Louisiana's hotel room demand is fourth in the nation, with 63.6% of rooms sold. The principal convention facility in Baton Rouge is The Baton Rouge River Center, which is located downtown on the banks of the Mississippi River. Connected to the Louisiana Arts and Science Center and the Old State Capitol, The Baton Rouge River Center is within walking distance of hotels, restaurants, shops, and major attractions. Municipally owned, The Baton Rouge River Center is maintained by a private management company called SMG. Since SMG assumed management of the facility events have grown to more than 500 per calendar year and attendance at these events continues to increase. The Baton Rouge River Center is comprised of three main facilities: the Arena, the Exhibition Hall and the Theater for Performing Arts. The River Center Arena is a 10,000-seat arena, with over 30,000 square feet of exhibition space and more than 7,000 square feet of meeting space. The new 70,000 square-foot Convention Center can be combined with the arena to create more than 100,000 square-feet of contiguous exhibit space. The River Center hosts events such as concerts, conventions, sporting events, trade shows and theater productions. As the downtown area continues to grow, The Baton Rouge River Center has responded with the current expansion of the new Convention Center. This new venue will include 100,000 square feet of continuous, state-of-the-art exhibition space and will prove to be a cornerstone development in Baton Rouge.
Among other meeting facilities in Baton Rouge are the LSU Assembly Center and LSU Union, located on the campus of Louisiana State University, and F. G. Clark Activity Center and Smith-Brown Memorial Union, both on the Southern University campus.
There are more than 7,000 hotel rooms in Baton Rouge, most in the College Drive area; many offer convention and meeting facilities.
Convention Information: Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, 730 North Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70802; telephone (225)383-1825; (800)LA-ROUGE; fax (225)346-1253