Raleigh Convention Center

I have been to the Convention Center a few times now for events such as the Boat Show, Raleigh Home Show and the Junior League of Raleigh’s Shopping Spree. It is a spacious venue and I have enjoyed every event that I have attended!
Parking can be an issue, especially if you do not want to pay. If you get downtown early enough finding parking within walking distance is typically easy to find.
Plus, the Cree shimmer wall is the ish!

I looveee the Raleigh Convention Center and if I could build the same convention center in every community I work in (that could support that much activity, obviously) then I would. I have attended numerous conferences, meetings, and events here probably ranging in size from 12 people to 120,000. That extra large one being when the 2015 ICMA World of Bluegrass Festival was moved indoors to the Convention Center.
There is ample parking available attached to multiple floors of the convention center as well as a Marriott hotel and BEST OF ALL– the convention center is right smack in the hustle bustle, bars, and restuarants of Downtown.

This convention center is located in downtown Raleigh. It’s pretty easy to get to and there conveniently is a parking garage located right across the street. They charge $ 7 and you can cross the street and access the center through the side entrance… Can’t get any better than that! It’s pretty spacious in the inside, clean and the rooms are a decent size. The staff is helpful and nice and the layout is pretty easy to navigate. There are 4 levels… You walk in on the first floor and the ‘lower level’ is downstairs & contains a big hall where the exhibits are held. The 2^nd & 3^rd floors have the session rooms.

I spend a lot of time in the Raleigh Convention Center… Between work and leisure i’ve been on every level of the center and even behind the scenes. All in all this is a great venue. Perfect for small intimate ceremonies (we’ve been to a lot of awards breakfasts here) and massive conventions! The service has always been quick and friendly, and the management is amazingly efficient. I don’t know how they keep up with so many simultaneous events!
If I had one small nitpick it would probably be that Centerplate (who I believe still does their food) isn’t my favorite. They food is never terrible, but it’s not particularly inspired either. It always seems to come out lukewarm at best as well… I’ve had breakfast, lunch and dinner here and nothing really stands out.
Food aside I really love the convention center! It’s a beautiful space with tons of nearby parking options (many free on nights and weekends if you’re willing to walk a block or two). I’m sure i’ll be back here time and time again!

Came here for the first time for All Things Open 2015. This place is huge! It has a total of three floors. For those who hasn’t been here yet, you can park in the Performing Arts Parking Deck off of W Lenoir St for $ 7 a day. Tip: If you’re an early bird and arrive before 7:00 AM you can park for free.
Inside the convention center there are two ballrooms on the topmost floor. One of them was used for our keynote speakers. There are many smaller rooms on the ground floor for individual tech talks/​sessions. I like how there is an underground walkway that takes you to the nearby Marriott which has a Starbucks inside. Throughout the place, they’ve set up these water machines so you can refill a cup or water bottle with purified water. I believe they provide both hot and cold water.
Overall, I’m very impressed by this convention center.

I’ve come to appreciate the Raleigh Convention Center, since it’s helped pave the way for a lot of the growth in the city. The building opened in 2008, about 2 ½ years after the old convention center was torn down. The Marriott on Fayetteville Street was built adjacent to accommodate visitors.
In front of the convention center is an 11-​foot statue of Sir Walter Raleigh, which is seemingly decorated for every major event. On the back wall is the shimmer wall, an LED-​lit art installation of an oak tree.
Inside, the convention center is just about as large as every other one I’ve visited across the country. I’m glad that the City of Raleigh didn’t skimp out and build a small one. This took some foresight, since it was broke ground in 2006, back when Raleigh was a much different looking city.
I’ve been to the convention center for many events, some small that used just one meeting room, and some bigger ones that used the main ballroom. I’ve only had the convention center’s food once at a catered breakfast, and it was actually pretty good.

A very nice facility but the worst food and beverage service I’ve ever experienced at a conference. Offerings are scant, incorrectly labelled, withdrawn before you blink twice, and served by grumpy staff.

First time to Raleigh and I could not be more pleased with how great this town is! The convention center is honestly on of the best I have ever been to. The finishes are all very high quality along with easy to access and clean bathrooms. Had food here and it was some of the best «convention center» food I’ve ever had! The only thing that was funny were the chairs in the spaces when you sat down in them they all seemed to make «farty» noises!

So randomly I attended a huge Christmas party at this convention center. Yep a party so big it was at a convention center and it took up multiple areas of the building too.
It’s very open and spacious with lots of interesting spaces that I imagine give them a lot of flexibility.
The food was good and had a nice variety but some stuff was a bit weak, like the watery hot chocolate. The bartenders were all hustling though.
Signage was a bit confusing but the staff were all nice. Parking was next door at a parking garage.

Decent venue! Came here for the Internet Summit. I thought that overall, the 3 large rooms were good. They were spacious, fit plenty of people (I believe 500+ per room), and easily split into 3.
I had a great time at the venue speaking and wouldn’t mind returning to this convention center.

As far as convention centers go I have no major complaints. The parking deck across the street is kinda convoluted to say the least (an airbridge or tunnel to the RCC would have been nice). It’s convenient to nearby restaurants and personally I like the up and downstairs layout. The Shimmer Wall? well, OK. It’s different anyway. All in all, a city has to have a convention center and we’ve got ours.

