Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas

I have been here many times for other Expos… Mostly the National Natural Hair Show. It is always Awesome with different vendors and Celebrity Keynote speakers. I also come out with so much knowledge and all types of goodies.
Irving must be offering a really great deal. Because so many organizations come out in here in numbers. Which means it has limited space. This goes for parking and even vendor space. While it is in a good location and the desire that brings you out is to your advantage. This place is only for Expos that are much more smaller. So space is a major factor. But all in all a really nice place that gets the job done. But get there early because you might have to walk due to lack of parking space.

I attended the Las Collinas home and Garden show at the Irving convention center. It’s $ 10 to get in the door, most of the doors are actually locked so several people walked away. We discovered the side door that was open near the parking garage, paid our $ 10 and came in. There were maybe 35 vendors in a small room –probably less than that. Half of them were selling windows. Zero garden, zero landscaping, and two or three vendors selling overpriced hot tub’s. No specials, no deals. Very disappointing, not worth $ 10 entry fee, it should have been free to come in. Will never attend this again. I actually called friends who were going to come and warned them away from this pointless activity.

What happened to this place!!! I’ve attended the Grace Foundation gala fundraiser here for several years and have always enjoyed it. The center is big, convenient, and has always been a great venue for a large charity dinner. This year everything was still consistent except for the dinner service. It was SO BAD I felt compelled to write a review here. The servers were downright ANGRY. Very aggressive and difficult — one became very argumentative when we asked for one dessert over the other (both were bring served) for dietary reasons. Coffee service was non existent — a few folks managed to wrangle some cups somehow, and when I stopped someone to ask for a cup of decaf, she told me she would bring done and never returned. Wine service was very sparse. Not sure what was going on tonight, but hopefully it will get resolved fast!

I haven’t been to many convention centers, but upon pulling up to this one I found it very… weird. The architecture is certainly interesting. I wasn’t sure if I was going to an event or being taken to the leader of a spaceship. Either way, parking was $ 5 and the only open spots were located on the roof. Normally I wouldn’t care, but given recent snow storms the roof was completely covered in ice. Whee!!! I almost busted my arse 9 different times, but thankfully caught myself before photos could be snapped and held against me as blackmail.
The inside is gigantic and it’s endless escalator after escalator. It’s very easy to get confused trying to find your way around.
I was here to attend the North Texas Teen Book Festival because my incredibly talented cousin was one of the authors. They had numerous panels going on followed by signings, and I was very impressed with how personable the panels were. There was a microphone set up in each room where a select number of kids could walk up to it and ask a question. Seeing their faces light up with excitement was just the coolest thing ever, and I am SO glad to see that kids still read books!!! Sure I love tv and movies as much as the next person, but there is something to be said about getting lost in a book.
Many authors brought fun things like buttons and stickers to hand out, and half price books were there too selling copies. The whole concept of the festival is wonderful because not only do kids get to meet their favorite writers, but they get to be introduced to new ones as well whose books they maybe would have overlooked before. I wish these events would have existed when I was a kid! This generation gets all the cool stuff.
One thing I will say is that it would be nice to have more areas to be able to sit down and chat here. We kept finding ourselves standing in awkward corners and even tried to go outside but got engulfed in cigarette smoke which was sucky.
Overall the festival was 10 stars. As far as the convention center itself, they have plenty of room to work with, so finding a better use of it would have made me like it more.

I’ve been to the convention center for a few local events being held in the area. Parking is easily accessible… they have a garage with many levels and direct access into the building. This place is huge also! They have a nice patio/​rooftop area upstairs too. I kind of wish they would put a cute eatery or something in there too and then we would be set. I am hoping that many more events here are held in the future.

Great place for a trade show. The bathrooms are amazing, you don’t have to touch anything. Concessions are crappy and overpriced but I expected that. The staff is efficient. Easy to access but paying to park is ridiculous.

