City-run Tampa Convention Center named a 2027 Center of Excellence by EXHIBITOR Magazine
The downtown venue is also one of three international finalists for best convention center in its size class; winners are announced Nov. 16-18.
TAMPA - The city-run Tampa Convention Center has been named a 2027 Center of Excellence by EXHIBITOR Magazine, placing it among the magazine's top 25 convention centers worldwide, the City of Tampa said in a release Friday. It is the second time the center has made the list, the city said.
The center is also one of three international finalists for the magazine's Best Convention Center award in its size category, venues with 100,000 to 500,000 square feet of exhibit space. Winners will be announced at the International Association of Exhibitions and Events' Expo! Expo! in Milwaukee, Nov. 16-18, 2026.
According to the city, the center hosted more than 320,000 attendees in 2026 and generated an estimated $149 million in local economic impact for Tampa and Hillsborough County. The waterfront venue has a 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall and 600,000 square feet of total event space.
It truly comes down to the daily effort from our staff and service partners.
Source: City of Tampa news release, "World-Class Recognition: Tampa Convention Center Named a 2027 Exhibitor Center of Excellence" (Oct. 30, 2026; read Oct. 30, 2026).