Today Saturday we attended the Bay Area Travel and Adventure Show. We were able to secure comp tickets. What's great is the free parking garage. It's three levels. To enter the convention center you enter from level 3 so best to park on level 3 if possible. We arrived around 10:45am and level 3 was already closed off. This year we noticed more exhibitions of both domestic and international travel. If you're in need of ballpoint pens and reusable bags, this is a golden opportunity. We spoke to several exhibitors for more information on potential destinations. We spent about 1 1/2 hours walking around. There's food available for purchase, and an area to sit down to eat. read more

I came here for anime impulse. I'm not sure who's at fault. Whether it's a venue policy or an event policy. The rules we had to work with was absolutely ridiculous and bordering on ADA complaint. 1. One entrance and one exit. Every other door is "emergency exit." Oh but except for when the event ends at 6pm. You can just walk out. Here's the problem. To get to the hotel it's a 5-10 min walk. To get to the car. You have to walk all the way around the hotel. There's an exit directly upstairs that leads to the parking garage. But we can't use it. This is extra tedious if we have stuff to drop off. Or we need to get something from the car. And that directly leads me to 2. No food or drinks in the venue. If there was an easy way to get the parking garage this is a no issue. But I have to walk all that way just to get food and drinks from my car? It's frustrating. There's really no place to sit down inside. If you're not in the ballroom like areas. There's nowhere to sit aside from randomly sitting and causing traffic stall. Pros: conditioner worked well. Restrooms were clean. They atleast had working drinking fountains with cool temperature water. read more

Lots of parking, very clean, and lots of nice bathrooms. Minus one star because there's no good food in walking distance. If ur going to an event then just eat the food there. Safe area in Santa Clara. read more

Santa Clara Convention Center - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Clara, California

This place needs a lot of work. I came here for a pageant event and wonder why this place looks really old. The carpet has an odd smell to it, and the toilets are outdated. The escalator was not working. What is going on here? The staff were somewhat rude. We wanted to get up to the 2nd level but it seems getting information from them was difficult. I won't be doing any events here in the future - that's for sure! read more

Santa Clara Convention is a good place to attend an event. The convention floor was spacious. There were vending machines for desserts , ramen, snacks, and toiletries. There were food available for sale and the Chicken Tiki Masala was okay . Overall this is pretty cool place for an event. read more

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Be prepared to be so cold. You will be blasted with cold air in every hall, room, and theater. Wear layers.

In town from Sacramento for the EvO Global Expo (Muay Thai) event in particular. It was a busy day and cars were everywhere but the parking lot staff was BOMB as 1 attended saw we were on a motorcycle and came over to tell us how to get to the garage and that there was designated parking for motorcycles!! WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! Good lookin out big homie!! Inside the lines were long but went smooth and quickly. Friendly staff everywhere. Clean and well stocked restrooms! I wish it had more chairs inside but it wouldn't have done well with the type of event going on but so many cool vendors like the Stretch Lab, Wrestling, aerial acrobatics and the Zumba ladies were killin it! My daughter represents the Resistance Gym and represented them EXCELLENTLY with a W for the Win! Congratulations! P.s Really cool to see Ronnie Coleman in person! read more

I have attended many functions at the Santa Clara convention center. The venue is very well run with nice space for large events. Parking is very convenient and it is located near multiple freeways. Although it's a little bit far from me, I don't mind driving to events at the convention center. read more

I would give this place 5 stars if it was not for the garage attendant who I think has rage issues. Today, my sweetie and I went to a pinball event here and decided to park close by in the garage. No signs stated that we could not. As I was at the event, my sweetie decided to take a break and go back to the car to relax. At that time, apparently my sweetie had a confrontation with the garage attendant about where we parked. I have a slight mobility issue with my legs so my sweetie did not want to move his car. And anyhow, no sign stated that you could not park there and other cars were parked there. Later he went back to the event to join me. When we we were finished and went back to the car at about 6:20pm, the garage attendant walked past with a long stare that made me uncomfortable as we sat in our car. Then my sweetie pointed out some new damage to the windshield of the car. Apparently someone must have throw a rock to the windshield of the car while we were at the event. Why would anyone do that?......no one would just casually walk from or to their car parked in the garage would just start picking up a rock and decide to hit a car. That would not make sense, There would have to be a reason behind such an act. Then my sweetie told me about what happened with the garage attendant. We both drew the conclusion that the garage attendant must have done it as some form of retaliation. Of course I do not want to point my finger at anyone but the clues that led up to this seem clear to us. But difficult to prove not that it matters as my sweetie has other damage on the windshield so plans to get it fixed soon anyhow. But seriously, if our conclusion is correct as I think it is, this guy needs psychological help asap! Beware!!!! read more

