Eastern Tennessee
VisitKnoxville.com; @VisitKnoxville
Meeting planners consistently praise the walkability of downtown Knoxville, where attendees can seamlessly move between conference sessions, local attractions, restaurants, and outdoor experiences, according to Pearl Dorsey, director of sales for Visit Knoxville. “With the Knoxville Convention Center located in the heart of downtown, groups can easily make Knoxville itself an integral part of the event experience,” she says. “The result is a meeting destination that encourages curiosity at every turn and leaves attendees with stories they never expected to find.”
Downtown and adjacent to the University of Tennessee campus, the 500,000-square-foot Knoxville Convention Center features 119,922 square feet of exhibit halls, a 27,000-square-foot grand ballroom, 20 individual meeting rooms, a 19,080-square-foot outdoor terrace (adjacent to World’s Fair Park), and other specialty spaces. Connected to the center via an enclosed pedestrian bridge is the 320-room Hilton Knoxville, which offers 13,950 square feet of event space with a ballroom that seats 700 theater style. The 302-room Marriott Knoxville Downtown, which sits directly across from the convention center, has 17,746 square feet of event space, including the Assembly, which can accommodate 2,050 people for receptions. Event space at The Tennessean Hotel, an 82-room luxury boutique hotel, includes the 1,600-square-foot Governor’s Suite.
Knoxville offers more than 1,800 guest rooms within a mile of the convention center, including the 197-room Crowne Plaza Knoxville Downtown University, with more than 15,000 square feet of event space; 178-room Embassy Suites by Hilton Knoxville Downtown, with 4,588 square feet of event space; 165-room Hyatt Place Knoxville/Downtown, which includes a rooftop lounge; and 130-room Cumberland House Knoxville, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, with 3,471 square feet of function space.
Unique stops in the city for groups include Pretentious Craft Co., where visitors can drink a beer from a hand-blown glass (both made on-site) and watch the process, from grain to glass; Knox Whiskey Works, a stop on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail; and J.C. Holdway, owned and operated by Tennessee’s first James Beard Award-winning chef, Joseph Lenn, and featured on The New York Times’ 50 Best Restaurants in America list for 2025.
Adventure seekers will enjoy kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding on the Tennessee River with Knoxville Adventure Collective; treetop ziplines, rope bridges, and swings at Navitat; and hiking or paddling at Ijams Nature Center.