If you’re interested to know how the food is here then you should probably stop reading my review because I came solely for ComicCon and the food I did eat was from a food truck outside. BUT if you want to know how the convention center is then you’re in for a treat!
The architecture is interesting and makes for great pictures. Not to sacrifice function for design, the designers got this place right. There are plenty of great outdoor spaces incorporated that make for a place to get fresh air as well as stairs to avoid the crowded halls/​escalators/​stairs inside. Almost every level has a patio/​balcony area with tables and chairs. But hey if those are taken then don’t be a priss and just sit on the stairs, which are longer and wider than typical stairs so it’s very comfortable.
I came here during ComicCon and it was pretty packed but I still managed to find a seat when I just needed a break. I noticed many areas and benches scattered around the venue which was nice. The staff kept it very clean and overall the event was managed very well. Nothing like an orderly AND fun event right?
What else is important at large venues like this? Restrooms! I knew you were thinking it so lets quickly review those… There were plenty of them! And ladies, NO LONG LINES!
That’s all folks!

Its a convention center, its not that big or amazing.
I dislike the Golf Expo is getting smaller year after year, and has moved to Irving.
Not only was the space small, there just was not alot to do, which made the Expo not worth it.
Typically you go for the Training, the Great Discounts on Products, instead you wonder around the whole place in 15 minutes only to be Bombarded by people selling you junk, wanting you to enter contest after contest, be put on a mailing list and Guarantee a WIN and Free Trips, which we all know is a Scam.
Step it up Next Year.

The building is a masterpiece! Just a look around the inside and out and it will wow you!

The center is fine for large corporate meetings. Parking and facilities are fine.
I was very irritated with the catering, though… And this is why I would opt for a hotel conference in the future.
Hotels are more flexible. We had a group adjourn 15 minutes early and the lunch was all set up, attendants everywhere and they would no let the group start early. 15 minutes. And it was all self serve.
This sort of thing happened time and time again.
So, nope, back to a hotel we go.

Huge convention center with lots of parking. Parking can be a bit pricey for the day though. Overall a nice place to hold big events. Very clean!

We do shows at the ICC. We love the location and in awe of the building and architecture. The building is leed certified so doing the green thing, which I appreciate! What prevents me from rating a 5 star is the building staff. They are incredibly rude. Starting with management who stand around and make rude comments within earshot! Really?! I am not referring to the volunteers. They are happy to help and happy to be a part of the scene. We show up one morning and the police acting as security are using our merchandise tables, full of merchandise by the way, for a coffee table to hold their beverages… really?!

The facility is visually nice on the inside. I know a lot of people like the physical structure but personally, I’m not a fan, the architecture looks ugly from far away. The structure doesn’t become visually nice until you’re standing right by it.
Besides outside cosmetics, the inside is nice (however I’ve seen better). The restrooms are decent for the size of the facility and there’s enough concession areas on either side of the exhibit halls for all day events. The cost of food is reasonable in terms of concession food prices and are decently good.
The big CON, there’s only one set of escalators to get to the upper levels and the staircases are kept as «exit only» for events. If your planning/​going to a smaller event like ZestFest, you’ll have a lot of fun. The convention center can easily hold a couple hundred people. However if your planning/​attending a big event like Comic Con, save your money. At these type events you pay to get shuttled around like cattle in a congested city. There’s not enough room to see or do anything for events with 400+ people. The facility simple cannot control large crowds and is not designed to allow large crowds to easily flow through the whole center (especially to different floors).
The parking is also ridiculous. $ 5 is a good deal considering all other Dallas convention centers typically charge anywhere from $ 10 — $ 20 dollars for parking. However good luck actually getting in the garage to whatever event you attend (unless you are first to the door), because the garage parking is TINY compared to the amount of tickets they provide to these events. Be prepared to park in the grass and walk long distances. Not to mention the stairs to get from garage to convention center are minimal. At least the Dallas convention center has ample parking and its not dangerous to cross the street from the dart station to the venue as its pedestrian friendly (the Irving Convention center is NOT pedestrian friendly).

Amazing! Beautiful! Plentiful parking! It was seriously gorgeous in here. Every floor was clean, each time you go up a level there is an outside patio area with chairs to overlook Irving. It is a very nice place! I also saw many concession outlets (?) serving popcorn, soda, etc.

