Jacobson Center

Completed in 2010, the Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition Center on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines hosts events ranging from livestock and trade shows to concerts. The climatized building has a show arena, a covered warm-up arena and fixed seating for approximately 3,300. The arena floor covers 32,000 square feet, and retracting the bleachers frees another 10,000 square feet. Main floor seating reaches 3,400 in theater style or 2,500 for a banquet, with room for 150 booths of 10 by 10 feet. Two first-floor meeting rooms total 966 square feet, and Jake's Club, a second-floor VIP area of 2,200 square feet, can be rented on its own for meetings, parties or receptions. The building has a loading dock and adjacent hard-surface parking, and catering and concessions are contracted. Arena floor plans and a booking information sheet can be requested, and a calendar lists public off-season events. Rated 4.6 from 642 Google reviews, 461 of them five stars.