Yakima Convention Center

What Yakima Convention Center does

The Yakima Convention & Event Center is a public event facility located at 10 North 8th Street in downtown Yakima, Washington, owned and operated as a partnership between the City of Yakima and the Yakima Regional Public Facilities District. The venue spans 89,000 square feet following a recent 18,000 square foot expansion, making it the fourth-largest convention and event center in Washington state. Its core product is physical event space: 54,000 square feet of column-free flexible meeting space anchored by the 30,264 sq. ft. Alex Deccio Ballroom (capacity up to 3,000), the 6,000 sq. ft. Kathy Coffey South Ballroom, two smaller conference rooms, and a 6,300 sq. ft. outdoor plaza. Supporting technology is limited to standard AV infrastructure and a 3D Matterport virtual walk-through used for remote venue evaluation.

The business model is a direct, sales-led rental operation targeting event planners, corporate clients, association organizers, and social-event hosts in the Pacific Northwest. Revenue is generated through quote-based venue rental (priced per space, duration, and event requirements) plus on-site catering delivered exclusively by Sodexo Live! under a partnership that has been in place since 2013. Sodexo also operates the Tasty Traditions Take & Bake retail meal program ($65 per meal serving four), which extends catering operations into the local consumer market. Lead generation flows through the venue's website, a Facebook presence, and a formal partnership with Yakima Valley Tourism for proposals, media relations, and pre/post-event support.

The operating geography is regional Pacific Northwest, with the venue positioned as the central events destination within 200 miles of Seattle, Portland, and Spokane and supported by 1,000 nearby sleeping rooms. The center maintains a lean staff of six led by long-tenured General Manager Connie Upton (35+ years, Certified Meeting Planner since 2003) and Assistant General Manager Lisa Krous (20 years), reinforcing institutional continuity in what is otherwise a thin-staffed public-facility operation.

Name

Yakima Convention Center

Legal name

Yakima Convention & Event Center

Website

https://yakimacenter.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Yakima Convention & Event Center is an 89,000 sq. ft. public event facility in Yakima, Washington, operated by the City of Yakima and Yakima Regional Public Facilities District. It rents column-free meeting space for up to 3,000 attendees, with exclusive on-site catering by Sodexo Live! serving event planners, corporate clients, and associations across the Pacific Northwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Convention & Event Venue Services

NAICS

Caterers (722320), Food Service Contractors (722310), Accommodation and Food Services (72), Food Services and Drinking Places (722)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Conference & Convention Center Catering (THAHAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Venue & Facility Reservations (Private Rooms, Event Spaces) (HSACALAJ), Venue & Banquet Hall Catering (THAFAIAC), Catering Equipment, Rentals & Setup (Non-decor) (HSACAGAL)

Keywords

• Convention center services
• Event venue rental
• Meeting and event space
• Corporate event hosting
• On-site catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Yakima

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Venue Rental and Event Hosting: Revenue generated from renting convention center spaces for events, meetings, conferences, trade shows, and celebrations. Pricing based on space type, duration, and event requirements.
2. On-site Catering Services: Full-service catering provided exclusively by Sodexo Live! for events hosted at the center. Includes professional food service, custom menus, and beverage service.
3. Tasty Traditions Take & Bake Program: Retail take-and-bake meal program offering family-style meals prepared by Sodexo Live! for pickup, priced at $65 per meal serving 4 people.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Yakima Convention & Event Center rents physical event and meeting space to corporate, association, and social clients, operating an 89,000 sq. ft. facility with column-free ballrooms, conference rooms, and outdoor plaza. On-site catering is delivered exclusively by Sodexo Live!, and the center also offers a retail take-and-bake meal program (Tasty Traditions) available to the broader community.

