Charlotte, NC Event Planning

Key Highlights

Hotels	166
Total Sleeping Rooms	27,197
Committable Sleeping Rooms*	700
Committable Meeting Rooms*	40
Convention Center Space	1,340,771 Sq. Ft.
Largest Exhibit Space	280,000 Sq. Ft.
Largest Ballroom	40,000 Sq. Ft.
Average Hotel Room Rate	USD $178
Average Daily Meal Cost	USD $42
Average Weekly Car Rental	USD $214
*Maximum for a single hotel

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Charlotte, NC Meeting Planning Overview

As one of the nation's largest and fastest-growing cities, Charlotte is not only a city on the rise, but also a premier destination for meetings, conventions, trade shows, and planners aiming to impress. With its big-city amenities and small-town charm, the Queen City invites both visitors and locals to make themselves at home.

With diverse attractions, professional sporting venues, and thousands of hotel rooms, it's no wonder small and large groups from all over the world host national and international meetings, conventions, trade shows, and sporting events at the city's central hub - the Charlotte Convention Center. The 550,000-square-foot facility is located in a compact convention district in Uptown (how locals refer to the downtown area), connected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame via an over-street walkway and within a block of Whole Foods. In summer 2019, the Convention Center will undergo a $115 million expansion, bringing in an additional 50,000 square feet of meeting room and prefunction space, bringing the total sellable square footage to about 600,000 square feet. The expansion will bring the total individual breakout spaces to 54 (up from 40) and add the ability to divide the 35,000-square-foot Richardson Ballroom into four 7,700-square-foot breakout spaces, a pedestrian walkway to the 700-room Westin Charlotte Hotel, and more. The facility will remain open and able to accommodate groups in the unaffected meeting and exhibit spaces.

Accessibility is one of Charlotte's finest attributes. With one of the 10 busiest airports in the world by aircraft movements, the Charlotte Douglas International Airport brings in an impressive 700 flights daily. Sixty percent of the country is within a two-hour flight of the Queen City, and most destinations on the East Coast are within a day's drive or ride on Amtrak, making Charlotte an accessible hub and a magnet for growth. Both Center City Charlotte and the Charlotte Convention Center are just 7 miles from the airport. An average cab ride from the airport is $25 and average shuttle fare is $18, but Uber, Lyft, and other ride-sharing services are also available. While Charlotte is both walkable and bike-friendly, public transportation options include the LYNX Blue Line light rail (the state's first light rail system), the City LYNX Gold Line streetcar, and CATS buses, offering easy ways to get around town.

There's no shortage of hotel rooms in Charlotte. Through 2020, there will be more than 7,600 new hotel rooms slated for the area. In 2019, the new Stonewall Station project in Center City is expected to open two new 181-room hotels - a Home2 Suites by Hilton and an EVEN Hotel. A 270-room InterContinental Hotel will also open atop the historic Carolina Theatre in Uptown. And just down the street, the 254-room Grand Bohemian Charlotte will add to Charlotte's skyline in 2020.

Every free minute in Charlotte is one meant for exploring. While in Uptown, take a culture break at one of the many celebrated exhibit halls, which are located just steps from one another. For starters, the NASCAR Hall of Fame offers both new and die-hard fans the ultimate behind-the-scenes tour of NASCAR and its history. From there, walk to the Levine Center for the Arts, which houses the Mint Museum Uptown, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. With multiple theaters, including Uptown's Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, featuring everything from Broadway hits to ballet performances and music venues such as jazz club The Imperial, sit back, relax, and enjoy the touring talent throughout the city.

For live action, don't miss out on rooting for one of Charlotte's home teams, including the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, NFL's Carolina Panthers, and Triple-A affiliate Charlotte Knights, at Spectrum Center, Bank of America Stadium, and BB&T Ballpark, respectively. Outdoor activities are within minutes of Center City. Feel the rush of a NASCAR race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, be adventurous and go whitewater rafting at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, view the beautiful, lush scenery at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens, or try hands-on activities and explosive experiments at Discovery Place Science.

Charlotte's nightlife is magnetic. The city buzzes with speakeasies such as Dot Dot Dot, which serves carefully crafted cocktails; stand-up comedy and unforgettable live shows at the AvidXchange Music Factory; bowling, movies, and bars at the Epicentre entertainment district; and karaoke and pizza slices at 8.2.0. Throughout each of the Queen City's neighborhoods, visitors are able to do everything from tasting Southern delicacies at high-profile restaurants such as Kindred to discovering new activities including ax-throwing at Axe Club of America.

Charlotte is what's now and what's next. Come find out why.

*This information was last updated April 2019.

Charlotte, NC Awards

About Charlotte, NC / Additional Info

Charlotte, once known as a sleepy Southern textile manufacturing town, has experienced explosive growth in recent decades. Through the years, Charlotte has flourished to become a sophisticated financial powerhouse filled with Southern culture and charm. One of the fastest-growing cities in the country, the Charlotte region is home to an estimated 2.7 million residents.

