Tucson Convention Center

BizTUCSONSeptember 30, 2026

3 minutes read

$100 Million Upgrades, Nationally Competitive

By Steve Rivera

For Craig Barkdull, the Tucson Convention Center is all about bringing in new audiences and keeping the returning ones happy. It’s worked for him at other venues and has worked in Tucson, as well.

“We at the Tucson Convention Center will continue to strengthen our existing partnerships and create new business opportunities that further establish our extraordinary facilities as the foremost meeting and event venues in both Southern Arizona and the Southwest United States,” said Barkdull, who has been in his new role as TCC’s general manager for just a few months.

“Through an enhanced emphasis on elevating live entertainment programming and maximizing meeting and event activity – all while consistently delivering unforgettable experiences for our clients, community, and guests – we will collaborate with our vast network of local destination and global industry partners to enhance the vibrancy and economic impact here in the heart of downtown Tucson and beyond.”

After all, the TCC is the centerpiece of Tucson’s downtown and arguably all of Tucson.

Want to see a big sporting event? Head to the Tucson Arena.

Want to see a concert? Head to the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall.

Want to see the ballet? Catch you at the Leo Rich Theater.

There’s something for everyone seemingly all the time, whether it’s shows, events or nonprofits using the space for fundraisers.

According to its latest numbers – fiscal year 2024-25 – there were 422 events in the TCC space. That’s equivalent to 1,349 event days, meaning events might overlap in the TCC’s usage, said Kate Breck Calhoun, TCC’s director of sales and marketing.

“The 422 events are very successful,” Calhoun said, but added booking events in the summer months is still challenging. She added that 72% of the events are spearheaded by nonprofits.

“We are always doing the most we can to accommodate our nonprofits based upon their budget constraints,” Calhoun said, “while being a fiduciary to the city of Tucson.”

All the TCC is trying to make is a place to go to for various reasons/events.

“We are focusing on the cultural diversity of the community and the differences in performances, whether it be concerts or performing arts and with our meetings, conventions and other things,” she said.

It does have the space. The TCC has 233,000 square feet of new and remodeled event space. It spans 27 acres.

Over the last 10 years nearly $100 million has been put into renovating the TCC for a refresh and to become more nationally viable.

“It was voted on so (voters) could see more events come into the downtown corridor to generate more tax dollars,” Calhoun said. “We want to be a more competitive facility, as well.”

It allows for big conventions or events like the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show and more recently has played host to the State Department of Education programs, of which there are four. That will continue again in 2027 and 2028.

Then come the sporting events like the Tucson Roadrunners, Tucson Sugar Skulls and a host of sporting events, including the recent Indoor Football League National Championship, and the Club Cactus Volleyball event which occurs annually. The Garmin Marathon had its first run last November and will be back this fall.

“Our community would be in trouble if we didn’t have the TCC,” said Edmund Marquez, a local businessman and Tucson Sugar Skulls president. He is also a former Rio Nuevo Board member. “It’s a multi-pronged approach to entertainment.”

Marquez said it helps that the 125-room DoubleTree Hotel is next door, but it’s still not big enough, so the revitalized Hotel Arizona by HSL Properties with 250 rooms adjacent to the TCC will add needed accommodations.

“That’s so important because before the DoubleTree was built,” Marquez said, “Tucson was the largest city with a convention center that did not have a hotel, which means you didn’t have conventions.

“But now, (the hotels) put us in true convention space. The future of the TCC looks great. The TCC is a major driver for crowds and families in the downtown area.”