Putting on an event in Ames
Everything an organizer needs before committing a date in Ames, Iowa — 17 mapped venues, capacity where it is published, airport distance and local time.
Jack Trice Stadium states a capacity of 42,500. The dots show what event67 would bill at that head count, and where the price stops.
What Ames has to put people in
Ames has a recorded population of 69,026 (2024), inside the Ames, IA area of about 129,000 people.
Counted by what they are for, that is 4 dedicated conference and function spaces, 4 arenas and stadiums and 9 independent event spaces.
That is roughly 25 venues per hundred thousand residents, which is a dense field for a city this size — you will usually have a second choice at the same capacity.
By type that is 9 event spaces, 3 arenas, 2 hotels with function space and 2 conference centres, plus a longer tail below.
Conference and function space (4)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radisson Hotel Ames Conference Center at ISU | hotel with function space | not published | 4.4 km (2.7 mi) |
| Conference Center | conference centre | not published | 29 km (18 mi) |
| Deere Conference Center | conference centre | not published | 26 km (16 mi) |
| Gateway Hotel & Conference Center | hotel with function space | not published | 4.2 km (2.6 mi) |
Arenas and stadiums (4)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Trice Stadium | stadium | 42,500 | 2.6 km (1.6 mi) |
| James H. Hilton Coliseum | arena | 15,000 | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| Iowa State Armory | arena | 7,500 | 2.6 km (1.6 mi) |
| Ames/ISU Ice Arena | arena | 1,000 | 3.8 km (2.4 mi) |
Independent event spaces (9)
| Venue | Type | Stated capacity | From the centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Auditorium and Hotel Block | event space | not published | 17 km (11 mi) |
| Metropolitan Opera House | event space | not published | 61 km (38 mi) |
| Masonic Temple | event space | not published | 1.2 km (0.7 mi) |
| Bandshell Park | event space | not published | 1.3 km (0.8 mi) |
| Scheman Building | event space | not published | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| The Parlor | event space | not published | 1.4 km (0.9 mi) |
| Delta Upsilon Chapter House | event space | not published | 2.5 km (1.6 mi) |
| Champlin Memorial Masonic Temple | event space | not published | 22 km (13 mi) |
| Oleson Park Music Pavilion | event space | not published | 68 km (42 mi) |
Every venue mapped in Ames appears above. The ones with enough published detail to be worth reading have their own guide and are linked; the rest are named here, which is honest about what the record holds without giving each of them a page made of three facts.
The largest rooms on record
Nothing in Ames is classified as a convention or exhibition centre, so the largest rooms here are arenas, theatres and function spaces. The ceiling is 42,500 seats, at Jack Trice Stadium.
Capacities are the figure the venue or an encyclopaedia entry published. They are usually the seated maximum, and the same room in banquet or reception layout can differ by half. Confirm the layout you want before you plan around a number.
Flights, time and distance
Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is 56 km (35 mi) away, far enough that arrival day is genuinely a travel day and a first session before noon will lose people.
Ames keeps Chicago time (America/Chicago), which matters most for the remote speakers you are dialling in.
Ankeny, Urbandale and Des Moines are close enough to draw from for a day rate, and to fall back on if Ames has nothing free on your dates.
- Nearest major airport
- DSM
- Des Moines International Airport, 56 km (35 mi)
- Local time
- UTC−5
- America/Chicago, in September
- City population, 2024
- 69,026
- 129,000 across the Ames, IA area
What to check before you commit
No exhibition hall on record
Nothing in the Ames dataset is classified as a convention or exhibition centre, so a trade floor needs either an arena floor, a fairground, or a nearby city. Check the arena listings above before you promise exhibitors a booth plan.
Arrival is a half-day
56 km (35 mi) from DSM means most attendees lose a morning to travel. Open registration the evening before and put nothing you care about in the first slot.
What event67 costs for a Ames event
Suppose 950 attendees claim their invite and open the app at a Ames event sized to Jack Trice Stadium, the largest stated capacity in the Ames dataset. Here is exactly what event67 charges, with the free 50 taken off the top.
- activated attendees
- 950activated attendees
- billable, after the first 50 are free
- 900billable, after the first 50 are free
- for the whole event, at $5 each
- $4,500for the whole event, at $5 each
You are billed for people, not for the venue, so the room you choose in Ames does not change this figure. Nothing is charged for an attendee who registers and never opens the app.
By event type
With a stated ceiling of 42,500 seats, Ames can carry a full trade show or a multi-track annual meeting without splitting the audience across buildings.
- multi-track conferences
A 42,500-seat room carries a plenary with breakouts running alongside it.
- association annual meetings
An association meeting needs one big room, several small ones and a hotel block, which is the combination Ames is set up for.
- festivals
An arena or stadium floor at 42,500 takes an audience no conference venue in Ames can.
- sports tournaments
The same rooms already run fixtures, so load-in and crowd flow are solved.
- training days and workshops
4 purpose-built function spaces are the easiest kind of room to run a workshop in — the power and the load-in already assume it.
Where this data comes from
- GeoNames, CC BY 4.0
- US Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 estimates
- Wikidata, CC0
- Geographic data © GeoNames, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Venue data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License.
- US population figures are US Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
- Retrieved 3 September 2026. event67 has no commercial relationship with any venue listed.
Last updated
What it costs
- Free up to 50
- activated attendees, on one live event
- $5
- per activated attendee beyond 50
- $4,750
- the most one event can ever cost, whatever happens past 1,000
Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
Questions people actually ask
What does an event app cost for a 950-person event in Ames?
950 activated attendees means 900 billable after the free 50, so $4,500 for the event. The price is $5 per activated attendee beyond the first 50, and the total for one event stops at $4,750 however many more attend. Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
What is the largest venue in Ames?
Of the 17 venues mapped in Ames, the largest stated capacity belongs to Jack Trice Stadium at 42,500. Capacities in open data are the figure the venue itself published, and they are the seated number rather than a standing or exhibition figure, so confirm the layout you actually want before you plan around it.
Can you run a trade show in Ames?
Nothing in the Ames dataset is classified as a convention or exhibition centre. A trade floor here means an arena floor, a fairground or a venue in a nearby city such as Ankeny. For a conference without an exhibition, the 17 venues on this page are the field.
Which airport do attendees fly into for Ames?
Des Moines International Airport (DSM), about 56 km (35 mi) from the city. It is the highest-traffic airport within reach in this dataset. Local time is America/Chicago; publish every session in that zone and let attendees' phones convert it.
What happens under 50 attendees?
One live event with up to 50 activated attendees costs nothing. Beyond that it is $5 per activated attendee beyond the first 50, and the total for one event stops at $4,750 however many more attend. Activated means the person claimed their invite and opened the app. Not when you import them, not when the invite is delivered, and not if they register and stay home.
Keep reading
Nearby cities
- Holding an event in Ankeny
3 venues mapped
- Holding an event in Urbandale
4 venues mapped
- Holding an event in Des Moines
28 venues mapped
- Holding an event in West Des Moines
7 venues mapped
- Holding an event in Newton
8 venues mapped
Up a level
Running something in Ames?
Set the schedule, invite the room and watch who actually turns up. Free for your first 50 activated attendees, on one live event.