Experience Columbus

277 W. Nationwide Blvd. Ste. 125 43215

Columbus: Live to Reimagine What's Possible

Columbus, the 14th largest city in the United States as well as the largest and fastest-growing city in Ohio, is a smart and open community with a dynamic convention package that can fit the needs of any group. Located within a one-day drive or one-hour flight from more than half of the U.S. population, Columbus is easily accessible for all. Upon arrival, groups will love exploring a place that is fast becoming known as one of the nation’s most creative, forward-thinking and exciting cities. Celebrated for its incredible arts, entertainment, fashion and culinary offerings; exciting collegiate and professional sports teams and events; and spectacular riverfront with a sprawling ribbon of parkland on the Scioto Mile through downtown, this city on the move has something for everyone. Not to mention, all of Columbus' unique neighborhoods and one-of-a-kind entertainment offerings are available on foot or via a free ride on the CBUS circulator. At the heart of Columbus’ burgeoning downtown, lively urban entertainment districts and diverse array of welcoming neighborhoods, sits the 1.8-million-sq.-ft. Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC). In July 2017, the GCCC completed a $140 million renovation and expansion project, highlighted by 373,000 sq. ft. of contiguous exhibit space. There are 5,000 rooms available downtown with 2,700 rooms connected/adjacent to the convention center. The newly 468-room expansion of the Hilton Columbus Downtown added 1,000-rooms connected to the Greater Columbus Convention Center. There are approximately 33,000 hotel rooms citywide. Columbus is home to four Fortune 500 companies, including Bath & Body Works, American Electric Power, Nationwide and Cardinal Health. Other major corporate headquarters of note in Columbus include Abercrombie & Fitch, DSW, Express, Hexion, Huntington, Mettler-Toledo, Red Roof Inn, Rogue Fitness, Safelite, Scotts, Wendy’s, White Castle and Worthington Industries.

Awards

Getting Here

Columbus is within 550 miles, just a one-day drive or one-hour flight, from nearly half of the U.S. population.Major carriers that service serve John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) are: Southwest, American, Delta, United, Spirit, Frontier and Air Canada. OneJet, Spirit Airlines and Alaska Airlines also service John Glenn International. More than 150 daily flights currently depart CMH to 50+ destinations nonstop. John Glenn International is just eight miles, or 10 minutes, from downtown. Taxis and ride-sharing services are available at the airport, as well as the AirConnect express circulator that stops at the convention center and downtown hotels. Five highways run through the city, including two major interstate highways, I-70 and I-71, making it easy to get downtown from any direction.

Distance from airport

  • John Glenn Columbus International Airport

    8 mi. from city center


Local Attractions

Short North Arts District

Nightlife
2 minutes away
Just steps from the Greater Columbus Convention Center is the hip and always lively Short North Arts District. Named among the greatest places in America in 2019 by the American Planning Association, metal arches span High Street from one end of the district to the other, featuring color-changing, fiber-optic lights at night. The Short North is heavily populated with hundreds of art galleries, boutiques and specialty shops, local restaurants and bars, home décor retailers and more. Known as the "art and soul" of Columbus for it's cool galleries and one-of-a-kind boutiques, the area is also home to some of Columbus' best-known local dining, including Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams and many concepts by Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. Most of its tightly packed brick buildings date from at least the early 20th century, with many flaunting brightly painted murals. The bustling neighborhood hosts Gallery Hops the first Saturday of every month, when businesses stay open late and large numbers of revelers hit the sidewalks. The Short North also hosts what Fox News called "one of the country's coolest and most fashionable costume parties," HighBall Halloween. The wildly popular HighBall celebrates the art of design and masquerade.

