drawing against the venue's current plan.

Phoenix Convention Venues

Downtown Phoenix is the usual starting point for statewide and national shows in Arizona, and the library has plans for the convention center and downtown hotels. Plans in the library cover only part of the convention center, so ask the venue which hall your show would actually be assigned.

• [Phoenix Convention Center](/venues/phoenix-convention-center-phoenix/), Phoenix: the drawn plan measures about 244 x 215 feet. Treat it as one hall, not the whole building, and request the plan for the hall named in your contract.
• [Sheraton Phoenix Downtown](/venues/sheraton-phoenix-downtown-phoenix/), Phoenix: the drawn plan measures about 100 x 177 feet. A second listing, Sheraton Phoenix Downtown - Phoenix, has a plan titled "Ballroom ABC" of about 136 x 157 feet, which can host a tabletop expo next to a conference.
• [Arizona Biltmore, Frank Lloyd Wright Ballroom E-J](/venues/arizona-biltmore-frank-lloyd-wright-ballroom-e-j-phoenix/), Phoenix: the drawn plan measures about 157 x 199 feet.
• [Arizona Grand Resort and Spa, Canyon Ballroom](/venues/arizona-grand-resort-and-spa-canyon-ballroom-phoenix/), Phoenix: the drawn plan measures about 147 x 133 feet.

Tucson Convention Center

Tucson suits Southern Arizona shows, regional association meetings and consumer expos that draw from the Tucson area.

• [Tucson Convention Center](/venues/tucson-convention-center-tucson/), Tucson: the drawn plan titled "Hall C" measures about 201 x 213 feet. Ask whether neighboring halls can be combined if your show outgrows one hall.

Scottsdale Resort Ballrooms and Event Space

Scottsdale resorts are a common pick for association meetings, incentive programs and conferences with a sponsor or exhibitor area. Expect carpet, airwalls, lower ceilings than a convention hall, food and beverage minimums and a room block tied to the contract.

• [Fairmont Scottsdale Princess](/venues/fairmont-scottsdale-princess-scottsdale/), Scottsdale: the drawn plan measures about 331 x 140 feet.
• [JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort and Spa](/venues/jw-marriott-camelback-inn-resort-and-spa-scottsdale/), Scottsdale: the drawn plan measures about 173 x 141 feet.
• [Embassy Suites by Hilton Scottsdale Resort](/venues/embassy-suites-by-hilton-scottsdale-resort-scottsdale/), Scottsdale: the drawn plan measures about 172 x 115 feet.
• [Talking Stick Resort](/venues/talking-stick-resort-scottsdale/), Scottsdale: the drawn plan measures about 122 x 143 feet.
• [DoubleTree Paradise Valley Resort, Forum Ballroom](/venues/double-tree-paradise-valley-resort-forum-ballroom-scottsdale/), Scottsdale: the drawn plan measures about 122 x 111 feet.
• Smaller Scottsdale plans in the library include the Grand Coronado at The Scottsdale Resort and Spa (about 86 x 138 feet) and the Orangedale Ballroom at The Scott Resort (about 77 x 83 feet), sizes that fit a sponsor showcase or a small tabletop expo.

West Valley Event Space

• [Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel and Spa, Solana E1](/venues/renaissance-phoenix-glendale-hotel-and-spa-solana-e1-glendale/), Glendale: the drawn plan measures about 178 x 164 feet, a size that suits a regional show or a conference expo in the West Valley.

How to Choose an Arizona Venue for a Trade Show

The right venue fits your booth count, your exhibitors' freight and your attendees' travel at a cost the show can carry. Work through these points before you shortlist, and use our step-by-step guide on how to plan a trade show for the full timeline.

1. Start From Your Booth Count and Booth Sizes

Estimate how many exhibitors you expect and which booth sizes they buy. A planning assumption many organizers use is that booths take a little under half of the gross hall area once aisles, entrances, registration, food and lounges are added, but your ratio depends on the layout and the fire marshal's rules. As a rough example, a plan of about 172 x 115 feet is just under 20,000 square feet gross, so at that assumption it leaves roughly 9,000 square feet for booths, before you subtract columns or a stage. Run your own numbers with the exhibit hall size calculator or the booth capacity calculator.