Meh.
I guess one of the signs of Raleigh’s «coming of age» is the appearance of one of these large bland buildings. The «art» on the outside is utterly forgettable, and it sadly doesn’t get a lot better on the inside. The most prominent thing was the brass placard on the inside honoring the mayor of the city when this thing was built … a lot of mutual self-​adoration for a building that simulates the shapeless nothingness of similar buildings in other large cities.
In terms of the actual facilities, the first thing one notices is the rather strange parking deck across the street; a deck that requires one to descend to the ground level, and cross a busy street before re-​entering the convention center (going up many flights of stairs). Good design would have included some sort of «sky deck» going from the parking deck to the convention center … but that might have cut into the brass placard budget.
Inside, the building feels large and spacious, but not necessarily in a useful way. I spent a lot of time walking through huge hallways to get to the (surprisingly small) room where my event was being held.
Bathrooms felt distant, as did any semblance of humanity in the décor.
If I can help it, I won’t be back. Bad job, Raleigh.

Spacious, clean, walkable from downtown hotels– not much more to ask for. Granted, I’m not here with a car (if you’re coming from the airport, just ride the 100 bus for $ 2!!), so I haven’t dealt with any parking issues like I’ve seen on other reviews.
With several good restaurant choices within walking distance, it’s hard to lose having a conference here. Well, it’s only my first day. We’ll see by the end of the week.

Nice facility as far as convention centers go, although a bit on the small side. There were two things that I didn’t like though. The underground parking garage is a tight squeeze to navigate and is quite dark IMO. Better lighting would have made me feel safer, as well as better signage to make my way into the facility.
Also, the chairs in the meeting rooms seem to all be equipped with whoopie cushions. I kid you not! It was hilarious as each person came into the room and sat in their «musical» chairs!
I’d give it 4 stars for the outside appearance, but between the garage and the chairs, had to drop it down a bit.

I’ve been to the Raleigh Convention Center for a few different events, most recently the Raleigh Home Show. RCC was a great new addition to the downtown area a few years ago, and is a much needed upgrade from the civic center. There is nothing special about this one compared to other convention centers but it gets the job done and is a building that Raleigh can be proud of. The shimmer wall on the outside of the building, is indeed a beauty!
My issue– parking!!! What’s up with the parking sitch? You need a freaking map for that parking deck!!!

This was my first visit to the convention center for something other than a car show open to the general public. It was a nice experience.
The function rooms were nicely laid out and the acoustics were great.
I have to say that it was a bit of a confusing walk from the parking garage to the convention center. Thankfully, the event I was attending had folks stationed around to assist.

I don’t really have anything to say about this convention center b/​c I think it’s just like any other convention centers I’ve been to through-​out the country.
I am giving this place 5 stars because of the janitorial staff. At the internet summit last week, I left my phone in the bathroom. I had realized that my phone was missing after a good 20 minutes; the phone wasn’t in the bathroom anymore. As any panicked person living in the 21^st century, I felt as if someone stole my brain. I had no idea where and who I was anymore. (not exaggerating)!
I went to the security man by the front door and told him that I left my phone in the bathroom. He smiled and was like. OH REALLAY? A PHONE EHHH??? and whipped out my better half. He informed me that all janitorial staff is required to submit everything they find. MAN they are awesome. For that, they deserve 5 stars for having such a responsible and trustworthy staff.

This convention center is really nice compared to the last one that Raleigh had. Raleigh had indeed stepped up their game. They host graduations, conventions, trade shows and more here. The décor is very nicely done. And if you stay at the hotel across the street, you will notice that the two buildings are connected via a tunnel. They also built an amphitheater right outside the convention center.

The new Convention Center. I will say that if you come for a conference or convention (I’ve been to Internet Summit here for two years now), that you’re probably screwed for about $ 7 for parking since you have to get there in the morning. If you arrive in the afternoon though, you can probably park for free depending on where you park. I’d suggest going to the lots for … I believe it’s the Performing Arts garage or something like that. It’s right across from the Convention center.
The facilities at the convention center itself are very nice and posh. I’m sure that the catering isn’t cheap either, but at least it’s decent. WIthin walking distance to a multitude of great restaurants (I don’t have to tell you to whip out Unilocal here, do I?) and two adjacent hotels. Sheraton and Marriott.
It’s a pretty neat architectural design and definitely one of the cooler places to do a conference if you can afford the rent.

Rock on, Raleigh Convention Center. I hate your parking deck, but I like you. Have had the opportunity to spend time downstairs in the large tradeshow rooms — a little warehousy, but not bad, including acoustics — and in the ballrooms. The latter are pretty posh for a city convention center, with artistic lighting and ceiling sound absorbers. Had a catered meal there just last night and was impressed with both the food and the service. Stephanie, our table attendant, was really friendly, and kept the water glasses full and the plates bussed. The folks carrying wine bottles may have been a little less frequent to visit. But the event was really terrific, in no small part because of top-​notch, efficient service.
Oh, and the shimmer wall is bee-​ay-​en-​ay-​en-​ay-​ess!