Colorado Convention Center

Every major city needs a good convention center, and the Colorado Convention Center certainly does the trick for this metropolis. The center has 63 meeting rooms, two giant ballrooms, a 5,000-seat theater and a big blue bear (otherwise known as “I See What You Mean,” by Lawrence Argent) gazing through the floor-to-ceiling windows off 14th Street; it hosts everything from all-night raves to business conventions within its walls. It’s conveniently located next to the Denver Performing Arts Complex, within walking distance of many of the city’s best hotels and restaurants, and just a couple of blocks from the 16th Street Mall. And although it’s not the newest convention center in the country (it was finished in 1990), it was the first event and conference center in the world to be certified to a new international sustainability standard in 2012. Clearly, the facility is way ahead of its time.