The Convocation Center opened in 1987. Located in Jonesboro, the hub of Northeast Arkansas, the Convocation Center serves a tri-state market area of 500,000, including nearly 14,000 university students.
The Convo has the versatility to host events ranging from small lectures to large conventions to even larger concerts, sporting events and other activities. The center seats 10,252 for concerts (up to 11,209 for concerts in the round) and 10,038 for basketball games. The Convo is uniquely designed so that each of its four entrances share equal prominence. The arena area can accommodate three basketball courts, seven volleyball courts, one tennis court, or a seven-lane 200-meter indoor track with facilities for field events. All courts are regulation size.
The Convo features frequent academic usage and is also designed to accommodate rodeos, horse shows, truck and tractor pulls, ice shows, circuses, sports shows, trade shows, concerts, and a variety of indoor athletic events.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Multi-purpose facility encompassing 192,000 square feet; 33,000 square-foot arena floor and 30,000 square foot mezzanine area
- Meeting rooms accommodate from 10 to 400 people
- Auditorium with stage and seating for 271
- Specialized banquet facilities are available for up to 500; more than 1,000 can be accommodated on the arena floor
- Arena may be used for a large exhibit hall with space to accommodate approximately 280 12’ x 12’ booths
- Four dressing rooms, four team dressing rooms
- Production office with dedicated phone lines
- WiFi Internet
- On-site parking for 1,300 vehicles with reserved parking spaces for handicapped and tractor-trailer parking (2,000 adjacent paved spaces are available)
For visitors to The Convo who require special needs for accessibility, the building has ramp access between the Red and Yellow Entrances. Designated parking spaces are located all around the building to provide access not only to the Red and Yellow Entrances, but the meeting rooms and Athletics. Special needs seating is available to all events in The Convo. Call the Central Box Office at 870-972-2781.
Smoking inside and outside The Convo is prohibited. In accordance with the 2009 Clean Air on Campus Act 734 of Arkansas, smoking is prohibited on state-supported institutions of higher education.
Emergency/First Aid Care
For the safety of our visitors, Emerson Ambulance EMT’s are present in The Convo at all major events.
