CHICAGO — A total of 35 trade show venues are listed in next month’s edition of Trade Show Executive’s (TSE) Pardon Our Dust report, 20 of which are weighing expansion options while 15 have broken ground and are actively working on new event facilities.
“The April edition of TSE’s semi-annual Pardon Our Dust comprises venues of all sizes, including some of the largest convention centers in the U.S.,” Carri Jensen, Director of Research for TSE, said. “In 2026, the largest development will be the expansion of the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, which will add 280,000 square feet of prime exhibit space to its already expansive campus and move the venue up a spot to the fifth largest convention center in the U.S., according to TSE’s World’s Top Convention Centers ranking.”
Related. Kentucky Exposition Center Transformation Hits Key Milestone
Examining the trend line for venue construction reveals a significant post-COVID spike in expansion planning, which is now beginning to taper off. Expansion activity has yet to fully rebound to pre-pandemic levels both in terms of the number of venues actively building as well as the number of centers considering additions. Issues around rising construction costs in the early months of 2026 have stymied the sector, as reported by Engineering News-Record, which has ultimately impacted financing options for venues hoping to scale up their offerings. That said, the largest centers in the U.S. are moving forward undeterred with construction projects, as seen at the Kentucky Exposition Center, George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Los Angeles Convention Center, Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas, and Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, among others.
Related. Los Angeles Convention Center Expansion and Modernization Project Breaks Ground
The remainder of 2026 will see a handful of expansion projects wrap up, starting with the addition at Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., which will add 84,000 square feet (sf) of flex space in late summer. Looking ahead to October, the East Montgomery County Convention Center in New Caney, Tex., will open with 55,000 sf of prime exhibit space and 20,000 sf of meeting space. The Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick, Wash., is also projecting a fall opening for the expanded campus, which will offer 81,600 sf of prime exhibit space and 17,200 sf of meeting space once construction concludes. The aforementioned Kentucky Exposition Center is the final venue with a new development coming in 2026, as management is targeting the end of December to debut the new space.
Read the full Pardon Our Dust report in the April issue of TSE Magazine. Subscribe to receive a copy today at https://tsx.magserv.com/cgi-bin/subscribe.
To submit a venue for consideration in TSE’s Pardon Our Dust report, email Carson Stoolmiller at carsons@tradeshowexecutive.com.
