Convention Centers in Illinois With Plans

Illinois gives organizers a wide spread of convention centers: the big exhibit halls of McCormick Place and Navy Pier in Chicago, a convention center in Rosemont next to O'Hare, a suburban convention center in Schaumburg, downtown Chicago hotels with their own exhibit halls, and downstate civic centers and fairgrounds buildings in Peoria, Bloomington and Springfield. Below are Illinois convention centers and expo venues that already have ready-made floor plans in Map D's Venue Library, grouped by region 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, a hotel exhibit hall and a fairgrounds building, 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 Illinois Convention Centers

This is not a ranking and not a complete directory of every venue in Illinois. 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 exhibit hall 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.

Chicago Convention Centers and Exhibit Halls

Chicago is one of the busiest trade show cities in the country, and the two best-known exhibit venues sit on the lakefront. Plans in the library cover only part of each campus, so ask the venue which hall or level your show would actually be assigned.

• [McCormick Place](/venues/mccormick-place-chicago/), Chicago: the drawn plan measures about 696 x 292 feet. The library also has a separate listing for McCormick Place North, where the drawn plan titled "Level 1" measures about 234 x 288 feet.
• [Navy Pier](/venues/navy-pier-chicago/), Chicago: the drawn plan measures about 579 x 271 feet. Waterfront venues bring their own load-in questions, so ask early how freight reaches the hall and where trucks wait.

O'Hare and Northwest Suburban Convention Centers

The suburbs around O'Hare are a common choice for regional and national shows that want airport access without downtown logistics. Parking is usually easier, and hotels are often connected to or near the hall.

• [Donald E. Stephens Convention Center](/venues/donald-e-stephens-convention-center-rosemont/), Rosemont: the drawn plan titled "Hall A" measures about 364 x 458 feet.
• [Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center](/venues/renaissance-schaumburg-convention-center-schaumburg/), Schaumburg: the drawn plan measures about 255 x 310 feet. The library also has a plan for the Adventure Hall at the same venue (about 139 x 333 feet), which can suit a smaller show or a sponsor showcase next to a conference.

Downtown Chicago Hotels With Exhibit Space

Several downtown Chicago hotels have exhibit halls or large ballrooms that work for association meetings with an expo, medical and tech conferences, and tabletop shows. Expect carpet, lower ceilings than a convention hall, food and beverage minimums and a room block tied to the contract.

• [Hyatt Regency Chicago, Riverside Hall](/venues/hyatt-regency-chicago-riverside-hall-chicago/), Chicago: the drawn plan measures about 296 x 349 feet. The library has several other Hyatt Regency Chicago listings too, including a Riverside Exhibit Hall plan titled "Level Purple" (about 268 x 348 feet) and a Crystal Ballroom plan (about 165 x 72 feet).
• [Hilton Chicago](/venues/hilton-chicago-chicago/), Chicago: the drawn plan measures about 222 x 444 feet.
• [Swissotel](/venues/swissotel-chicago/), Chicago: the drawn plan measures about 398 x 225 feet.
• Other downtown hotel plans in the library include the Marriott Marquis Chicago (about 162 x 166 feet) and the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile (about 94 x 107 feet), both closer in size to a ballroom expo.

Western and North Shore Suburbs

• [Drury Lane Theatre and Conference Center](/venues/drury-lane-theatre-and-conference-center-oakbrook-terrace/), Oakbrook Terrace: the drawn plan measures about 387 x 313 feet. A second listing for Drury Lane Theater and Events has a plan of about 277 x 162 feet.
• Hotel plans in the library for the north suburbs include the Crowne Plaza in Northbrook (about 106 x 91 feet) and the DoubleTree by Hilton in Mundelein (about 80 x 132 feet), sizes that fit tabletop exhibits and small vendor fairs.

Downstate Illinois Civic Centers and Fairgrounds

Outside the Chicago area, Illinois has civic centers and fairgrounds buildings that fit farm shows, home and garden shows, sport and outdoor expos, craft fairs and statewide association meetings. Rental terms can be simpler than at a large metro convention center, but check exactly what the rate includes.

• [Peoria Civic Center](/venues/peoria-civic-center-peoria/), Peoria: the drawn plan titled "Hall D" measures about 523 x 376 feet.
• [Interstate Center](/venues/interstate-center-bloomington/), Bloomington: the drawn plan measures about 247 x 412 feet.
• [The Exposition Building at the Illinois State Fairgrounds](/venues/exposition-building-at-illinois-state-fairgrounds-springfield/), Springfield: the drawn plan measures about 397 x 260 feet. The plan shows one building on the grounds, so ask which building the fairgrounds would assign to your show.
• The library also has a plan for the Belle Clair Fairgrounds in Belleville (about 323 x 160 feet), in the Metro East area near St. Louis.

How to Choose an Illinois Convention Center 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. Our guide to standard trade show booth sizes and the booth capacity calculator help you turn a booth count into the space you need.

2. Exhibit Hall, Hotel Exhibit Hall or Fairgrounds Building

• Exhibit hall: Concrete floors, high ceilings, dock access and floor ports or utility boxes. Best for large booths, heavy machinery, vehicles and shows where freight is handled by a contractor.
• Hotel exhibit hall or ballroom: Often 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.
• Civic center or fairgrounds building: Flexible, often lower cost, sometimes with outdoor space or barns next door. Good for consumer shows, farm shows and markets; in Illinois, check heating for winter dates and climate control for summer dates.

3. Labor Rules, Load-In and Freight

Large Chicago venues often have detailed rules on who can unload, assemble booths and run electrical, and those rules shape exhibitor costs. Ask what exhibitors may do themselves, how many docks you get, whether there is an off-site trade show marshalling yard for trucks, and how long the move-in and move-out windows are. Build your exhibitor move-in schedule around those answers.

4. Fire Code, Columns and Utilities

Columns, exits, fire hose cabinets and electrical access shape where booths can go. Mark them on the venue plan before you number booths, 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. For shows with out-of-town exhibitors, ask whether the venue or nearby hotels require a hotel room block. Our breakdown of how much it costs to rent a convention center lists the line items to request in every quote.

Questions to Ask an Illinois 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, 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 many docks are available to us during move-in and move-out, and is there a marshalling yard?
5. Which services are exclusive to the venue (electrical, internet, rigging, food, cleaning), and what do they cost?
6. Is there a food and beverage minimum or a hotel room block tied to the rental?
7. Are move-in and move-out days charged at the full rate?
8. What other events are in the building on our dates, and how will docks, 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, event floor plan software lets you keep one version of the map that sales, operations and exhibitors all work from, 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 Texas and Las Vegas trade show venues.

Common Mistakes When Picking an Illinois 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.
• Leaving labor rules out of the exhibitor manual, so exhibitors are surprised by service costs on site.
• Leaving move-in and move-out days out of the budget and the schedule.
• Choosing a hotel ballroom for exhibitors who need forklift delivery or vehicles on the floor.
• Booking a fairgrounds building for winter or summer dates without confirming heating and climate control.
• 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.