A convention center (
American English; or conference centre in
British English)[1] is a large building that is designed to hold a
convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees. Very large venues, suitable for major
trade shows, are sometimes known as exhibition halls. Convention centers typically have at least one
auditorium and may also contain
concert halls,
lecture halls,
meeting rooms, and
conference rooms. Some large
resort areahotels include a convention center.
In
Francophone countries, the term is palais des congrès (such as the
Palais des Congrès de Paris) or centre des congrès (such as the Centre des congrès de Quebec).[2]
Types
Meeting facilities with lodging: hotels that include their own convention space in addition to accommodation and other related facilities, known as convention hotels.
Meeting facilities without lodging: are convention centers that do not include accommodation; usually located adjacent to or near a hotel(s).[3]
Other: any convention and meeting facilities designed to hold large numbers of people. Can exist alone (e.g., stadiums, arenas, parks, etc.) or within other structures (e.g., university lecture halls, museums, theaters). Usually do not include accommodation.[4]
History
The original convention centers or halls were in
castles and
palaces. Originally a hall in a castle would be designed to allow a large group of lords,
knights and government officials to attend important meetings with the king. A more ancient tradition would have the king or lord decide disputes among his people. These administrative actions would be done in the
great hall and would exhibit the wisdom of the king as judge to the general populace.
One of the most famous convention center debacles happened in France on June 20, 1789.
King Louis XVI locked a group known as the Third Estate out of the meeting hall in Versailles. This led to the revolutionary group holding their meeting in an indoor tennis court. This was the first modern democratic conference center and lead to the
Tennis Court Oath[5] and the
French Revolution.