Welcome to the Santa Clara Convention Center. Absolutely no food allowed, not even from the adjacent hotel. Apparently, they "have specific permit with their catering vendor, so the only food allowed is from the catering company or vending machines. Except the catering company is for a different group at the convention so therefore no one participating in a different convention activity has access to said food. Now that's just silly. You can do better and should do better than that. Children at a dance convention during lunch time only have access to vending machine food (sweet drinks, coffee & snack food only is available) per this policy. Something stinks more that this review... read more

Santa Clara Convention Center - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Recently signed up to work here through the union, took 4 months before I got called in to work a shift. 04-19-24, 1:00 pm several young women (pre-teens) enter the woman's restroom in the main lobby at the foot of the escalators. My coworker Juan proceeded to follow them into the women's restrooms. Juan has never discussed any intentions of identifying as transgender or anything like that, But Juan's jokes do get out of hand as far as invading other coworkers'personal space, grabbing and grouping other male coworkers, calling the boss "papi", --juan had no business to be in the women's restroom. Not when there's an event happening. I confronted him. He was unphased. Looked around to see if anyone else ie if staff or management could see him. Security camera caught everything. I ask my boss why Juan was in the bathrooms, technically speaking, if there's work to be done specifically in the women's bathroom that's my job, not Juan's. When called into the security office both security and admin staff saw and confirmed Juan not only went in the women's restrooms once BUT multiple times. Poking his head in there, walking all the way into the doorway and then further inside, lingering in the doorway. I can tell you right now, Juan doesn't clean bathrooms. In fact, due to the union seniority pecking order many of the men simply "don't do bathrooms". Big surprise it's all men on that list. Juan was caught red handed. Juan is friends with Ray the event manager... Most of the guys I work with are friends with management, kinda makes the whole union thing pointless if they're already getting kick backs from management they really don't need the union to protect them, I mean how can they if everything done and said at the convention is filtered through a management team that undermines California labor laws. Moreover the whole point of the union is to protect workers from employers like this guy. Ray doesn't care if his friend went into the women's restrooms, Ray does have a problem that I even spoke up. Someone has to. Management needs a serious overhaul, I could care less if I ever get put back on the schedule. I'm taking a BIG risk speaking out against a "union brother" but seriously, not all these guys are properly vetted, they're just here because they're all just "good ole'boy" , right?? Good workers shouldn't get edged out like this. I had to say something. read more

Ballrooms J and K small like mold and they have for years. It is horrific and dangerous to anyone who has to spend time in those ballrooms. It is clear that the convention center does not care about this. read more

We come to this Convention Center usually twice a year. Once for the Travel & Adventure Show and again for California Extreme Pinball and Arcade Games Show. When we are spending the night, we'll stay at the adjoining Hyatt for the convenience of being able to go upstairs to rest. When we're only down for the day, we try to arrive one hour before opening time in order to get a decent parking space in the adjoining parking structure. Overflow parking is a long block away and is not enjoyable in the hot sun after having been on your feet all day. The Convention Center is usually well signed as there are often two or three events going on at the same time. Restrooms are usually clean and plentiful. What caught our eyes today were a pair of vending machines hiding behind the escalators on the first level. One was offering 'fresh baked' croissants for $5 each. I didn't get a picture of that one but I did get a picture of its neighbor. We watched as a customer ordered a bowl of Tonkatsu Ramen, using her debit/credit card, paying $12.99. The timer count-down started at 45-seconds to completion but it was probably 60-seconds before the door opened and the bowl could be retrieved. I watched as she opened the bowl and it looked to me like a pre-packaged bowl that was punctured through its lid and plastic seal to allow boiling water into the bowl. Essentially a cup-a-Noodle on steroids as it was advertised to have a slice of pork, fish cake, and assorted other yummies. I have purchased large bowls of ramen imported from Japan that had as many as 7 packets of ingredients included a slice of pork and they were delicious so I'm guessing this is the next step up in terms of quality and convenience. We did not try the machine this time because we were going out for ramen nearby but we'll give it a shot in July if it's still around! read more

Santa Clara Convention Center - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Clara, California

This place sucks not sure why anyone when spend money to host an event or conference here. There's zero food on site and the vending machines don't even work. read more