Scioto Mile

Recreation
1 mi. away
An urban oasis of outdoor recreation, the Scioto Mile offers more than 175 acres of lush parkland and approximately four miles of trails for biking and running. Stretching along the Scioto River from the vibrant Arena District to the natural beauty of Whittier Peninsula, the Scioto Mile connects downtown to the Scioto Peninsula on the river's west bank through an integrated system of parks, boulevards, bikeways and pedestrian paths. In addition to porch swings, benches and free Wi-Fi, at the southern end of the Mile, Bicentennial Park features an amphitheater offering free concerts and movies and Milestone 229 for casual dining with a great view of a stunning 15,000 square foot interactive fountain with more than 1,000 jets of water. Any journey along the mile ends at the 12-acre Scioto Audubon, which offers the country's largest free outdoor climbing wall in addition to being a magnet for shore birds and birds of prey.

North Market

Shopping
1 block away
The North Market is an historic indoor public market with more than 30 food vendors, produce stands and more. The market serves as an incubator for many local food concepts and was the birthplace of renowned Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, from well-known James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Jeni Britton Bauer, called one of the best ice cream spots in the U.S. by Food & Wine. The knowledgeable, friendly merchants are happy to assist you with anything you may need; whether it is providing the freshest ingredients, or crafting artisan goodies for you to enjoy onsite or take home. Just one block from the convention center, this is a great spot to grab a quick bite or explore on your downtime.
59 Spruce Street
Columbus, OH, US 43215

National Veterans Memorial and Museum

Museum
5 minutes away
The National Veterans Memorial and Museum (NVMM) is the only place in the country where the stories of our veterans, their families and the Fallen – across all branches of service and all eras of conflict – are told together. At more than 50,000 sq. ft., the facility offers space for gatherings, ceremonies, celebrations and public events; opportunities for reflection in the Memorial Grove and Memorial Room; and exhibition galleries, both rotating and permanent, to learn more about the experiences of the brave men and women who serve and have served. Architectural Digest declared NVMM one of the "15 most noteworthy museums opening this year" and "one of the 12 most anticipated buildings of 2018."
300 W. Broad St.
Columbus, OH 43215

Greater Columbus Convention Center

Convention center
0 mi. away
Host of ASAE's 2019 Annual Meeting & Exposition, the 1.8-million-sq.-ft. Greater Columbus Convention Center offers 373,000 sq. ft. of contiguous exhibit space. Additional highlights include: - Show offices overlooking exhibit halls. - Nursing Mothers Room - 75 meeting rooms - 3 ballrooms, including the largest in the state of Ohio - A prominent new two-level open atrium entrance on the north end that connects the center to the Short North Arts District. - An 800-space parking garage connected by skybridge - Local food and beverage concepts as well as more than 150 pieces of local art displayed on the interior and exterior of the building and parking garages to give attendees a better sense-of-place while they are in the center. - Hotel-grade finishes - By 2022, a 1,000-room connected headquarter hotel Food-service provider Levy has installed a Smartfarm at the center’s \Discovery Café. As the first convention center in the country with an indoor hydroponic vertical farm, the team yields about 5,000 pounds of produce per year, and donates unused items to local charities. An interactive 14-foot sculpture titled “As We Are” is now on display in the convention center’s north atrium. Concepted by local artist Matthew Mohr, the piece, shaped like a universal human head, is made from ribbons of ultrabright LED screens and equipped with a photo booth capable of taking 3-D portraits, which are then projected on the face of “As We Are.”
400 N. High St.
Columbus, OH, US 43215

COSI

Museum
5 minutes away
Named America's #1 science center by Parents magazine, COSI, the center of science and industry, features more than 300 interactive exhibitions and more than 100,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space. A seven-story Extreme Screen Theater boasts the largest screen in Ohio while an outdoor science park, a special area for tiny explorers ages 0 through kindergarten and the country's only high-wire unicycle add to the center’s allure as a top family destination. COSI also offers a variety of special events, family programs, camps, and more. Through a unique and groundbreaking relationship with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), COSI now features a permanent, 22,000-sq.-ft. AMNH Dinosaur Gallery, and an AMNH Special Exhibition Gallery. Though currently closed during COVID-19, COSI can still bring experiences to you with its mobile programming!
333 W. Broad St.
Columbus, OH, US 43215

