Piedmont
visitRaleigh.com; @visitRaleigh
“Raleigh is a thriving Southern city that welcomes visitors with genuine hospitality,” says Malinda Harrell, CMP Fellow, CASE, director of sales for Visit Raleigh. “‘The City of Oaks’ has a unique culture thanks to its outstanding educational institutions, cutting-edge technology, and rich history.”
Raleigh Convention Center, part of the downtown Raleigh Convention & Performing Arts Complex, features 500,000 square feet of event space, including a 150,000-square-foot exhibit hall seating 10,000 people theater style and 8,980 banquet style, and a 32,617-square-foot ballroom seating 3,690 theater style. A new 550-room Omni Hotel will open across from the convention center in 2027.
Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, also part of the Complex, features a 2,369-seat auditorium, a 1,700-seat concert hall, a 600-seat opera theater, and another theater seating 170. The Lounge, a new pre-show space, features lush décor and a dedicated bar ideal for intimate events. Also, in 2026, Red Hat Amphitheater, a major Raleigh outdoor venue, will relocate to the Complex campus.
Lenovo Center, previously PNC Arena, is home to the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes and North Carolina (NC) State Wolfpack. Boasting 700,000 square feet of event space, including 17,703 fixed seats and 17,000 square feet of floor space for up to 20,000 people, the venue has begun significant renovations and additions to modernize and enhance its amenities. This summer, Lenovo Center will begin construction on a multi-phase, mixed-use district around the venue. The project will create a new entertainment and lifestyle retail space, food and beverage options, a 4,300-seat ballroom, and a 150-room hotel.
North Carolina State Fairgrounds has 400,000 square feet of meeting space, 12 indoor venues, and unique outdoor sites. McKimmon Conference & Training Center offers 37,000 square feet of meeting space, including 23 meeting rooms and exhibit space; it can host up to 1,200 people.
Hotels with meeting space include the 333-room Hilton Raleigh North Hills, with 30,000 square feet of meeting space; 379-room Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley, with 26,182 square feet of event space across 21 meeting rooms; 273-room Embassy Suites Raleigh Durham Research Triangle, with 20,000 square feet of event space; and Raleigh Marriott City Center, with 15,119 square feet of meeting space.