I came here a few times for the travel convention and numerous other events. This is your average convention center which is pretty basic. I love the Travel and Adventure show that is held here. Not only am I learning about different travel destinations but also getting a lot of free stuff. The only thing you should be aware is that there is no regulation here. You might see something that is too good to be true and the reality is you found a timeshare sales person who is always hounding you. I could appreciate it if there was a little more regulation here in terms of screening exhibitors because they could be selling you a dodge idea or product. Being neurodivergent it can be hard for me to figure this out. It triggers me mentally to see a time share salesperson talk with my mother for 30 minutes until the end of the travel convention. If you have complaints about parking please plan ahead or take the tram. read more

Santa Clara Convention Center used to be great, but management was taken over by a different company and attending the convention center can be a very different experience nowadays. First thing to know before booking or buying a ticket to an event at the convention center is to make sure there isn't an event at Levi Stadium that day. They will close-off convention center parking to reserve for Levi Stadium employees many hours before the actual stadium event and the roads will be barricaded and the Free Parking the Convention Center claims to have will be non-existent. You will have to walk 1/2 a mile and pay possibly $65 for the pleasure to get to your event at the convention center after waiting in a bunch of traffic as people try to navigate the barricades. Know before you go. read more

Getting to the place directions can be a little confusing. Venue itself pretty vast. Parking situation horrible when masses are leaving was a horrible experience. read more

Nice-sized convention center. It's not ginormous and everything feels put together. If you're here for 5-10 minutes, you'll know your way around. Connected via a hallway to the Hyatt Regency, so super convenient if you want to stay the night as well. If taking an Uber or ride share, they have a tendency to try to drop off and pick up at the Hyatt Regency, which is on the other side of the property. I'd suggest taking note. read more

I attended a CACM event here and it was super fun! The venue itself is gorgeous and has the convenience of a parking garage literally 500 feet away, right across from the stadium. On top of that, walking to it from the garage was a breeze and offered a scenic view of a nice little jogging trail. The bathrooms and venue were pristine and the overall vibe was pretty nice. It's definitely convenient with all the fun restaurants located inside as well. Worth checking out if you ever happen to come by. read more

Went here for an IoT convention. Parking was free and easy to find. Glad I didn't have to hassle with paying for parking here. The walk from the lot to the convention center was fine. To me this venue was pretty small. I'm used to the Moscone in SF or the Sans expo center in Las Vegas, but for this IoT world, it was about the right size. They had a nice floor that you could walk through in a few hours. The convention was 3 days, but two half days was enough for me to meet with vendors and catch up on the latest IoT advances. They had a good handle on their security at this convention. Their restrooms here were well maintained, clean and stocked. Nice job SC convention center! read more

Like most convention centers, the temperature is always too cold. Dress in layers and bring a jacket no matter how the weather is outside. There is free parking at the Hyatt next door which is great. It's a bit of a walk so if you have difficulty walking, be prepared. read more

This is one of the nicest small convention centers in the USA (maybe only Tampa is nicer). Parking is easy and free, but the parking lot might fill up fast, depending on the show. There is a hotel on-premises (Hyatt), very convenient of you have to stay for more than a day. Not many food options, but if you have a car you have easy access to many of the local restaurants that surround the area. If you fly to Santa Clara via San José International airport, than the convention center is about 10 minutes away, much better than landing a SFO and then driving an hour to Santa Clara. read more

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I was surprised at this place. Excellent venue, perfect for semianrs. Lot's of easy access amenities. Parking is so easy! I lead reviews that parking was terrible based of the size of the center. Not true! Easy parking, didn't have to walk miles before you are inside! read more

I have been many times at this wonderful convention center, both for professional and for hobbies or external-from work interests. I can't believe I have not reviewed the premises yet, so here we go. Parking is very important, considering that Levi's statium is across the street and there is not much 'street parking' available. In this case, fear not. They have a structure were you will find free and plenty. At least I have never had any issues trying to find a spot, even during heavy loaded of attendees fairs, like the one this past Thanksgiving weekend (San Jose Made). The buildings are just a short walking distance and the facilities are very big but not horribly big where you can get lost and never reappear. This past convention was pretty overwhelming because too many people and vendors, but when I have attended for professional ones, like a breeze to get through the various booths and able to talk to people. Also, it feels safe. read more

Came here for the travel show and it was pretty cool! There were soo many tables/booths. Arizona was definitely the best, they offered actual food samples (everything else was mostly candy), and even wine samples! They also had a live painter, it was all very entertaining. There were also dance performances, I only got to see one and they did a good job. Additionally, there were contests to win trips almost every booth. You had to sign up for a chance to win and I believe attend and informational meeting for a timeshare or something along those lines to qualify (also be at least 28 years old). Overall, the event was put together pretty well. I just wish they had more food/drink samples but I guess it's not that kind of convention. There's a "food court" outside where they set up tables for you to eat since you're not technically supposed to eat inside the event. But they sold sandwiches and chips outside. If they have a food convention here, I'm definitely attending that! read more

