Cincinnati Invests $800 Million to Overhaul Convention District and Attract Larger Events
Photo Credit: Cincinnati Convention Center Visit Cincy
Skift Take
Cincinnati is making an $800 million bet that a fully modernized convention center, a new headquarters hotel, and two-acre public plaza will help the city leapfrog into the top tier of U.S. meetings destinations.
At the center of Cincinnati’s Convention District transformation are two major projects: a $240 million renovation of the Duke Energy Convention Center, which reopens in January 2026, and a new $536 million, 700-room Marriott headquarters hotel, scheduled to open in 2028.
The convention center is 55 years old, and is getting a full upgrade. It includes a revamped exhibit hall with additional capacity, a new rooftop terrace with skyline views, a 40,000-square-foot ballroom, and a rooftop 359.7 kW solar array to reduce the building’s demand on the grid.
ASM Global will manage the facility, which aims to draw bigger events the city couldn’t host before.
Next door, the two-acre Elm Street Plaza opens in October. The flexible outdoor venue includes a concert pavilion, a bar, and landscaped social areas. In addition, a dog park, interactive water features, and public art will appeal to locals as well.
“In the growing convention world, outdoor event space is no longer an amenity; it is a necessity,” said Katie Westbrook, vice president of development for 3CDC, the real estate development corporation for the new Marriott.
New Marriott to Anchor the District
Slated to open in 2028, the Marriott headquarters hotel will add 700 rooms and more than 62,000 square feet of meeting space to the Cincinnati Convention District. Features include a 17,445-square-foot events terrace and a skybridge connecting directly to the convention center.
“The new Marriott headquarters hotel anchors our long-term vision to reimagine Cincinnati’s Convention District,” said Julie Calvert, president and CEO of Visit Cincy.
Local and state officials expect the upgraded convention infrastructure to attract larger trade shows and conventions that previously went to peer cities like Indianapolis, Nashville, and Columbus.
“This is about elevating Cincinnati’s competitiveness,” said Lydia Mihalik of the Ohio Department of Development. “Communities across the country are fighting for this business, and having a state-of-the-art facility is a big win.”
