About Louisville

Louisville has grown exponentially in the last decade thanks to the effort and vision of many in the community. The city is now consistently recognized as one of the hottest (and coolest) places in the country to visit and live in. Louisville is a reignited city, having just spent $1B to upgrade and renovate its attractions, hotels and convention facilities to make them all state-of-the-art and one-of-a-kind.

Louisville’s unique brand of Southern hospitality, one-of-a kind attractions, Urban Bourbon Experience, rich culinary scene, convenience and affordability make it a world-class destination for any meeting or event. Your attendees will love our restaurant and bar scene, the thrill of visiting Churchill Downs, Museum Row (with the likes of the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and Muhammad Ali Center) and distillery tours. In no other city will you find the welcome you’ll receive in Louisville – from the Louisville Tourism staff to the friendly faces of the frontline workers and locals of this vibrant city.

Taxes

  • How much is the total cumulative hotel tax? 16.07%
  • How much is the F&B tax? 6%
  • How much is the average F&B gratuity? 22%

Airport

  • How many miles from the airport to downtown? 7
  • Is there public transportation, such as a bus or subway available?
    TARC Bus Service available throughout the city, including the airport. Louisville has replaced its historic complimentary trolley service with brand new zero emissions buses, which still remain complimentary in the downtown hotel region.  Downtown bus service is available along 4th Street and Market/Main Streets, Louisville’s main hotel, entertainment, and attraction district.
  • How much does the public transportation cost? Complimentary in the downtown hotel & entertainment district.
  • What is the shuttle bus fare from the airport to downtown? $18
  • What is the taxi fare from airport to downtown? Flat rate of $19.50
  • How many daily flights out of airport? 100+
  • Is the airport a hub for any carrier?
    No, but Southwest is largest carrier with direct flights to 15 destinations. New daily nonstop jet service announced in Apr 2019 to LAX on American.
  • What are the major carriers serving airport?
    American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, United, and Allegiant

 

Hotels

  • How many committable hotel rooms downtown on peak night? 3,000 
  • Total Committable downtown hotels: 15
  • How many headquarter hotel properties?
    4 – Marriott Louisville Downtown, Hyatt Regency Louisville, Omni Louisville, and Galt House Hotel
  • How many rooms available on peak night at the largest headquarter property? 1,000 – Galt House

Convention Center

  • How many total gross square feet of exhibit space at Convention Center?
    • Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC) – 350,000
    • Kentucky Exposition Center (KEC) – 1.2 Million which includes a 14,500 seat arena called Freedom Hall which is used for General Sessions
  • How much of this exhibit space is contiguous?
    • KICC – 200,000
    • KEC – 1.2 Million
  • How many total gross square feet of meeting space is available at the Convention center?
    • KICC – 350,000
    • KEC – 1.2 Million
  • How many meeting rooms does the convention center have? KICC – 52
  • How big is the largest meeting room? KICC – 40,000 GSF
  • How many ballrooms does the convention center haveKICC – 1
  • How big is the largest ballroom? KICC –  40,000 GSF divisible by 5
  • When was the last renovation or expansion?
    • KICC did reopen on time and on budget in Aug 2018 after being closed for 2 full years on expansion & renovation
    • KICC just completed a $207 Million Renovation & Expansion
  • When is a future renovation/expansion scheduled? KICC – Currently being renovated/expanded
  • Is there free Wi-Fi at the convention center? Yes, in public areas only
  • Is there an exclusive in-house Electrical provider? Yes – KY Venues for Electric, Plumbing, Compressed Air, and Venue Services
  • Is there an exclusive in-house AV provider? Prestige AV
  • Is there an exclusive in-house decorator? No
  • Is there an exclusive in house caterer? Levy at both centers
  • Is the convention center a union property? Only for rigging
  • If union property, can you provide estimated pricing list? N/A
  • Here are a list of labor unions with whom planners will be required to work at the convention center:
    IATSE for rigging at both KICC and KEC

Off Site Venues

  • How many off site venues within walking distance can host up to 2,000 people?
    6 — (KFC YUM! Center, 4th Street Live! Louisville Slugger Field, Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, Muhammad Ali Center and the Palace Theater)
  • How many off site venues within a ten-minute bus transfer can host up to 2,000 people?
    5 — (Churchill Downs, Kentucky Derby Museum, Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, The Louisville Zoo, and Paris Point)
  • How many restaurants are within walking distance of the convention center? 75 Restaurants
  • Can you list local attractions and there whereabouts?
    • Louisville Slugger Museum and Bat Factory (downtown)
    • Muhammad Ali Center (downtown)
    • Belle of Louisville (downtown on Ohio River, The oldest operating steamboat in the United States River System)
    • Churchill Downs/Kentucky Derby Museum (near airport 10 minutes from downtown)
    • Bourbon Distillery Tours (within a 30 minute drive)
    • Bourbon Micro-Distillery Attractions – Downtown Louisville now has 9 new attractions since 2014, with the newest (Michters Fine Bourbon) opening in the Spring 2019.  Popular downtown bourbon attractions now include:  Old Forester, Angels Envy, Rabbit Hole, Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse, and Evan Williams Bourbon Experience!  Evan Williams was the first downtown distillery to open along the original whiskey row since Prohibition.  These are all walkable to the downtown hotel package.
    • KFC Yum! Center (Downtown Arena)
    • Louisville Slugger Field (downtown)

Additional Resources

A Day In Louisville

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Bourbon and Biscuits Recipes Louisville Tourism

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Destination Experiences

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Louisville Fact Sheet We’re Ready When You Are

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Louisville Meeting and Event Planner Guide

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Top 10 Coolest Cities

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Walking Map Downtown Hotels and Attractions

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Video