Santa Clara Convention Center - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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I came here for the anime convention AOD (Animation on Display) when it got moved to here from Burlingame. The great things of this place: 1) FREE PARKING 2) Super clean and spacious areas 3) Escalators and a glass elevator to the second floor AOD was running concurrently with some dance competition during the same weekend, but it was really nice to have designated areas for AOD-badge holders so that outsiders didn't crash our events. The halls and rooms are very well-lit, and the building is quite lovely with all the turquoise glass from the outside. It's also literally neighbors with Levi's Stadium and the Great America park. I think the staff I encountered were volunteers for AOD, not actual staff members of the convention center (my unconfirmed guess), but the staff were so kind and accommodating and were happy to answer questions. A big shoutout to the cosplay staff who ran the masquerade. They were all so welcoming and energetic, and also found an item of mine in their lost and found. Food-wise, this place is terrible. The food stand on the second floor sold sandwiches, wraps, and salads that were over-priced and hardly substantial. The food area on the first floor, shared with the Hyatt, is also terribly overpriced. If you're here for a day, and if you have a car, I recommend getting out of here for about an hour to get some real food if you can spare an some time during the middle of the day. The first day we were here, my friend and I were going to event after event, and crashed by the end of the day. The next day, we learned our lesson and escaped elsewhere for lunch before coming back. read more

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Good size for a technical convention. Plan to come early to park in the hotel parking structure. read more

Santa Clara Convention Center - AWE 2019 - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Attended a convention this weekend at the convention center. The convention contracted with the center's food staff who provided a snack bar for lunch and dinner. Very pricey and the food was mediocre. The crowning touch was when a convention goer returned her fries because they were cold inside, the cashier took them and then went to the fryer and stuck her hand in the fries and put one in her mouth to taste them. Then the other cashier grabbed an onion ring and proceeded to eat while waiting for customers. YUCK!! Wifi is not complimentary which was disappointing as it has been at other centers I've attended. A bottle of soda in the vending machine was $4! This was ridiculous because I am sure the convention organizers paid top dollar for this venue, so the attendees shouldn't be gouged. As for parking, I stayed at the hotel attached, but talking with my table mates they told of one of the convention attendees having her car broken in and her belongings stolen during the evening in the handicapped parking lot at the front of the center. I am wondering if there is security at this venue as I never saw any inside or out during my three day stay. read more

I have come here twice now for conventions. The ballrooms are huge and can be a bit overwhelming for meetings. Sound doesn't seem to travel well so if you are in the back, good luck hearing or seeing the speaker. However, if you have meetings upstairs you are in luck! The rooms have huge windows and let in lots of light. I liked my meetings best in these rooms and found it to be much more intimate. Convention centers are always going to somewhat lame (right?) but this one seems to be less offensive then the average convention center. read more

Coin shows are the reason I come to this convention center! It's cleaner,cozier and easier to navigate than many others I've been to over the years! The shows are set up with spacious trolling,( in a good way),convenience and they have food and clean bathrooms akin to a decent hotel! It's probably more modern than most around the country! I enjoy the hosted coin show here every six months! read more

I've attended a couple of tech conferences here over the past few years. It's easily one of the worst venues in the area thanks to the odd layout and atrocious lack of free functional wifi. This is Santa Clara! You're in the middle of Tech Central, yet you're so cheap that you can't provide free high-speed internet connectivity in 2020? Shame on you. One star added for relatively easy garage parking. read more

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the Santa Clara Convention Center is a great place to attend an event. This small-medium facility has a grand ballroom and four exhibit halls. Three of these halls can be combined into a larger hall, via sliding walls that can open up. That was exactly the case today for the annual Bay Area Travel and Adventure Show, where there must've been 2,000 people squeezed into this larger area. It was tight, but it can be done! The facility sports modern architecture and combines glass, steel, concrete, carpeting and wood paneling in an attractive way. Best of all, parking is free! The parking situation can get crazy though, since there's only a single public entrance into the three-story parking structure, and there's only one lane for cars coming in and one for cars going out! Traffic easily gets backed up on Bunker Hill Lane, the road leading into the structure, and can spill out onto Great America Parkway. Which means if you want to save yourself some headache, try to get here a little earlier... or get a hovercar and land on the roof. Back to the Future says we're supposed to have those by 2015, after all. read more

