The evaluation included a survey of event planners, show organizers and exhibit managers who have recently hosted (or exhibited at) trade shows and events within each facility, as well as a review of event spaces, primary selling points, nearby attractions and innovations, conducted by a panel of corporate exhibit managers. The 20 highest-scoring entries, including the Greater Tacoma Convention Center, earned the distinction of being named among EXHIBTOR Magazine’s 2020 Centers of Excellence.
Tacoma was recognized alongside convention centers in Baltimore, Houston, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, Vancouver and others.
The Greater Tacoma Convention Center hosts an average of 220 events annually with more than 125,000 attendees. Over 32,000 room nights are confirmed through 2024, for an estimated $20 million in economic impact over the next five years. The construction of the 4-star, 304 room Marriott Tacoma Downtown hotel is underway now with completion anticipated in summer 2020.
