Baltimore Convention Center – Overview

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor district is a booming center for tourism. Amidst Oriole Park and M&T Bank Stadium, you will find the Baltimore Convention Center. In fact, it is thanks to the success of the Baltimore Convention Center that the other two previously mentioned sports arenas came to the city. After the construction of the convention center, over the next two decades, more attractions opened in the immediate area, including the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History.

The Baltimore Convention Center has been able to keep event planners and attendees coming back because of its dedication to improving the venue. After its initial construction, the center was expanded and renovated in 1997 to accommodate larger audiences. The cost of this expansion and renovation was about $151 million, and after visiting this convention center, you’ll see that it was money well spent.

 

Overview

  • 300,000 square feet of exhibit halls: Level 100 of the Baltimore Convention Center alone is massive, with roughly 300,000 square feet of exhibition space. This area can be divided into seven separate rooms as well, which allows flexible space for events. Additionally, there are 32 covered loading docks with access to this exhibition level.
  • 85,000 square feet of meeting rooms: Level 300 is filled with meeting rooms, and these rooms are great for breakout sessions. The carpeted rooms can fit as little as 85 to as many as 1,600 people. Out of the 50 meeting rooms available, 43 of the Baltimore Convention Center’s multifunctional meeting rooms are equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system and adjustable lighting.
  • 36,000 square feet of ballroom space: Similar to the meeting rooms, the ballroom space has a state-of-the-art audio system and adjustable lighting. The ballroom is able to be divided into four separate rooms if needed. There is a complete kitchen area available for catering. Catering is provided by Centerplate, which is a hospitality company that offers food and drink solutions to over 140 venues across the United States.
  • 27,000-square-foot outdoor terrace and covered pavilion: This area on level 300 of the Baltimore Convention Center and is perfect for relaxation or special events. This area can be viewed through the glass walls that overlook the terrace. The glass walls also allow for natural lighting to illuminate the convention center, decreasing the need for constant lighting usage.
  • Pre-function Space: A great feature of this venue is every floor having pre-function space available. In the pre-function areas on levels 200 and 300, guests will also find an information kiosk.
  • Handicap Accessible: The Baltimore Convention Center is completely handicap accessible. All doors are power-operated. There are elevators throughout the building. Level 200 gives access to all areas of the convention center as well as to the skywalk bridge, Inner Harbor, and hotels. Scootaround also offers scooter or wheelchair rentals in order to get around the convention center. There are even ADA accessible touch screen monitors with one set to wheelchair height. Braille visitor guides are also available.
  • Skywalk bridge: The skywalk bridge connects the Baltimore Convention Center to the surrounding hotels, such as the Hilton, Hyatt, Sheraton, and Renaissance. This is extremely convenient for those looking to spend some time sightseeing or simply getting around on days when the weather is less than ideal.

 

Tips

  • No outside food or drink is allowed. Don’t plan on bringing in a cup of coffee to sip while you stroll through the exhibit halls or a snack to eat during breaks because outside food and drinks are not allowed inside.
  • Various snack bars and a Starbucks can be found on site. So, even though you can’t bring in outside food, you will be able to eat and drink all you like from vendors inside the Baltimore Convention Center. There are snack bars throughout the venue. However, there is only one Starbucks. Guests have mentioned that for larger events, lines can get a bit long, so try to be strategic about planning that snack or coffee break.
  • Be alert when walking around at night. This may be one of the most important tips one can give. As with venturing out in any city at night, make sure you are aware of your surroundings at all times.
  • Bring comfortable walking shoes. The Baltimore Convention center is an impressive size, amassing around 1,225,000 total square feet. With all the walking you’ll be doing through the convention center and likely the surrounding area, you’ll want to wear comfortable shoes. Your feet will thank you later.
  • Wi-Fi can be a bit spotty in some meeting rooms. Make sure you can handle possible shoddy Wi-Fi access by either having a good data plan or personal hotspot.
  • No on-site parking is available at the Baltimore Convention Center. While there is no on-site parking, there are plenty of parking garages within walking distance of the Baltimore Convention Center. Also, keep in mind that your hotel may have parking available.
  • Use Parking Panda to reserve a parking spot at a parking garage near the Baltimore Convention Center. If you plan on using one of the parking garages nearby, you can reserve a parking spot ahead of time via the website and app Parking Panda. Parking Panda will give you directions on how to redeem your reservation.
  • The Baltimore Visitor Center is close to the convention center. Within an eight-minute walking distance, you should stop at the visitor center beforehand to get information about the Baltimore Convention Center and the city.

 

Trivia

  • Baltimore Convention Center was the first convention center in the country to operate Somat. Somat is a two-part waste reduction system that reduces solid waste up to 90 percent. They use pulping, extracting, shredding and dehydrating equipment to reduce solid waste. The goal of Somat is to reduce waste worldwide and improving sustainability, so this system produces a useable soil product. Somat’s innovation has made it possible to turn waste into useable forms of energy.
  • Baltimore Convention Center has made going green one of its top priorities. Some of the major changes to achieve going green include the following: VIP suites, board room, and bathrooms are using fixtures that reduce annual water consumption by 25 percent; using energy efficient bulbs; drought-resistant vegetative roofing; and using cleaning products that are certified as “Green Seal” or “Designed for the Environment.”
  • Centerplate is the company that provides food and beverage for the Baltimore Convention Center. Centerplate is the largest hospitality company that is in more than 140 venues in North America. Some of these venues include the Indiana Convention Center, First Tennessee Park, Colorado Convention Center, and New Orleans’ Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. You’ve probably enjoyed some of their dishes if you’ve been to other convention centers or arenas around the United States.