I have been coming here for three years for a particular show. Its a nice facility and they keep it very nice and clean. Except for the womens bathrooms. For three years I have never seen an unclogged toilet or a clean restroom. The lunch area that is prepped for us is really well organized. The sandwich I had today had bleached out old tires used as the bread but the Cucumber Salad that accompanied it made up for the crappy bread. It was delicious and I even know how to make it from such simple ingredients. The carpeting seemed shabby on the convention floor, but that may be a different company who provieded that. I snuck into the theater they have there and its HUGE. I could not believe how big it was in there. I had no idea that it was even there until this year. Very large meeting rooms also. If anything changes you'll be seing another review same time next year. read more

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Not a bad place to take the Bar. And that is about all I can say. The parking is FREE, the bathrooms are numerous, the hallways are wide. Basically, Santa Clara Convention Center offers exactly what a bunch of freaked out law students are looking for through the 3 days of hell that is the Bar Exam. Even the chairs are decent because they have a padded seat and seat back. The only thing that I would say could use some improvement is food options for lunch time. They have a little coffee and snack stand, but that's about it. It would be great if they had a full on cafe or even some fast food more conveniently located within the venue itself so people didn't have to drive else were to find lunch. read more

I love that you don't have to pay for parking here at this convention center. We came here for the Fit Expo last weekend and it was easy peasy parking in the garage that's located just a short walking distance from the convention center. I feel like this convention center isn't as big as the one in downtown San Jose but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's bigger but there were just more booths and companies at the Fit Expo this year. There was no hassle with security here and the staff checking for wrist bands were quite friendly and helpful to the public, which was nice to see. read more

I went here for the Travel Show convention and I would say I had a decent time. The entrance from the parking can be confusing but as long as you see the big signs that says entrance. The convention center itself was pretty big. It was actually bigger than I expected and I don't think I discovered all of it! read more

Santa Clara Convention Center - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Clara, California

There are plenty of good things about this convention center. It's not very difficult to find. Right across the street from Levi's Stadium. It's actually a pretty good size facility. Lots of large rooms that were utilized quite well. There is a large meeting room, as well as a traditional type of auditorium with stadium style seating. There is also a large number of restrooms, which is very helpful. I went here for the first time for Crunchyroll Expo. Considering that this con is new, and still fairly small, this was the perfect venue. But as it gets more popular, this place won't be able to handle the much larger crowds. Another plus was the free parking garage. Thumbs up for that! On the negative side, there are no places to eat within walking distance. And I didn't want to spend $7 for a slice of pizza. It's a little far from SF, and traffic sucks on Friday, but I will definitely be back next year if Crunchyroll Expo is held here again. But hoping that they move to Moscone. read more

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I've come here for a Conference, as well as another event, and the Center is a great space with plenty of ballrooms, good food, and I have no reason to mark them down for anything. Even when I get anxiety about parking, there is a helpful parking attendant guiding me to where I need to go and available to answer any questions I have. Win! read more

Santa Clara Convention Center - Chicken and garlic mashed potatoes with a roasted tomato - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Small convention center. Facility's decent. Not the biggest exhibit hall but for the sizes of the shows I've been to, it's plenty enough. The best thing about this convention center is that it is near the SJC Airport. Cab ride takes no longer than 15 minutes, but the fare coming out of the airport is killer. It's also a bit hard to hail a cab here so it's best to call in or hope you get lucky and someone's getting dropped off. Never stayed around the area, but there are a few hotels, with the Hyatt connected to the convention center. It's also located right next to Great America, which is a small theme park. Right now, you can also see the new 49ers stadium being built! Wonder how traffic will be once that's completed? read more

So I've been here for a couple events. BayCon specifically (Hyatt Regency) and then Jingle Fest when they made the poor decision to move here. I'm just not a fan of this convention center. First off, and perhaps I sound too much like a millennial here... but where the heck is the Starbucks? You heard me. Doubletree has a Starbucks. Safeway has a Starbucks. Target, Starbucks, Barnes and Noble... fake Starbucks, but still - similar enough to fly. Why are there seemingly very few amenities in this center? A why specifically have they decided to shuck tradition of every other larger size anything and forgo a Starbucks? There is one restaurant (passable for how expensive it is) and one deli/snack counter type thing in the hotel, but the center itself is cold and empty but for the soda machines scattered throughout the space and a set up/tear down similar to food truck style nachos station. I didn't enjoy coming here. And maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I'd had my coffee. read more