Hampton, Virginia at a Glance
Location: Southeastern Virginia
Access: Norfolk International Airport, Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, Interstate 64
Hotel Rooms: 3,000+
Contact Info:
Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau
757-722-1222
visithampton.com
Hampton Roads Convention Center
Built: 2005
Exhibit Space: Three exhibit halls totaling over 102,000 square feet
Other Meeting Spaces: 35 total meeting spaces and 14,000 square feet of pre-function space
Meeting Hotels
The Landing at Hampton Marina
Guest Rooms: 175
Meeting Space: 10,782 square feet
Embassy Suites by Hilton Hampton Convention Center
Guest Rooms: 295 rooms
Who’s Meeting in Hampton
2025 IPMS/USA National Convention
Attendees: 900
NekoCon 2025
Attendees: 7,000
In the heart of Virginia’s Tidewater region, Hampton is a coastal cornerstone filled with American history and a charming contemporary culture worth planning a meeting around. Less than 20 miles from two major airports — Norfolk International Airport and Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport — the city is easily accessible for meeting planners and attendees. Its convention center district, Coliseum Central, is surrounded by hotels within walking distance from its two major meeting spaces, as well as nearby venues, restaurants and shops.
“Groups take advantage of the fact that we’re in the center of coastal Virginia,” said Yuri Milligan, director of media and community relations at Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau. “We’re located between Williamsburg and Virginia Beach, so you can have it all when you bring your group here.”
Destination Highlights
In Hampton, rich history is around every corner. The city is centuries old and played a key role in American history, from enslavement to the Civil War to the earliest space missions. Hampton University, a Historically Black College and University, is home to the oldest African American museum in the country. At Fort Monroe, a memorial plaza that honors the arrival of enslaved Africans in 1619 is set to open this August.
A good waterfront view isn’t hard to find in Hampton. The Landing at Hampton Marina, Tapestry Collection by Hilton overlooks the Hampton River and features a 5,000-square-foot rooftop bar and pool. Paradise Ocean Club has food and drink, cabana rentals and live music all in one space. Hampton has four public beaches, including Buckroe Beach & Park, Outlook Beach, Grandview Nature Preserve and Salt Ponds, that are open Memorial Day through Labor Day.
The city’s culinary scene will impress food lovers. Along the waterfront near Fort Monroe is The Deadrise, an intimate fish house with crab dip, crab-stuffed salmon and sea scallop carbonara on the menu. Downtown local favorites include The Deep, a Southern seafood fusion restaurant with standout dishes like crab and lobster pasta, gator tail gumbo and a classic blackened shrimp with smoked gouda grits.
Distinctive Venues
Hampton is the birthplace of America’s space program. For planners looking for a dynamic venue that honors that history, the Virginia Air & Space Science Center is a unique location. The various event spaces are enhanced with historic NASA artifacts, like the Apollo 12 command module and even full-sized aircraft floating over the atrium. The main gallery fits 400 people seated and 1,500 standing. For more intimate gatherings, like luncheons or team-building events, The Library overlooks the marina and accommodates 80 to 100 people. The on-site IMAX theater offers an immersive event experience with a five-story screen and seating for up to 283 people for seminars or presentations.
The Vanguard Brewpub & Distillery in downtown was the former Historic Hampton Armory. The space has always doubled as a communal center for the city when it wasn’t being used for military training. Now it houses a full on-site restaurant with a seasonal menu, beer and cocktails, plus various spaces for intimate social events and meetings.
“We have a lot of creative spaces and, of course, we’re a coastal city so a lot of areas are waterfront,” Milligan said. She recommends planners consider the various meeting spaces at Fort Monroe, including the 20th-century Commanding General’s Residence and Garden, a Former Post Office, a community center and Paradise Ocean Club.
Major Meeting Spaces
The 344,000-square-foot Hampton Roads Convention Center is the city’s crown jewel. It’s centrally located in the Coliseum Central district with easy access to Interstate 64, both airports and the Newport News Amtrak station. The convention center has 35 event spaces, including three exhibit halls, a conference center with private access and a pre-function area, and a multi-configurable grand ballroom with banquet seating for more than 1,600. The space is surrounded by nearly 4,000 complimentary parking spaces for visitors. On event days, attendees won’t need to go too far from their hotel rooms. Embassy Suites is connected to the convention center by a covered walkway. With 295 guest rooms plus 40 meeting rooms, the hotel is a convenient option for event attendees.
Just a six-minute walk away is Hampton Coliseum, an 84,000-square-foot multipurpose arena ideal for large gatherings such as conventions and exhibitions. The venue has full-house seating for 11,000 and a total capacity of 13,800. It’s popular for music events and is considered the home of the Hampton Jazz & Music Festival, which happens every June.
After the Meeting
After the event, planners can organize tours for attendees to explore the coastal city’s centuries-old history. Milligan suggested starting with Fort Monroe National Historic Site, the largest stone fort in the U.S. The fort offers scheduled walking tours nearly every day, allowing visitors to explore various topics and historical moments, including historic Point Comfort, where the first enslaved Africans in Virginia arrived in August 1619. For a self-guided option, visitors can get a free Hampton Black History Sites Pass. Other historic sites at Fort Monroe include the Old Point Comfort Lighthouse and the Chapel of the Centurion.
In the Phoebus neighborhood, the streets are lined with local restaurants and shops wedged between 19th-century architecture. “It’s known for its walkability, and it’s a foodie destination with a lot of small local restaurants with Southern-inspired food and seafood,” Milligan said. Phoebus also has charming bookshops, breweries and galleries. Seafood lovers should pull up a seat at visitor-favorite Fuller’s Raw Bar for fresh oysters, crab cakes, fish and chips, and other seafood classics. The Grey Goose is a restaurant and bakery with ample space for private group dining. The Baker’s Wife is a bar and bistro serving up French and American cuisine.