The building itself is reminiscent of star wars, so I guess that’s why they have the annual sci fi convention here. If you’re attending a restricted access event, you’ll need to park in a lot down the block and either walk or take a shuttle, and then walk ¾ of the way around the building to get to the main doors, which are unfortunately never marked well. Follow the hoards of people and you’ll get to the in hole.
Inside, the facility itself is nice, with sufficient restrooms and concession stands on the ground level to accommodate the number of people the venue can hold. The concession stands are along the outer walls in the exhibit hall and there is also one right when you enter the building. They sell hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken salads, chips, fountain and bottled sodas, starbucks coffee, and tazo tea. I had a chicken salad, and was pleasantly surprised as to its quality. Heirloom tomatoes!?! The chicken was an actual cooked chicken breast that had been chilled and presliced. The lettuce was a spring mix and very fresh. There were also carrot and jicama shreds, and the dressing was a relatively light and fresh vinaigrette. Amazing!

I don’t hate it at all, and I’m frankly a little interested in any fussy chatter otherwise. Let’s be direct: the Irving Convention Center is obvious, a straightforward structure with a bit of an avant grade exterior. It’s a giant open space, built in a gigantic building (that admittedly looks a little like a cross between a Death Star and a Design Within Reach catalog), and the inside space has been well utilized by the on-​site staff within.
Know that these shows are never an easy get — even if you have access to the space, popular events often require busing in patrons in there. But the city and the venue seem to be open to booking well, and that bodes highly for the future of the convention center. Worth a stop, contingent on what’s happening inside.

I was here for Dallas Comic Con on Friday. First off, I will say that I think everyone was a little unprepared for how many people were there on Saturday. (By my rough estimate, at least 408 trillion billion people.) I could go on about several of the good thing and bad things at DCC (good massively outweigh the bad), but this is a review of the venue, not the event.
First off, the convention center is beautiful, both inside and out. The entrance is pretty intimidating and reminds me of the entrance at the San Diego convention center. The layout is a little insane there.
The 4 floors all all separated by escalators and line flow is not ideal there. Backups at the escalators are o be expected and they all broke down at least once throughout the day. The best part about the venue is the connected balcony and stairs. It gives you a breathtaking view of Las Colinas and has nice tables that arent too close to each other so you can relax before tackling a Summer Glau Q&A.
The most striking flaw that this venue has is the lack of adequate parking. Your options are either the tiny garage, the vast dry lot that resembles the face of Mars, or the $ 5 parking garage (where most park) about half a mile away.
That being said, no venue would ever keep me away from DCC. I’ll be there in October to see Bruce Campbell and Stan Lee (again)!

Pros:
— Nice and new facility
— Large foyer with tables
— Concession Stands
Cons:
— Inadequate on-​site parking
— No in’s and out’s, so you have to pay $ 5 every time you want to leave
— No benches outside
— 114 is not easily accessible, even though the convention center is right by the highway
Tip: They claim you have to pay for parking at the autocashier before returning to your car, but you can totally pay with CC at the exit.

As others stated «nice structure» and a good addition to Las Colinas. I hope that Irving can finally begin on the «Las Colinas Live» concept.
But, this center is not good for much else other than small conferences. Small parking structure where they charged me to park for a recent event (Boo Hiss). Meeting rooms are all upstairs and unfortunately it is a long escalator ride and there only two elevators.
I mentioned they charged me to park, this event also charged to «re-​enter» so lunch choices were limited since most all restaurants are on the other side of O’Connor Blvd (tip, the Marriott has a great french dip sandwich) so until the area is built out… I say «2 stars for you!»

I spent the weekend here for an exposition and the actual structure was my favorite aspect of the whole event. Driving down a somewhat stark road you are finally greeted by a monstrous building that evokes architecture hailing from much more sophisticated and developed European cities. While maintaining the industrial style it still resonates natural elements in its rust color, neutral tones, and natural landscape on the convention’s grounds. Most architecture attempts to reflect its natural or urban surroundings, however this asymmetrical, industrial frame looks a little out of place seeing that there is not much to be seen en route from Dallas to Irving. Nonetheless, this lopsided ‘mad-​hatter cake’ looking building is breathtaking.
The interior has very clean and pristine facilities — not much more to expect from an interior of a convention center. I certainly enjoyed the parking. Every spot is in close vicinity to the elevators and the elevators are in close vicinity to the entrance.Good.
I was also pleasantly surprised of how short the distance really is from Dallas. The convention center is located on, what I believe, the outskirts of Irving, Las Colinas. A quick, breezy trip from North or South Dallas. Just hop on I-​35!