The Overland Park Convention Center and the Sheraton Hotel are located within the same complex. However, the convention center and the hotel are two separate entities.
Create a Special Experience at Overland Park Convention Center
If your event needs something a little different, we have you covered at the Overland Park Convention Center. We also hold dance and cheer competitions, religious services, graduations, proms, and parties of every kind!
Our event planning specialists are here to help you map out your event at OPCC. Take advantage of our versatile event and party venues near Kansas City to plan your experience!
Special Event Spaces
Exhibition Halls
- 60,000 sq. ft.
- 5,849 people
- Main Level
Expecting a large crowd? You won’t have to worry about capacity in our Exhibition Halls—they're almost entirely free of columns, leaving you with ample space.
Special Event Spaces
Ballrooms
- 25,000 sq. ft.
- 2,499 people
- Main Level
Our Ballrooms are classic options for more formal celebrations. Our audiovisual services and décor options in these expansive spaces bring a whole new light to your event.
Special Event Spaces
Courtyard Rooms
- 14,145 sq. ft.
- 1,414 people
- Lower Level
Needing the flexibility of our customizable Courtyard Rooms? We have whatever you might need for your venue in Kansas City.
Special Event Spaces
Outdoor Spaces
- 25,000 sq. ft.
- 3,500 people
- Lower Level
Our outdoor venues give a breath of fresh air to your special event, whether that's a party, graduation, quinceañera, or beyond!
Gallery
Available Amenities
Decor
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Centerpieces
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White, black, or ivory lap-length linens
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Colored linen napkins
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Registration tables
Setup
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Chiavari chairs when available
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Elevated seating for head table &/or DJ
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Open gallery space with floor-to-ceiling windows for cocktail reception
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Professional service staff
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High-speed Wi-Fi
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All necessary tables & chairs, including setup & teardown
Eat & Drink
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In-house catering services
Accommodations
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Free parking for guests
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Over 1,000 hotel rooms within walking distance
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Complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi
Audio Visual Services
Our in-house audiovisual team supports events that depend on timing, announcements, music cues, and clear visibility from the floor to the audience. That coordination is especially helpful for cheer, dance, and gymnastics events where the program needs to keep moving.
Cheer, Dance & Gymnastics Competitions
Competitions run on tight schedules, and the space has to keep up. We help planners build around performance flow, awards timing, audience movement, and the behind-the-scenes support that keeps the day organized from the first routine to the final presentation.
Gymnastics & Non-Contact Events
We regularly support gymnastics and other special events that need open floor space, repeat use, and room to adjust throughout the day. For competitive formats outside traditional court sports, we start with layout and guest flow, then match the space to the way the event needs.
Choosing the Right Setup for Your Special Events
On paper, most special events look manageable. Then you start working through the day—what happens first, what follows, where people go—and the setup starts to matter in a different way.
Choosing the Right Setup for Your Special Events
Built Around Your Event Needs
Planning usually starts with a request—date, guest count, maybe a rough outline. That’s enough to begin, but it’s rarely enough to lock anything in. The details typically come out in the next conversation. What needs to happen first, what can’t be interrupted, and what has to feel seamless once people are in the room.
That’s where we start tailoring the setup with you. Not by assigning a space right away, but by working with you to learn about how you need your event to go. Sometimes that means keeping everything contained in one room. Other times, it means carving out support space nearby so the main event is uninterrupted. These are small adjustments, but they make a big difference.
We’ll walk through layout options, timing, and what needs to stay consistent across the day before anything is finalized. Our floor plans and event planning tool can help visualize that early, but the real value comes from working through it together.
Planning for Guest Flow and Arrival
Guest experience starts earlier than most people expect. It starts in the parking lot, at the entrance, in the first few minutes when people are figuring out where to go and whether the event feels clear or confusing. Seems like a small thing, but it can have a big effect.
That matters even more for special events. Family-heavy events carry a different kind of pressure than business programs. Spectator-based events do too. You may have students arriving with relatives, teams showing up in waves, or community guests who do not know the building and are trying to get oriented fast. The room may be right, but the event can still feel disjointed if the surrounding experience hasn’t been thought through.
So the question shifts. Not just, “Can this event fit here?” More like, “What does arrival feel like? Where do people gather? What happens between the main moments?” Getting answers to those questions is often where confidence comes from. In fact, our sales team starts laying the foundation for how the event is executed and the event team takes you step by step to the finish line.
What Should a Planner Review Before Choosing the Space
By the time most planners reach this point, they already know the basics. Date range. Estimated attendance. Event type, at least broadly. Which is helpful, but there are still more aspects to think through.
Does the event stay in one room, or does it need the space to morph and update as the day goes on. Will guests remain seated, or will they circulate between focal points? Does the program depend on announcements, music cues, presentations, or a judging component that has to land cleanly? These are often the difference between a space that technically works and one that actually supports the event.
VIRTUAL TOUR: EVENTS AT OPCC
Step inside the Overland Park Convention Center and explore a venue built for unforgettable moments. From dance competitions and conventions to graduations and celebrations, our award-winning team delivers seamless experiences for every kind of special event.
