Kentucky Exposition Center
Louisville, KY, US
Room for the biggest shows in the country
Convention Center
Kentucky International Convention Center
Inspired by unconventional thinking
Louisville, KY, US
Welcome to Kentucky International Convention Center
The Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC) sits at 221 South Fourth Street in the heart of downtown Louisville, one block from Fourth Street Live! and the KFC Yum! Center. A $207 million renovation and expansion completed in 2018 turned the former Commonwealth Convention Center into a top-tier facility and earned it LEED Silver certification.
The building offers 200,125 square feet of contiguous Class A exhibit space across Exhibit Halls A–E, with 32-foot ceilings and a 204,169 square foot combined floorplate. The 40,000 square foot Main Concourse Ballroom is column-free, rises to 30 feet and is wrapped in color-changing LED walls. Fifty-two reimagined meeting rooms and a 175-seat tiered Conference Theatre with a 220-inch video wall handle breakouts and general sessions, for 569,528 square feet of total meeting space.
Design deliberately brings the city inside: natural light and windows overlooking downtown run along the concourses, and a kitchen capable of 15,000 meals per day supports banquets, while Oak & Brew serves coffee by day and bourbon by night. More than 6,000 hotel rooms sit within one mile, several connected by skywalk, and guests step out to Museum Row, Whiskey Row distilleries and the Ohio River waterfront.
Highlights
- 200,125 sq ft of contiguous Class A exhibit space across Exhibit Halls A–E
- 40,000 sq ft column-free ballroom with color-changing LED walls
- 52 reimagined meeting rooms plus a 175-seat tiered Conference Theatre with a 220-inch video wall
- LEED Silver certified after a $207 million renovation and expansion completed in 2018
- Natural light and windows overlooking downtown throughout the concourses
- 15,000 meals-per-day kitchen capacity, with Oak & Brew — coffee by day, bourbon by night
- More than 6,000 hotel rooms within one mile, including Hyatt Regency and Marriott skywalk connections
- Steps from Fourth Street Live!, Museum Row, Whiskey Row and the KFC Yum! Center
City-wide profile
Louisville profile
Plan around Louisville
Convention-center proximity, hotel inventory, meeting space and access — the market facts behind Visit Louisville.
Top reasons to meet in Louisville
- Bourbon City: a dozen-plus urban distilleries, tasting rooms and bourbon bars within blocks of the convention center
- A walkable downtown convention core with 6,000+ hotel rooms, 120 restaurants and two entertainment districts
- Kentucky International Convention Center: 200,125 sq ft of contiguous Class A exhibit space and a 40,000 sq ft column-free ballroom, LEED Silver
- Iconic attractions minutes away — Churchill Downs, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, Muhammad Ali Center and the Big Four Bridge
Inventory & capacity
- Hotels near convention center
- 30 within 1 mile
- Total guest rooms
- 23,442
- Peak commutable room block
- 6,889
- HQ hotels with skywalk access
- 2
- Largest ballroom
- 39,690 sq ft
- Max contiguous exhibit space
- 200,125 sq ft
- Breakout room inventory
- 52
- Offsite venues (1,000+ guests)
- 39 within 2 miles
Access & district
- Airport proximity
- Louisville Muhammad Ali International (SDF) is about 7 miles / 10–15 minutes from downtown, with close to 100 daily departures and service from all major carriers.
- Air lift access
- SDF offers close to 100 daily departures with all major carriers and nonstop service across the U.S.; international arrivals connect through hub airports. Half the U.S. population is within a day's drive via I-65, I-64 and I-71.
- District transit & walkability
- Compact downtown grid: 6,889 hotel rooms and 120 restaurants within walking distance of KICC, with 4th Street Live and Whiskey Row steps away. The Big Four Bridge gives a car-free pedestrian crossing to Indiana; TARC runs the local bus network.
Operations & incentives
- Labor & vendor status
- Kentucky is a right-to-work state. KICC provides exclusive in-house catering — no outside food and beverage — together with in-house AV/production and venue security; stagehand, rigging and utility labor is booked through the venue's approved contractor list. KEC operates the same model on its 400-acre campus.
- Local taxes & fees
- Louisville / Jefferson County: 8.5% transient room tax plus 6% Kentucky sales and use tax, for 14.5% on standard hotel rooms. Hotels with 51 rooms or more also charge the 1.5% Greater Louisville Lodging Management District (GLLMD) tax on gross short-term rental revenue (in force since 1 Oct 2023), taking the total on those rooms to about 16%.
- Planner incentives & subvention
- Louisville Tourism supports bids with RFP assistance, complimentary site inspections and familiarization visits, housing and room-block management, registration and welcome-desk staffing, attendance-promotion toolkits and partner venue matchmaking. No published per-room rebate — subvention is negotiated case by case with the bureau and hotel partners.
