After four weeks of voting, convention-goers and exhibitors have put Indianapolis in the top slot in our latest Readers' Choice poll for Best Convention City.
It was a hot competition, with convention and visitors bureaus across America actively campaigning for recognition for their local convention center. In the end, affordable and convenient Indianapolis took top honors.
The Indiana Convention Center is connected to more downtown hotel rooms than any other city in the nation, making it convenient for convention-goers to access meeting space, restaurants, the downtown shopping mall and hotels, without even stepping outside. Indy's convention center and its schedule are all the more inviting when you factor in the city's walkability, affordability and its central location. And if you're a football fan, it's pretty thrilling to be across the street from Andrew Luck and the Colts come fall.
Boston, with its ease of inter-city transportation and abundance of entertainment, lodging and dining options landed in 2nd place. Nashville, with its beautiful brand new facility in the heart of downtown, took 3rd.
In this tightly fought race, only 284 votes separated 3rd place from 6th.
Nominees for the contest were chosen by convention expert John C. Rose, who selected 10 candidates from large metros and 10 nominees from smaller "tier two" cities.
The full list of winners in the 'Best Convention City' contest category for 10Best Readers' Choice are as follows:
- Indianapolis, Ind.
- Boston, Mass.
- Nashville, Tenn.
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Atlanta, Ga.
- Denver, Colo.
- New Orleans, La.
- Washington, DC
- Minneapolis, Minn.
- Chicago, Ill.
Congratulations to all these metro areas on having a winning convention experience. Readers contemplating attendance of an event in any of these cities will no doubt be pleased with their experience.
Of course, the other 10 original nominees have some bragging rights of their own, having been chosen by our Expert for inclusion in this contest. They were:
- Anaheim, Calif.
- Baltimore, Md.
- Dallas, Texas
- Las Vegas, Nev.
- Miami, Fla.
- New York City, N.Y.
- Orlando, Fla.
- San Antonio, Texas
- San Diego, Calif.
- San Francisco, Calif.
The Experts
John C Rose
John Rose is founder and President of JC Rose &... Read More
John Rose is founder and President of JC Rose & Associates, Inc., a full-service exhibit house located in Greenville, SC. Founded in 1984, the company specializes in custom, portable and modular exhibits as well as trade show services including logistics coordination, storage and exhibit maintenance. JC Rose & Associates also provides custom store fixture design and construction. Over the last 30 years, John has travelled to major convention cities around the world helping his clients promote their businesses through trade show marketing. He is a graduate of both Furman and Clemson Universities and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Accounting, and an MBA in Marketing. John has been a member of E2MA (Exhibits and Events Marketing Association) since 1988, IFES (International Federation of Exhibit Services) since 2004, and EDPA (Exhibit Designers and Producers Association) since 1994. He served on the EDPA board of directors from 2001 through 2011, chairing various committees, serving on its Executive Board, and was President of the international organization for 2010.
John C Rose

John Rose is founder and President of JC Rose & Associates, Inc., a full-service exhibit house located in Greenville, SC. Founded in 1984, the company specializes in custom, portable and modular exhibits as well as trade show services including logistics coordination, storage and exhibit maintenance. JC Rose & Associates also provides custom store fixture design and construction. Over the last 30 years, John has travelled to major convention cities around the world helping his clients promote their businesses through trade show marketing. He is a graduate of both Furman and Clemson Universities and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Accounting, and an MBA in Marketing. John has been a member of E2MA (Exhibits and Events Marketing Association) since 1988, IFES (International Federation of Exhibit Services) since 2004, and EDPA (Exhibit Designers and Producers Association) since 1994. He served on the EDPA board of directors from 2001 through 2011, chairing various committees, serving on its Executive Board, and was President of the international organization for 2010.