Some cities are known for their skyline, and others for their professional sports, arts, or culinary scene. Still others are recognized as a great place to conduct business or raise a family. But in Charlotte, the city boasts all of the above and then some.

Charlotte traces its history, as well as its name, back to the late 1700s, when the first settlers arrived and named the area after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of British King George III, in hopes of winning the king's favor. The royal nod is also responsible for Charlotte's "Queen City" nickname.

Though the city was the site of the nation's first gold rush, it was not until after the Civil War that Charlotte made a name for itself as a hub for cotton manufacturing and railroad transportation. After the closure of the last cotton mill in 1975, the city evolved into one of the nation's leading banking centers (second only to New York), home to both Wells Fargo and Bank of America.

Today, from its Olympic-level whitewater rafting to its NASCAR heritage, award-winning theme park, and mile upon mile of beautiful scenery, the Queen City is an explorer's paradise. It's a haven of charming eateries and fine-dining establishments, churning out everything from signature down-home comfort food to international delights. It's a craft beer mainstay and a booming metropolis for big business. And with Southern grace and metropolitan style, it plays host to a vibrant arts and music scene, renowned museums that tout its intriguing history, and a professional sports stronghold that spans NFL football to NASCAR.

Charlotte, NC Key Stats for Meeting Planners

Time Zone: Eastern Time (ET)
Convention Center(s):

Charlotte Convention Center

Hotel at Convention Center? Yes
Sleeping Rooms 1 Mile from Convention Center: 5,601

Airport(s):

Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Destination Type(s):

Luxury Destination
Cultural Destination
Family Friendly
Four Seasons Destination

Special Event Venues
130
Population
859,035
Restaurants
200
Country Code
1
Sales Tax
7.25%
Currency
U.S. Dollar
Standard Tipping Practice
10-20%
Electricity
120V / 60Hz
Official Languages
English

Credit Cards and Travelers Cheques widely accepted? Yes

All average costs based on U.S. Government Per Diem rates as published by the U.S. General Services Administration.

Cities Near Charlotte, NC

	Distance	Estimated Driving Time	Estimated Min. Flying Time	Estimated Flight Cost
Greensboro, NC	92 mi	1 hr 27 min	46 min	USD $429+
Greenville, SC	102 mi	1 hr 42 min	43 min	USD $414+
Raleigh, NC	166 mi	2 hr 36 min	50 min	USD $336+
Atlanta, GA	244 mi	3 hr 55 min	1 hr 10 min	USD $358+
Richmond, VA	292 mi	4 hr 19 min	1 hr	USD $391+

Charlotte, NC Climate Information

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg. High (°F)	51	54	62	72	80	86	89	88	82	72	62	53
Avg. Low (°F)	31	33	40	49	58	65	69	68	62	50	40	33
Rec. High (°F)	78	81	86	93	97	103	103	103	104	98	85	77
Rec. Low (°F)	-5	5	4	25	32	45	53	53	39	24	11	2
Rainfall (in)	3.7	3.7	4.6	3.0	3.6	3.5	3.8	4.1	3.3	3.2	3.1	3.3

Carolina blue skies can be seen year-round in Charlotte. With an annual average temperature of 61 degrees and the annual average precipitation of 43 inches distributed evenly throughout the year, weather in the Queen City is fair and mild. Winter is welcoming, spring and fall are transformative, and summer is sunny and bright.

Meeting Planning in Charlotte, NC

Charlotte Convention Center

Conveniently located in Uptown Charlotte, just 7 miles from Charlotte Douglas International Airport and within walking distance of 5,601 Center City hotel rooms, the Charlotte Convention Center opened in 1995 as the city's premier meeting and convention space. The facility offers an award-winning, full-service, in-house catering department, concierge service, a visitor information center, a gift shop, and a preferred in-house audiovisual provider with complete inventory of equipment and professional technicians. The Charlotte Convention Center has become one of a growing number of large convention facilities across the United States and the first in North Carolina to "go green." In addition to procedures implemented like the usage of biodegradable cups made from corn products, the facility has gone the extra mile and added substantial recycling programs, environmentally friendly cleaning products, and energy-saving initiatives.

The Charlotte Convention Center currently features:

550,000 square feet of total space
280,000 square feet of exhibit space (which can be separated into four halls)
126,500 square feet of meeting room and ballroom space and 40 breakout rooms (37 meeting rooms and 2 ballrooms that can be divided into three)
90,800 square feet of prefunction space (adjacent to meeting rooms and ballrooms)

Beginning in summer 2019, the Charlotte Convention Center will undergo a $115 million expansion that will be available for contracting in summer 2021. The convention center will remain open and be able to accommodate groups in the unaffected meeting and exhibit spaces.

