LOUISVILLE — On Feb. 23, 2026, local and state officials, business leaders, long-standing clients and Kentucky Venues staff convened for an official Topping Off Celebration at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
Guests signed the final structural beam before it was raised into place at the facility’s newest building, which is 350,000 square feet and part of Phase One of its $470-million transformation project.
“The new building is a world-class venue in a central and accessible location, giving the Kentucky Exposition Center an even more competitive edge in the event business,” Ian Cox, Director of Communications at Kentucky Venues, explained. “It positions the Kentucky Exposition Center to be the fifth largest of its kind in the country. As the venue’s largest Class ‘A’ exhibit space, it provides scale, flexibility and distraction-free space that adapts to each event.”
Designed by Schmidt Associates, the building features agriculture-ready infrastructure, such as dedicated washrooms, a milking parlor suite and flexible configurations for livestock competitions and equine events alongside tournaments, trade shows and conventions. There are multiple major entrances, food service areas and meeting rooms.
Construction is expected to finish at the end of 2026, with events taking place in 2027.
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Phase Two of this effort is a $213-million investment and will reimagine the facility’s West Wing, West Hall and Pavilion, adding Class ‘A’ exhibit space, expanded pre-function areas, additional meeting rooms and support for enhanced food and beverage operations. Planning and utility work have begun and construction will start after Phase One is completed.
“The multi-phase expansion and renovation at the Kentucky Exposition Center is the key to unlocking even greater opportunities for our clients and their guests,” Cox added. “This investment gives the facility a modern edge, a larger footprint and the flexibility today’s event organizers expect. It’s a premier, adaptable venue engineered to create modern exhibitions, events and experiences.”
In addition to these two phases, there are $76 million of additional improvement projects, including:
- The addition of backup power capable of supporting ongoing events in the event of an outage
- The renovation of entrance gates two and four, adding wayfinding, modern technology, increasing throughput and more. Gates one and six are complete
- The inclusion of wayfinding digital signage, enhancing guests’ experience on-site by better directing and supporting events
- The seating replacement of the arena Freedom Hall’s lower and 200-level seats
- IT infrastructure improvements
- Air handling unit & filtration upgrades
- The addition of a dirt & salt storage facility
The venue is also repaving lots and roads, adding Freedom Hall sound baffling for noise mitigation and renovating and refreshing meeting rooms and restrooms.
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