VisitKC.com/Meetings; @VisitKC
In Kansas City, planners can take advantage of affordability without sacrificing on culture and personality, says Nathan Hermiston, senior vice president of sales and services for Visit KC. “From our historic traditions like jazz and barbecue to our world-class museums and innovative projects taking shape across the city, meeting attendees have plenty of opportunities to experience what sets Kansas City apart. Whether it’s an opening reception at the vibrant KC Live Block, a board dinner at one of KC’s founding barbecue restaurants, or a networking event at the upcoming Barney Allis Plaza, Kansas City’s event spaces celebrate our rich history while also embracing the future.”
In 2026 and beyond, KC is welcoming more than $2 billion in development, with new hotels, restaurants, and event space at KC’s Convention District and downtown, Hermiston says. “We are particularly excited about the revitalized Barney Allis Plaza, just steps from the Kansas City Convention Center. Slated to open in fall 2026, the reimagined plaza will be one of KC’s premier public spaces, offering an array of multifunctional outdoor spaces, including a paved event plaza for large events, multiple green spaces, a pavilion, a play area, and a dog park, all in the heart of the city. Below the plaza, a parking garage will offer approximately 580 spaces with connections to the Kansas City Marriott Downtown and Municipal Auditorium via an underground pedestrian tunnel.”
Several hotels are expected to open in the Kansas City area by summer 2026, according to Visit KC. These include the dual AC Hotel & Residence Inn by Marriott, with 261 guest rooms; an 84-room Aiden by Best Western, in the historic Kessler Building, which is the site of Walt Disney’s first art studio; and the 93-room Atwell Suites Liberty. All of these are expected to have small event spaces. Also coming this summer, a 134-room Hilton Garden Inn Kansas City Riverside will offer 2,500 square feet of meeting and event space.
The 228-room Margaritaville Hotel Kansas City, which opened in 2025, has 14,000 square feet of function space. Since 2023, nine hotels have opened in the immediate area, with 10 more set to open throughout 2026.
In 2025, the city opened a 3.5-mile expansion of the free Kansas City Streetcar, adding 16 new stops in popular neighborhoods and near top hotels; another 0.7-mile extension is set to open this spring.
The 800,000-square-foot Kansas City Convention Center, located just steps from the popular Power & Light District, is the region’s largest event facility. It features a 388,000-square-foot column-free exhibit space, a 2,400-seat theater, a 46,484-square-foot ballroom, 45 meeting rooms, and an outdoor festival plaza that can host up to 2,000 people. Connecting directly to the convention center is the 800-room Loews Kansas City Hotel, which features 60,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor event space. Additional hotels with event space near the convention center include the 970-room Kansas City Marriott Downtown, with 115,406 square feet of event space, and the 385-room Crowne Plaza Kansas City Downtown, with 15,000 square feet of event space. The 724-room Westin Kansas City at Crown Center has 44,347 square feet of event space, while the 730-room Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center has 96,537 square feet of meeting and event space. The two hotels connect to the Crown Center shopping and entertainment district—home to the international headquarters of Hallmark Cards and more than 30 shops and restaurants—via The Link, an elevated, climate-controlled pedestrian walkway. The 392-room Harrah’s Kansas City has a 60,000-square-foot gaming floor and a full-service convention center, including a ballroom seating 550 banquet style.
Unique offsite venues include the National World War I Museum and Memorial, with a 240-seat auditorium, a 225-person-capacity lobby, and outdoor event spaces to accommodate up to 10,000 guests; historic Union Station, with space for up to 2,500 guests; and the American Jazz Museum, with a 500-seat theater.