Design Your Event
Frequently Asked Questions
We do not allow outside food and beverages into the facility for events. Our in-house culinary team can plan food service around the format of your event, whether that means catered meals, concessions, portable cash carts, or quick-grab options through CURA Café.
That flexibility is extra helpful for special events because not every program uses food in the same way. Dance, cheer, and gymnastics events often rely more on concessions, café service, and cash-cart options than traditional banquet-style catering. For more information, contact our sales team at 913.339.3000.
No. However, we provide several bar options to suit your event venue needs. View our Food & Beverage menu to see our bar packages, or contact our sales team at 913.339.3000.
If you are attending or exhibiting at an event, party, or wedding, contact the show promoter or wedding party directly to get more information on alcohol availability.
The earlier the better, especially for spring. April is very popular for special events, which means preferred dates can fill up faster than expected. You don’t need to have every detail finalized before you reach out. Starting with a general timeframe, a rough attendance range, and a working idea of the event format is enough to start the conversation.
Availability is also about whether the right room is open for your event. A graduation uses space differently than a dance competition. A gymnastics meet is much different than a community program with seated guests. If you are comparing a venue in Kansas City, start by submitting an RFP page so we can help you look at dates, room fit, and next steps
Overland Park Convention Center can scale and handle more guests than you may expect.
- The Executive Conference Room seats 14 in 900 square feet.
- Courtyard Rooms total 14,145 square feet and accommodate up to 1,414 guests.
- Ballrooms expand to 25,000 square feet with room for 2,499.
- Our outdoor spaces also span 25,000 square feet and can host 3,500.
- At the largest end, the Exhibition Halls offer 60,000 square feet and a capacity for 5,849 people.
If you are comparing venues in Kansas City, start with OPCC’s floor plans and event spaces.
Public events are listed on the calendar of events, whereas private events are not. If you are interested in planning an event or wedding, please contact our sales team at 913.339.3000, or get an event estimate by filling out our event quoter or submitting an RFP.
You are in control of our rates. Let us know your needs, and we will customize your event based on your budget. Contact our sales team at 913.339.3000, or get an event estimate by filling out our event quote form or submitting an RFP. Also, we price per the day, so the pricing would be the same if they use the full day or a half day. If you are comparing venues in Kansas City, the most accurate way to understand costs is to share your date and event details through the event planning tool or by reviewing options with our team.
For dance, cheer, and gymnastics events, the conversation usually starts with floor use, audience visibility, and the support space needed around the main program. Exhibition Halls make sense when the event needs a larger competitive footprint and more room to keep activity moving without constant breakdown. Ballrooms can work well when presentation, seating, and the audience experience matter just as much as the floor itself.
We have also hosted dance competitions in our courtyard rooms and smaller event spaces when the format benefits from nearby support areas for judging discussions, staging, or dressing-room use. Graduations usually lean more formal, so planners often start with our Ballrooms. For non-contact events like pickleball or cornhole-style tournaments, we look at the layout first and then match the room to the format. We do not position the building for major court or contact sports.
Quite a bit happens here! Overland Park Convention Center hosts public programs that range from galas and fundraising breakfasts to community events and specialty programs.
We host:
- Dance, cheer, and gymnastics competitions
- Graduations & proms
- Hobby events like Kant Con, Elite Commics, and Monster Games
- Community gatherings
- Faith-inspired events
- Quinceañeras
- Celebrations of life
- And other social programs that do not fit neatly into a single category
Our live calendar reflects that mix with events like Caring for Kids Gala, Welcome House Annual Breakfast 2026, American Cancer Society: Shave to Save, and Cristo Rey Dancing with the Kansas City Stars.
Start with our events calendar. It is the quickest way to see what public events OPCC is hosting, and it helps you get a feel for the pace and visibility of events at the venue. The calendar also only lists public events, so it will not reflect private bookings.
You can see how Overland Park Convention Center presents upcoming events, who’s participating, and whether the venue feels aligned with the kind of event you are planning. If you are comparing venues in Kansas City, the live calendar gives you one more layer of context before you contact us.
Some couples want everything in one room. Others want the day to move—from an intimate ceremony to a more open reception. We usually start with how you picture it unfolding, then tailor the space around your requirements. If you are interested in planning an event or wedding, please contact our sales team at 913.339.3000, fill out our event quote form, or submit an RFP.
Yes. Overland Park Convention Center offers approximately 1,000 free parking spaces on-site, which makes arrivals easier for events with staggered schedules or large guest counts. That’s important for events like graduations, competitions, and spectator-based programs where people are coming and going throughout the day.
The layout also helps reduce congestion near entrances, so guests can get inside without long delays. If you are evaluating venues in Kansas City, you can review Maps & Parking info or connect with a team member, and they can walk you through arrival logistics.
You are in control when it comes to our rates. Let us know your needs, and we will customize your event based on your budget. Contact our sales team at 913.339.3000, or get an event estimate by filling out our event quoter or submitting an RFP.