2. Convention Hall or Resort Ballroom

• Convention center hall: Concrete floors, high ceilings, dock access and floor ports or utility boxes. Best for large booths, heavy equipment, vehicles and shows where freight is handled by a contractor.
• Resort or hotel ballroom: Carpeted, with lower ceilings and airwalls, usually with food and beverage minimums and a room block. Suits medical, tech and association shows with a conference attached, and tabletop or 8 x 10 booth layouts. Our guide to the 8x10 trade show booth covers how that size fits ballroom expos.

3. Season, Heat and Load-In

Arizona summers are hot, which matters for load-in, outdoor registration and any exhibits on a patio or lawn. Ask how freight reaches the room, how long the move-in window is, whether docks are shaded or indoors, and where exhibitor vehicles can park. Build your exhibitor move-in schedule around those answers.

4. Fire Code, Columns and Aisles

Columns, exits, airwall tracks and electrical access shape where booths can go. Mark them on the venue plan before you number booths, check your trade show aisle widths, and review the fire marshal floor plan requirements so you know what the local authority will expect on your submitted plan.

5. Costs, Exclusives and Hotels

Compare rent, catering minimums, exclusive services, security, cleaning and whether move-in days are charged. Resorts often tie the meeting space to a hotel room block, and our guide to how much it costs to rent a hotel ballroom explains how those contracts are priced. For convention halls, see how much it costs to rent a convention center.

Questions to Ask an Arizona Venue Before You Sign

Use this short list on site visits, and see our full list of questions to ask an event venue for contracts and costs.

1. What are the exact usable dimensions of the space we would rent, and can you send a current CAD or PDF plan?
2. Where are the columns, exits, airwalls, utility ports and fire equipment, and which areas must stay clear?
3. Which tasks can exhibitors do themselves, and which require venue or contractor labor?
4. How does freight reach the room, and how long is the move-in and move-out window?
5. Which services are exclusive to the venue (electrical, internet, AV, food, cleaning), and what do they cost?
6. Is there a food and beverage minimum or a room block tied to the rental, and what are the attrition terms?
7. Are move-in and move-out days charged at the full rate?
8. What other groups are on property on our dates, and how will hallways, parking and signage be shared?

From Venue Plan to Booth Layout

1. Open the venue in the Map D venue directory and choose the plan closest to the space you will actually rent.
2. Check the drawn plan against the venue's current plan and adjust walls, columns, doors and service areas.
3. Block out registration, food, lounges, stages, emergency exits and fire equipment clearances before adding booths.
4. Lay booths and aisles in standard sizes and number them in a logical order so exhibitors and staff can find them.
5. Price booths by size and location, mark sponsor and premium spots, and hold booths for returning exhibitors.
6. Send the layout to the venue and the fire marshal for review before you open booth sales.

When the layout is approved, an interactive floor plan gives exhibitors and attendees one map to find booths on, and trade show management software connects that map to booth sales, exhibitor tasks and invoices. Planning in another region? See the companion lists of convention centers in California, convention centers in Texas and Las Vegas trade show venues.

Common Mistakes When Picking an Arizona Venue

• Booking by headline size without subtracting columns, service areas and required clearances.
• Assuming the drawn plan matches the room today without asking the venue for a current plan.
• Comparing resort room rental to convention center rent without adding the food and beverage minimum and service charges.
• Leaving move-in and move-out days out of the budget and the schedule.
• Choosing a carpeted ballroom for exhibitors who need forklift delivery or vehicles on the floor.
• Planning outdoor registration or patio exhibits for summer dates without shade, water and a heat plan.
• Selling booths before the fire marshal has reviewed the layout.

Where Map D Fits

Map D is floor plan and booth sales software for organizers. Starting from a venue plan saves the time of tracing a hall from a PDF: you open the plan, then add booths, aisles, sponsor areas and labels in the editor. When the layout is ready, paid plans let you publish an interactive map, share it with exhibitors and sell booths online. Map D does not book venues or replace the venue's official plan, so keep the venue and the fire marshal in the loop on every revision.