types of public assembly venues

amphitheater

An open-air venue, which usually includes a permanent stage. Seating configurations may include fixed permanent seating and/or lawn seating. Typical Events - concerts, stage presentations, community events, and other special events.

congress center

Most of these centers do not have special-purpose or dedicated exhibit space. However, because they are designed to accommodate multiple-hosting duties, they normally contain one or more raked, sloped or ascending floor, auditorium style fixed-seat theatres (Generally found in Europe where conventions are referred to as congresses)

conference center

Primarily designed for small-scale meetings and conferences. They typically provide state-of-the-art educational meeting rooms and may also provide sleeping rooms.

complex

a combination of two or more venue types, presenting typical events as indicated. Typically, a venue of this type operates under a single management structure and usually has combined financial reporting.

stadium

a large venue, either open-aired, domed, or with a retractable roof. It typically has fixed seats or bleachers surrounding a field area. Typical Events - baseball, football, soccer, major concerts, spectacles, major civic events, and others. A large domed venue with full-field football/soccer capability is considered a stadium even though its event schedule may include exhibits, basketball, motorsports, family shows, and other arena-type events.

auditorium

a multi-purpose venue that generally has a flat floor, a permanent stage at one end, and a balcony on one or both ends. Typical Events - small concerts, community events, religious meetings, and small sporting events.

special event venue

an indoor or outdoor venue designed to accommodate a specific activity or event such as tennis stadiums, velodromes, curling rinks, natatoriums, horse and dog racetracks, and motor speedways. These venues, like most public assembly venues, are on occasion used to host activities or events not related to their primary purpose.

performing arts venues (concert halls/theaters)

an indoor performing arts venue or concert hall usually with some type of permanent stage and permanent seats on a raked (sloped) floor, or may have a center or thrust stage with either permanent and/or portable seating. Typical Events - concerts, symphony, drama, dance, touring Broadway shows, ballet, opera, stage presentations, and other community events. These venues may also have conventions and meetings, but they are not primarily convention and exhibition centers.

Convention/Exhibition/Trade Show Center

an indoor venue with large exhibit areas, supplemented by various sized meeting rooms. Typical Events - conventions, trade shows, consumer shows (e.g., boat, home, auto, etc.), banquets, receptions, meetings, major local events, and others. Trade fairs may also own and tour shows. Exhibition halls are most often part of a convention center and may contain up to 1,000,000 or more square feet of contiguous flat-floor space and ceilings 25 to 35 feet in height. However, the vast majority is more likely to have floor space in the 60,000 to 200,000 square foot range.

arena

indoor venue; fixed and/or portable seats surrounding an open floor area. The floor area can be set with different event configurations and may incorporate the refrigeration equipment to produce ice events. It could have a permanent stage, but most use a portable stage. Typical Events - basketball, hockey, other sports, concerts, ice shows, circuses, other family shows, and miscellaneous other major events. These venues may also host conventions, trade shows, and meetings, but they are not primarily convention and exhibition centers.