- CBV Name
- Louisville Tourism (official destination marketing organization for Louisville and Jefferson County, KY)
- Economic Impact
- $95.1 Million
- Gross Exhibit Space
- 204,169 sq ft (Exhibit Halls A–E combined)
- Number of Events Hosted (2019)
- 112
- Number of Hotel Rooms Within One Mile of Convention Center
- 6,000+
- Number of Miles from Downtown
- 0 — 221 South Fourth Street, in the heart of downtown
- Served by International Flights
- No
- Sustainability
- As KICC looks to the future, they plan to use their resources wisely. Their recent energy efficiencies include 32% reduction in total water usage, 23.64% savings in total energy cost, and 26% use of recycled building materials.
- Top Reasons to Visit
- 1. Louisville is home to three sports icons that you cannot experience anywhere else in the world – Muhammad Ali, Louisville Slugger and Churchill Downs. 2. Louisville is buzzing with exciting new developments springing up on the original Whiskey Row and elsewhere with nearly a dozen bourbon-related ventures and $1 billion in investment. 3. Louisville was named one of the “Best Up-and-coming Food City” by Thrillist, one of “America’s Best Cities for Foodies” by Travel + Leisure and one of the “Nation’s Best Local Food Scenes” by USA Today.
- Total Meeting Rooms Available
- 52
- URL
- https://kyconvention.com/
- Year Built
- 1977 Year
- Year Renovated
- 2018 Year
- Total Space
- 569,528 sq ft of total meeting space; 200,125 sq ft of contiguous Class A exhibit space
- Exhibit Space
- 200125 ft²
- Ballroom
- 39690 ft²
- Meeting Space
- 569,528 sq ft total meeting space
- Largest Room
- 204169 ft²
- Max Ceiling Height
- 32 ft
- Convention Center
- 569528 ft²
- ADA Compliant
- 1
- Venue Description
- The Kentucky International Convention Center is downtown Louisville's convention facility — 200,125 sq ft of contiguous Class A exhibit space, a 40,000 sq ft column-free ballroom and 52 meeting rooms in a LEED Silver building beside Fourth Street Live! and Whiskey Row.
- Total Meeting Space
- 569528 ft²
- Distance to Downtown
- 0 mi
- Distance to Airport
- 6.7 mi
- Parking Spaces
- 1300 Count
- Max Theater Capacity
- 19525 Pax
- Max Banquet Capacity
- 4900 Pax
- Second Largest Room
- 80136 ft²
- Exhibit Space Sq. Ft.
- 200,125 contiguous Class A; 204,169 sq ft Exhibit Halls A–E combined, 32-ft ceilings
- Theater Seating
- 19,525 theater-style in Exhibit Halls A–E
- Lecture Hall Seating
- 175-seat tiered Conference Theatre with a 220-inch video wall
- Sustainability Certification
- LEED Silver (2018 renovation and expansion)
- Hotels
- 30 Count
- Largest Convention Hotel
- The Galt House Hotel — 1,310 rooms, downtown Louisville
- Total Number of Guest Rooms
- 23,442 (Louisville citywide)
- Hotels Within One Mile of Convention Center
- 30
- Breakout Rooms
- 52 Count
- Number of Meeting Rooms
- 52 meeting rooms plus boardrooms
- Meeting & Conference Spaces
- 52 meeting rooms, three boardrooms and a 175-seat Conference Theatre — 63 bookable spaces
- Maximum Attendee Size
- 19,525 theater-style; 4,900 banquet in the Main Concourse Ballroom
- Largest Contiguous Space
- 200125 ft²
- Largest Meeting Sq. Ft.
- 204,169 (Exhibit Halls A–E combined)
- Meeting Space Sq. Ft.
- 569528
- Served by International Flights (y/n)
- No
- Tax Rate
- 14.5 %
- Sales Tax Rate
- 6 %
- Occupancy Tax Rate
- 8.5 %
- Exhibit Hall
- Ballroom
- Breakout Rooms
- Boardroom
- In-house Catering
- Exclusive Vendors
- Loading Dock
- AV Equipment
- Business Center
- Video Conferencing
- Wi-Fi
- High-Speed Wi-Fi
- Security On-site
- Air Conditioning
- Coat Check
- Storage
- Wheelchair Accessible
- Accessible Restrooms
- Elevator
- Hearing Loop / Assistive Listening
- Accessible Parking
- Self Parking
- Valet Parking
- Bus / Coach Parking
- Near Public Transit
- Green / Sustainable Practices
- Restaurant On-site
- Private Dining
- Vegan Options
- Vegetarian Options
- Gluten-Free Options
KICC is at 221 South Fourth Street, between Market and Jefferson, in downtown Louisville. Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) is about 7 miles / 10–15 minutes away. I-65, I-64 and I-71 all reach downtown directly; the center is a short walk from hotels on Fourth Street and one block from the KFC Yum! Center and Fourth Street Live!.
Parking
Two enclosed garages serve the center: the KICC (Cowger) Garage at Fourth and Market and the KICC (Commonwealth) Garage on Jefferson Street between Third and Fourth, next to the Hyatt Regency — about 1,300 enclosed spaces combined, with skywalk or direct pedestrian access. Additional public garages and surface lots operate throughout downtown, and motorcoach drop-off is available at the building.
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