The Colorado Convention Center

At a mile above sea level, the Colorado Convention Center literally stands above all other major convention centers in the US.  It spans across 2.2 million square feet of downtown Denver, with a stunning view of the Rockies, expansive meeting and event spaces, and a splash of artistic flair. The facility’s most iconic sculpture is that of a 40-foot-tall blue bear standing near the entrance with his nose and paws pressed against a glass wall as if to peer inside. In addition, the venue boasts 584,000 contiguous square feet of exhibit space, 63 meeting rooms, two ballrooms totaling 8,500 square feet, and a 5,000-seat theater.

Where to Stay

The Hyatt Regency Denver with 1,100 rooms and The Embassy Suites Downtown with 403 rooms are both directly across the street from the Colorado Convention Center. If you have high end taste, choose the nearby Brown Palace Hotel and Spa.  It proudly displays beautiful stained glass and marble finishes in the atrium lobby with finely appointed rooms. In total Downtown Denver offers more than 8,400 hotel rooms within walking distance of the center to suit trade show attendees and exhibitors on any budget.

Places to Eat

Locals recommend grabbing lunch at one of the many eateries adjacent to the Colorado Convention Center. Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs and Boney’s Smokehouse are local favorites. Rioja’s is known for upscale flavors and décor and is perfect for elegant client dinners, and private receptions for up to 100.  Or you can enjoy treating your colleagues and clients to a trendy affair at TAG, a downtown restaurant acclaimed for its stylish, continental cuisine.

How to Get To the CCC

The Denver International Airport is 25 miles from the CCC, with taxi trips costing $55 each way or Ride Share for a little less. The RTD offers Skyride buses for airport transfers to downtown for $11, as well as bus and light-rail transportation (www.rtd-denver.com). There are 1,000 parking spaces attached to the center, though they are a long walk from the exhibit hall and can fill quickly for large shows.

The Rules

Full-time employees of an exhibiting company may install and dismantle their own displays if work can be done in less than 60 minutes and without mechanized tools.   Exhibitors may hand carry materials in and out of the venue without the use of dollies or carts.

The Denver Theatrical Stage Employees Union performs all audiovisual, display, decorating, drayage, theatrical, rigging, production, and material-handling labor.  Homemade trusses, i.e., those not made by an industry-recognized truss firm, must be accompanied by engineering specifications.

The convention center offers free wireless Internet in all lobbies, hallways, and food courts. Smart City Networks is the exclusive provider for all other Internet/networking needs.

Visit Denver, the city’s convention and visitors bureau, offers resources for exhibitors, including information for off-site events and local suppliers (www.visitdenver.org).  The CCC’s business center can provide printing services for fliers, brochures, and copies.

Local Support

Once you have secured your trade show booth space at the Colorado Convention Center, you need to create the exhibit structure, get it to the show and make sure it gets installed and dismantled effectively and efficiently.  Whether you need to design a new trade show exhibit, coordinate local labor for I&D services, produce new graphics, or you want to secure a rental exhibit solution, you should consider Brave Exhibits, your local Denver based trade show marketing partner.