The Henry B. González Convention Center opened in 1968, originally built as part of the San Antonio World’s Fair. Since then, the venue has undergone four separate renovation and addition projects. It currently boasts more than 1.6 million square feet of event space, including five exhibit halls totaling 514,000 square feet. The venue is also home to “Stars at Night,” the largest ballroom in Texas, as well as the 2,319-seat Lila Cockrell Theatre.
Location and Contact Information
The Henry B. González Convention Center is located on E Market Street, in San Antonio, TX.
Street Address: 900 E Market Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205
Web Contact: https://www.sahbgcc.com/Contact-Us/General-Information
Convention and Sports Facilities: (210) 207-8500
Office: (210) 207-7773
Studio 5 Virtual Suite: (210) 207-6780
Booking Information for the Henry B. González Convention Center
Submit an RFP: https://www.sahbgcc.com/Contact-Us/Request-for-Proposal
To ensure you can get the event space and date that you want, it’s recommended that you contact the Henry B. González Convention Center at least 12 months in advance of your event.
If you wish to submit an RFP for an event that’s less than 12 months out, call the Booking Division at (210) 207-8500.
Rooms and Spaces
The Henry B. González Convention Center has a wide range of rooms and spaces, including a ballroom, theater, and exhibit halls, plus dozens of meeting rooms and breakout spaces.
Rooms and spaces include:
Ballrooms: This San Antonio venue features two gorgeous ballrooms. The best-known is “Stars at Night,” a 54,000-square-foot ballroom that uses over 1,600 LED lights to produce its gorgeous night-sky effect. It has a 5,100-square-foot balcony, cantilevered over Market Street.
There’s also the Hemisfair Ballroom, which clocks in at almost 40,000 square feet and has an adjacent 9,203-square-foot reception area.
Cantilever Room: A 4,000-square-foot room with an unusual feature: Part of this large meeting room is cantilevered over two lanes of Market Street traffic. It can also be divided into multiple breakout spaces.
Exhibit Halls: There’s over 514,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space in this San Antonio convention center. Together, these halls can accommodate over 2,900 standard-size exhibits. There are five halls in total, including a column-free 86,878-square-foot exhibit hall. The largest hall comprises up to 183,712 square feet of exhibit space.
The Grotto: This huge reception space can accommodate 2,500 people. It’s the only riverside venue space in San Antonio that can host an event of this size.
Lila Cockrell Theater: A performing arts theater with seating for 2,319 people
Liquid Crystal: A million-dollar interactive art installation, located in the primary lobby
The LDR, or Lonesome Dove Room: This ranch-themed venue seats 150 to 500 guests and includes both an indoor seating area and an adjacent outdoor patio.
Meeting Rooms: The Henry B. González Convention Center has more than 70 flexible meeting rooms, ranging from a few hundred square feet to almost 11,000 square feet.
Multipurpose Spaces: Along with function rooms, ballrooms, and exhibit halls, the event venue also has thousands of square feet of multipurpose space that can be used for registration and reception areas, meeting and event spaces, and more.
Studio 5: This virtual event suite provides video support, lighting, sound, and other essential services for virtual content. Presented and serviced by Encore.
Event Types in San Antonio
The Henry B. González Convention Center features 4 exhibit halls, more than 70 meeting spaces, the Lila Cockrell theater, ballrooms, and several outdoor event spaces too. This venue has it all, making it a great option for a wide array of event types. Exhibitions and trade shows, conventions and conferences, evening events, arts performances, and meetings of all sizes can find the perfect event space at this venue.
Exclusive and Preferred Vendors and Services
Services available on-site at the Henry B. González Convention Center include audio/visual production, catering, and electrical. The following services are exclusive, except where noted otherwise. For up-to-date contact information, click here.
- A/V Services: Courtesy of preferred provider Encore
- Business Center: Provided by The UPS Store
- Catering and Concessions: Provided by The RK Group
- Rigging: Provided by Encore
- Security: Provided by the City of San Antonio Off-Duty Employment Unit
- Telecommunications/Internet: Provided by Smart City Networks®
Henry B. González Amenities
Business Center: Operated by UPS, includes shipping and mailing, faxing and copying, and other essential services
Dining: The Henry B González Convention Center has three on-site dining locations, each catered by The RK Group.
Nearby Accommodations
Hotels near the Henry B. González Convention Center include:
- San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk
- Grand Hyatt® San Antonio River Walk
- Hilton Palacio del Rio
- Hotel Contessa®
- The Crockett Hotel
- La Quinta® Inn & Suites by Wyndham San Antonio
- The Fairmount
- The Emily Morgan Hotel
Accessibility
The Henry B. González Convention Center operates in accordance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This includes the provision of accessible entryways, seating, elevators, and other permanent accommodations.
Service animals that comply with ADA regulations are welcome at the venue. This includes guide dogs and service dogs, but not emotional support, comfort, or therapy animals.
Transportation and Parking
Visitors have a range of options for getting around the city of San Antonio, including shuttles and taxis, rental cars, local buses, and the BCycle bike-sharing program.
There are several car park locations at or near Henry B. González, including on-site options. Click here for further information, including locations and parking rates.
Public Safety
Security services are provided exclusively by the City of San Antonio’s Off-Duty Police Employment Unit. The Henry B. González Convention Center is a municipally owned venue. As Texas is an open carry state, any events that wish to restrict firearms must post signs to that effect.
Off-duty officers must be present at any event that serves alcohol.
Uniformed police officers must be hired for certain services, including for overnight security coverage, overseeing shuttle bus access, and monitoring of move-in and move-out areas.
San Antonio’s historic sites and unique ambiance are not to be missed. Ready to plan a corporate event in this one-of-a-kind Texas City? Let the team at ProGlobalEvents help!
