Top Locations for Trade Shows in Indianapolis

As one of the largest, most economically important cities in the Midwest, Indianapolis is home to a variety of trade shows. From services to the automotive industries, construction industries, and a variety of others hold events in the Indianapolis area throughout the year.

Like most mid-sized cities, Indianapolis has several convention and trade show locations, from large facilities designed and built for major events to smaller trade show venues more frequently used for niche events.

Below, we’ve listed the main trade show locations in Indianapolis, with square footage, location and venue information for each. Whether you’re planning on attending or exhibiting at an event in Indianapolis, the information below will help you learn more about the most likely venues.

Indiana Convention Center 

The largest trade show location in Indianapolis is the Indiana Convention Center. It is located in the city’s downtown area. The Indiana Convention Center has more than 1.3 million square feet of open space for events, with approximately 560,000 square feet of dedicated exhibition space.

The Convention Center is located next to Lucas Oil Stadium, which serves as the largest central stadium in Indianapolis. The two facilities are in fact connected, allowing the stadium to offer an extra 183,000 square feet of exhibition space for large events.

Most large-scale trade shows and conventions in the Indianapolis area are held at the Indiana Convention Center. Over the years, the Convention Center has hosted the FDIC International conferences and currently hosts the annual Gen Con gaming convention, and more.

Indiana State Fairgrounds

Designed and built to host the Indiana State Fair, the Indiana State Fairgrounds are also used for a variety of trade shows, conventions and industry events.

The biggest building on the fairgrounds is the Indiana Farmers Coliseum, serving as both a sports venue and an exhibition location. Recent events held at the fairgrounds include the Indianapolis Bride Expo, the RV Expo and a variety of events held during the Indy 500 racing event.

Because of the smaller size of the buildings at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, this location tends to be used for smaller scale trade shows and events. The fairgrounds are located to the north of Downtown Indiana and are easily accessible from the center of the city.

Other Trade Show Locations

Most large and mid-sized trade shows in Indianapolis are held at the Indiana Convention Center or Indiana State Fairgrounds. However, smaller events are often held inside hotel event spaces in the city, with several hotels attracting the majority of events:

The Indianapolis Marriott Downtown commonly hosts business events, offering a small event space suitable for conventions, conferences and trade shows.

The Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis Airport is another common location for smaller trade shows and conferences.

The Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Downtown (Union Station) is a popular trade show location due to its central location and mid-sized event space.

Indianapolis also has numerous small and mid-sized hotels that frequently host events, although these tend to be smaller in scale. The majority of large events in Indianapolis are held at one of the locations listed above, with large, high-profile events usually held at the Convention Center.