Arena District

Nightlife
2 minutes away
Energetic crowds flock nightly to Columbus' Arena District, just across High Street from the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The popular entertainment district houses Nationwide Arena, home to NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, and is a regular host of big-name concert acts and events, such as the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four. Triple-A's Columbus Clippers, farm team to the Cleveland Indians, play in the nearby Huntington Park, which was named "Ballpark of the Year" four times in its first six years of operation, even beating out the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field in its first Year. By summer 2021, the area will also house MLS' Columbus Crew SC in a brand-new stadium. The area is also a regular hangout of live-music lovers. One of the district's venues, Express Live!, was named among the "Top 25 Most Popular Music Clubs in the U.S." by Billboard.

Columbus Ale Trail

Nightlife
1 minute away
Columbus' beer scene is booming at nearly 40 craft breweries available to experience. Visitors are encouraged to easily taste all the city has to offer on the Columbus Ale Trail. Participation is easy; just pick up a passport at at any participating location, many of which are conveniently located within walking distance of the GCCC or just off the free CBUS circulator route, then patronize at least four establishments featured on the passport, get a stamp and redeem at an Experience Columbus Visitor Center to claim a free souvenir of the expedition.

Convention Centers

  • Greater Columbus Convention Center an ASM Global Facility

    Hold your next convention, social event, public show and trade show at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and discover what so many other people already know: This is a great convention destination in the middle of a vibrant downtown.

    • Exhibit Space373,000 sq. ft.
      Total meeting space1,800,000 sq. ft.

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Additional Information

We had a great time hosting ASAE in 2019 and PCMA Convening Leaders in 2023. We look forward to hosting the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships from January 22-28. In May, during the 2023 National Travel and Tourism Week, Experience Columbus announced its launch of the Experience Columbus Insider (ECI) program. We work with front-line employees and volunteers at attractions, restaurants, hotels and transportation companies around Central Ohio to provide a destination-wide culture of quality service. View some recent accolades about Columbus below: 2023 -Essence: One of the Best Destinations for Culinary Travel in 2024 -Human Rights Campaign: Columbus scored a 100/100 on the 2023 Municipal Equality Index -Northstar Meetings Group: Best Midwest Convention Center -Meetings Today: Best mid-America CVBs/DMO -Wall Street Journal: The Best Convention Centers in the U.S. -Travel + Leisure: One of the Best Weekend Getaways in Ohio -Forbes: Top 10 Places for Young Professionals to Live -USA Today 10Best: Best Food Halls in the U.S. -Architectural Digest: Most Climate-Resilient Cities -USA Today 10Best: 10 Best Public Markets Across the U.S. -U.S. News & World Report: 21 Top Pride Parades and Celebrations in the U.S. -Buzzfeed: Most Underrated Cities In The United State -Tasting Table: 13 Underrated Food Cities in the US You Need to Visit In 2023 -USA Today 10Best: Best Science Museums in the Nation 2022 -USA Today 10Best: Best Immersive Art Experiences in the U.S. -Best Life: The 10 U.S. Cities with the Best Christmas Light Displays -The New York Times: Best Cities for Gen Z -Bankrate: America’s Best Places to Live -MeetingSource.com: Top 25 Convention Cities -MSN: 18 Road Trip Destinations Within a One Day’s Drive for 50% or More of Americans -The Ascent: Best Midwest Cities for Millennials -Apartment Advisor: Top 10 Best Foodie Cities for Renters -Men's Journal: Best Urban Parks and Trails for City-Dwellers Seeking Green Spaces -Best Life: 10 Best U.S. Gardens To Stroll Through—Even in Cold Weather -Clever: Best Music Cities in the U.S. 2021 -SmartAsset: Top 10 Cities for Conferences -U.S. News & World Report: Best Weekend Getaways in the Midwest -Matador Network: 9 Best Gay-Friendly Cities in the U.S. -The New York Times: 50 Best Restaurants in America -U.S. News & World Report: 30 Most Fun Places to Live in the U.S. -Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Award: One of the Best Airports for Passenger Experience