Expansion details:

The expansion will add more than 50,000 square feet of meeting room and prefunction space, bringing the total sellable square footage to about 600,000 square feet.
There will be 54 total individual breakout spaces (up from 40), which includes 50 meeting rooms and the ability to divide the 35,000-square-foot Richardson Ballroom into four 7,700-square-foot breakout spaces.
Additional flexible meeting space related to the expansion will include two 10,000-square-foot spaces, each divisible into 19 different configurations with seating capacities from 200 to 1,200 theater-style.
An over-street pedestrian walkway will be added to The Westin Charlotte, along with two new hotels that are part of the Crescent Communities mixed-use development and the LYNX Blue Line light rail Stonewall Station, which provides access to abundant dining, retail, and nightlife.

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Charlotte, NC Airport Information

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)

When it comes to traveling in style and comfort, Charlotte Douglas International Airport is undeniably fly. Ranked as one of the 10 busiest airports in the nation and the world in terms of arrivals and departures, the dynamic hub offers nonstop service to popular domestic and international destinations. It has been recognized as the most cost-effective and the second-most efficient airport in North America. Bonus: In 2018, Charlotte Douglas International Airport ranked second among the nation's business travelers, according to TravelBank.

For good reason, Charlotte Douglas has been named one of USA Today's best airports for stranded travelers. Wasting time awaiting your departure? Fill your tank with a real taste of the city's Southern roots. From delicious burgers and barbecue to craft beer, indulge at the variety of local culinary options in the terminals. Need a quick gift or wardrobe fix? Shops carrying everything from designer labels to casualwear abound. Weary from travel? Relax in one of the airport's famed rocking chairs - a nod to one of 20-plus rotating or permanent exhibits in Charlotte Douglas' Just Plane Art program - or enjoy a massage at the spa.

Domestic and Foreign Flag Airlines include:

Air Canada
American Airlines
American Eagle and American Connection

Contour Airlines
Delta Airlines
Frontier Airlines

JetBlue Airways
Lufthansa
Southwest Airlines

Swift Air
United Airlines
Via Aerobus
Volaris Airlines

Charlotte, NC Public Transportation

Amtrak

Three routes serve the Queen City daily: The Piedmont connects Charlotte and Raleigh; the Carolinian runs to New York; and the Crescent travels from New York to New Orleans.

Greyhound

Daily service to and from Charlotte is available, with connections to Raleigh, Atlanta, Richmond, and more.

Interstates 77, 85 and 40

Interstates 77 and 85 link Charlotte to hubs across the Northeast, Southwest, and Midwest. Interstate 40 offers a coast-to-coast link and is less than an hour north of the city.

Sprinter Bus

This hybrid-electric bus is an easy and affordable way to get from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to Center City, with stops in central locations.

LYNX Blue Line Light Rail

North Carolina's first rapid-rail system connects South Charlotte to UNC Charlotte, running along 26 stations.

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Bus Service

With more than 70 routes across the city and county, CATS buses serve millions of passengers each year.

Gold Rush Red Line

These free rubber-wheel trolley cars, reminiscent of historic streetcars, connect passengers to Center City and the LYNX Blue Line.

CityLYNX Gold Line

This free streetcar system connects neighborhoods to businesses and educational facilities, including Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center, Central Piedmont Community College, and the Charlotte Transportation Center, through six stations. Amenities include covered and lighted seating, public art, and travel information.

Charlotte B-Cycle

With stations throughout Uptown and surrounding neighborhoods and hundreds of blue bikes, this is one of the largest urban bike sharing programs in the Southeast. Dockless bike and scooter companies, such as Lime and Bird, have also made a presence in the Queen City over the past few years.

Taxis

At Charlotte Douglas Airport, taxi service is located at the baggage claim level. Passengers may arrange transportation with any taxi service provider, but there are three taxi companies available through the airport's taxi queue: City Cab, Crown Cab, and Yellow Cab of Charlotte.

Car Rentals

Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Thrifty rental cars are available at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Thrifty is located offsite and provides shuttle service between its company location near CLT and the terminal. All other rental car companies listed are located in the Consolidated Rental Car Facility in the Level 2 lobby of the Hourly Parking Deck in front of the terminal.

Limo/Car Service

If you need a limo or town car while in town, Charlotte is home to several companies that provide top-notch service, including American Chauffeured Transportation, Rose Chauffeured Transportation, CLT Express, SilverFox Chauffeured Transportation, Peak Limousine, and Sterling Chauffeured Transportation.

Distance To...

	Distance	Estimated Driving Time	Estimated Min. Flying Time	Estimated Flight Cost
Greensboro, NC	92 mi	1 hr 27 min	46 min	USD $429+
Greenville, SC	102 mi	1 hr 42 min	43 min	USD $414+
Raleigh, NC	166 mi	2 hr 36 min	50 min	USD $336+
Atlanta, GA	244 mi	3 hr 55 min	1 hr 10 min	USD $358+
Richmond, VA	292 mi	4 hr 19 min	1 hr	USD $391+