Product overview

The Yakima Convention & Event Center operates as a single-venue service offering, providing physical event hosting capabilities rather than a software platform. The core product is the 89,000 sq. ft. convention facility, which includes the Alex Deccio Ballroom (the largest space at 30,264 sq. ft.), the Kathy Coffey South Ballroom (6,000 sq. ft.), conference rooms, and an Outdoor Plaza. Catering is delivered exclusively through Sodexo Live! as an integrated service partner. Additional offerings include sales assistance, media relations, and pre/post event services. The venue positions itself as a complete event hosting service rather than a modular software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Yakima Convention & Event Center Venue Rental Physical convention and event venue rental offering 89,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting and event space, hosting corporate clients, trade shows, conferences, conventions, and social events for groups up to 3,000 people.
• Sodexo Live! On-Site Catering Services Full-service on-site catering managed exclusively by Sodexo Live! for events hosted at the center, offering dining options from casual to fine dining with seasonal local ingredients from the Yakima Valley.
• Alex Deccio Ballroom The center's primary ballroom offering 30,264 sq. ft. of column-free space with theater seating for 3,000 people, divisible into seven sections (Rooms A-G) for flexible configurations.
• Kathy Coffey South Ballroom A 6,000 sq. ft. ballroom divisible into six suites (100-600), accommodating 360 theater-style or 360 banquet guests.
• Conference Rooms Two conference rooms available: Conference Room 1 (340 sq. ft.) for 10 boardroom seating, and Conference Room 2 (459 sq. ft.) for 12 boardroom seating.
• Outdoor Plaza A 6,300 sq. ft. outdoor space suitable for open-air gatherings, luncheons, and evening receptions with capacity for 300 banquet or 500 standing reception.
• Tasty Traditions Take & Bake Meals Fresh take-and-bake family-style meals prepared with Yakima Valley ingredients, serving 4 people, including salad, main dish, side item, and dessert, priced at $65 + Tax per meal.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sodexo Live!coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Sodexo Live! has been the exclusive on-site catering partner for the Yakima Convention and Event Center since 2013. They provide award-winning culinary services for events, meetings, and conventions of all types and sizes. Their executive chef and team are inspired by seasonal ingredients and local flavors, offering options from casual to fine dining. Sodexo Live! also offers the Tasty Traditions take-and-bake meal program for the community.
• Yakima Valley Tourism (YVT)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerYVT provides sales assistance including gathering proposals, detailed information packages customized for groups' needs, formal presentations, and connections to local vendors. They also assist with media relations, pre-convention publicity, and pre/post event services including activity recommendations and tour arrangements.
• City of YakimacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Partnership of the City of Yakima and the Yakima Regional Public Facilities District. The city partnership provides public facility ownership and support for the convention center operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lynnwood Convention Center: Publicly-operated suburban Seattle convention center offering similar ballroom and breakout configurations with comparable catering integration, directly competing for events in the Seattle metro catchment.
• Three Rivers Convention Center: Mid-size regional convention center in Kennewick, WA, also publicly operated. Comparable in scale and serving a comparable secondary Pacific Northwest market with similar event programming.
• Meydenbauer Center: Eastside Seattle convention center serving similar association, corporate, and social event segments with comparable flexible meeting space and on-site catering offerings.
• Bell Harbor International Conference Center: Seattle waterfront conference venue with similar flexible meeting space targeting mid-size corporate events. Comparable offering profile for planners evaluating Northwest options.
• Spokane Convention Center: Public convention center in eastern Washington within the same regional competitive set as Yakima. Both compete for Pacific Northwest association meetings, trade shows, and corporate events with comparable scale and Sodexo/Aramark-style third-party catering partnerships.
• Tacoma Convention Center: Publicly-owned convention facility serving western Washington with comparable ballroom and breakout space offerings. Operates as a direct alternative for planners choosing a mid-size Pacific Northwest venue.

Broad incumbents

• Seattle Convention Center: Large established Seattle-based convention facility and the dominant regional competitor. Pulls major conventions that Yakima's Pacific Northwest positioning depends on displacement from.
• Oregon Convention Center: Portland-based convention center within the same geographic catchment area and considerably larger scale. Represents the dominant Portland-metro alternative that Yakima competes against for events within a 3-hour drive.

Regional players

• Wenatchee Convention Center: Smaller publicly-operated convention facility in north-central Washington. Comparable in mission and ownership structure but smaller scale; competes for regional Pacific Northwest events.

Others

• Sodexo Live!: Yakima's exclusive catering partner since 2013, providing on-site culinary services and operating similar concessions/catering arrangements at convention centers and stadiums worldwide. A key enabling partner for the venue's food-service layer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/YakimaCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yakima-convention-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yakima Convention Center