Exhibitor guide · Charlotte, NC
Charlotte Convention Center: booth rentals and exhibitor notes
Uptown Charlotte's convention center, with 280,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, a bridge to the Westin, and a light rail station next door.
At a glance
At the Charlotte Convention Center, booth internet comes from Smart City Networks, electrical is an exclusive in-house service, and rigging runs through Encore Global. ConventionVendor.com rents booth technology for Charlotte shows, delivered to your booth in time for move-in.
Exhibiting at Charlotte Convention Center
The Charlotte Convention Center sits on South College Street in Uptown Charlotte, connected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and next to the LYNX Blue Line Stonewall light rail station. Operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA), it offers 280,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space that divides into four halls (up to about 1,250 booths), the 40,000-square-foot Crown Ballroom, the 35,000-square-foot Richardson Ballroom, and 50 meeting rooms. The building opened in 1995 and is LEED Gold certified.
The expansion completed in 2021 added more than 50,000 square feet of meeting and pre-function space and an overstreet pedestrian bridge to the Westin Charlotte and the light rail. Between the bridge and the station, staff can reach the hall without dealing with Uptown parking. The Charlotte Auto Show is scheduled for November 19-22, 2026. The venue's rules for exhibitor-owned wireless devices could not be confirmed, so ask your show for the current Event Planning Guide before you pack a router.
| Address | 501 South College Street, Charlotte, NC |
|---|---|
| Exhibit space | 280,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, divisible into four halls |
| Meeting rooms | 50 |
| Largest ballroom | Crown Ballroom, 40,000 square feet |
| Opened | 1995; expansion completed 2021 |
| Connected hotels | The Westin Charlotte (overstreet pedestrian bridge) |
| Internet provider | Smart City Networks (exclusive) |
| Notable shows | Charlotte Auto Show (November 19-22, 2026) |
| Official website | charlottemeetings.com/charlotte-convention-center (opens in a new tab) |
Facts checked October 15, 2026 against the sources listed below. Schedules and providers can change from show to show; your exhibitor manual has the final word.
Power, internet, and Wi-Fi
- The CRVA describes the center as the exclusive, in-house provider of all electrical services and plumbing. Smart City Networks says it provides technology and utility services there, and exhibitor order forms have historically come from Smart City, so use the ordering link in your exhibitor kit.
- Smart City Networks is the exclusive provider of telecommunications, internet, and Wi-Fi, selling per-device exhibitor Wi-Fi on a 5 GHz network (one device per purchase), shared and dedicated wired Ethernet, and custom networks.
- No current official rule on exhibitor hotspots or access points was found. A 2016 Smart City order form barred routers on shared internet service and allowed them only on dedicated service, so check the current guide before bringing one.
- Free Wi-Fi covers public spaces and meeting rooms, and the CRVA expanded high-density coverage to ballrooms, pre-function, and concourse areas; for booth demos, a wired line is the safer choice.
- Because exhibitor Wi-Fi is sold one device at a time, count your connected devices before ordering, and run lead capture offline on tablets that only need to sync later. Our gear plugs into the booth power you order.
Move-in and delivery
- The center lists loading dock facilities, but dock counts and marshaling details are not published, so take truck routing from your general service contractor.
- Order utilities before the incentive deadlines in your exhibitor kit; move-in and move-out times are set by show management and the general service contractor.
- We schedule rental delivery for your move-in window and can be named on an exhibitor-appointed contractor form if your show requires one.
What exhibitors rent at Charlotte Convention Center
- Booth Tech Kits: Lead Capture iPads, Screens, and Charging: Offline lead capture on rented iPads cuts down the number of per-device Wi-Fi connections your booth has to buy.
- Booth TVs, Monitors, and Video Walls: Displays and video walls connect to the in-house power you order, with a wired Smart City drop for any streamed content.
- Registration, Check-In, and Badge Printing: Shows that fill the Crown and Richardson ballrooms and 50 meeting rooms may need registration stations beyond the main lobby.
- Show Wi-Fi, Hotspots, and Connectivity: With exhibitor hotspot rules unconfirmed here, use ours for hotel suites, off-site events, and backup where the venue and show allow.
Before you exhibit at Charlotte Convention Center
- Count every device that needs Wi-Fi, because Smart City sells exhibitor Wi-Fi per device.
- Send hanging signs and other rigging through Encore Global, the exclusive in-house rigging contractor; AV can come from outside.
- Use the LYNX Blue Line or the Westin bridge to get staff to the hall without parking.
- Ask your show for the current Event Planning Guide to confirm wireless rules before bringing a router.
Schedules, deadlines, and service providers can change from show to show. Always confirm details in your show's exhibitor manual. Our exhibitor timeline lists what to order and when.
Charlotte Convention Center FAQ
Can I bring a Wi-Fi router to the Charlotte Convention Center?
Check first. No current official rule was found, but a 2016 Smart City order form barred routers on shared internet service and allowed them only on dedicated service. Ask your show for the current Event Planning Guide or exhibitor manual.
Who handles rigging at the Charlotte Convention Center?
Encore Global is the exclusive in-house rigging contractor, so hanging signs and other rigging are ordered through Encore. Encore is also the preferred AV contractor, but AV is not exclusive.
Is the Charlotte Convention Center near light rail?
Yes. The LYNX Blue Line Stonewall station is beside the center, and the 2021 expansion added a pedestrian bridge to the station and the Westin Charlotte.
Sources
- CRVA: Charlotte Convention Center services (opens in a new tab)
- CRVA: event technology services and Wi-Fi (opens in a new tab)
- CRVA: convention center expansion announcement (opens in a new tab)
- Smart City Networks: Charlotte Convention Center services (opens in a new tab)
- Charlotte Auto Show: 2026 dates (opens in a new tab)
Planning more than a booth, such as a full conference at Charlotte Convention Center? Our parent company covers event-wide technology on its Rentacomputer.com Charlotte Convention Center page (opens in a new tab).
Exhibiting at Charlotte Convention Center?
Tell us the show, venue, booth number, and dates. We will recommend the right booth and show technology and send a quote built around your move-in and move-out.