When the Phoenix Convention Center’s North and West Buildings opened in 2008 and 2009, they introduced a bold idea that was unusual for convention facilities at the time: a vertically stacked floor plan.
Today, as newly built convention centers across the country adopt vertical layouts as the next wave of design innovation, Phoenix’s approach looks less like a trend and more like visionaries looking into a crystal ball.
“It’s hard to imagine leadership at the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Convention Center setting an industry trend that would come to fruition nearly three decades later,” said Phoenix Convention Center Director Jerry Harper. “Our vertical floor plan was a means to work with the space we had and look ahead to our best ability to foresee the needs of clients for the decades to come. I think we can proudly say we have achieved that.”
Long before verticality became synonymous with flexibility and sustainability in event design, the Phoenix Convention Center recognized the need to build up rather than out. The center’s four-story configuration allows meeting rooms, exhibit halls, and ballrooms to be layered in a compact footprint—keeping attendees connected while reducing walking time and making navigation a breeze. This approach also enabled the facility to integrate directly into downtown Phoenix, supporting the city’s growth as a walkable convention district with hotels, restaurants, and light rail steps away.
The result is a modern, efficient campus that still feels ahead of its time. Each level was engineered to handle high volumes of attendees while maintaining natural daylight and easy wayfinding, all of which are key elements that many convention centers are only now beginning to incorporate.
“We were ahead of our time,” Harper said. “Looking back, it’s incredible to see how we changed the game for the industry. Our vertical floor plan once made us unique, really, we were one of one. And now it will help us to stay competitive as we draw in major conventions.”
More than 15 years after its expansion, the Phoenix Convention Center continues to demonstrate how vertically driven design can elevate the experience for event planners and guests alike. What was once a pioneering solution has become a defining advantage, keeping Phoenix on the leading edge of convention innovation.
“The City of Phoenix is in the very early stages of planning for a future expansion, where we would continue with our vertical floorplan—creating even more space where the current South Building resides,” Harper said. “We can’t wait to dive into that project and keep Phoenix at the forefront of innovation in the meeting and event industry.”