photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Members of the Kansas Board of Regents and other officials tour the new KU convention center on Oct. 16, 2025.

Lawrence community members eager to get a look at the new conference center connected to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium now have a date to circle.

KU will host an open house of the new facility at 11 a.m. on Nov. 12.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly will be on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony. The state was a major funder of the $85 million conference center, which is a key piece of an $800 million project that KU refers to as the Gateway District.

The conference center is meant to be a major driver of traffic and dollars to the Gateway District, which currently includes the revamped football stadium, while a future phase is expected to add a hotel, student housing, and retail and restaurants to the area at 11th and Mississippi streets.

The conference center opened for business earlier this month. The center features a ballroom that can host a 1,000-person dinner or a theater-style event of more than 2,000 people. In addition, the center has multiple breakout rooms, and has access to the variety of club and bar areas that are part of the football stadium.

Ranging from weddings to trade shows, KU officials are projecting the facility will host more than 200 events per year, once a new hotel is built that connects with the conference center and stadium. That phase of the project is expected to begin in the coming months, and be completed by late 2028.

State leaders provided economic development funds for the conference center, while the City of Lawrence and the state are providing a financial incentive that allows the project to use much of the new sales tax revenue it generates to fund parking and infrastructure for the district.

Kelly, in a press release, said she believes in the ability of the district to become a major Kansas attraction.

“From the beginning of this project, University of Kansas leaders envisioned the Gateway District as a premier economic driver for not only the university and the Lawrence community, but for the entire region as it spurs tourism and attracts new visitors,” Kelly said. “I applaud KU for continuing to embrace its role as a vibrant economic engine for the state of Kansas, and I look forward to the new conference center and the entire Gateway District benefiting our state for years to come.”

All members of the community are invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony. KU is asking people to RSVP here.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

A gathering area in KU’s new conference center is pictured on Oct. 16, 2025.