October 7, 2026
NASHVILLE (BP) – Talks are already underway to add more hotel space for next June’s SBC Annual Meeting after nearly 15,500 room nights were booked within the first hour of availability on Monday, Oct. 5.
While the booking rate is similar to the last time the annual meeting was held in Indianapolis, securing the same number of rooms wasn’t initially possible due to moving locations from Salt Lake City because of construction at that city’s convention center. The SBC Executive Committee announced the need for relocation in May 2025, with messengers approving it in Dallas the next month.
Three other conferences with overlapping dates will be taking place in downtown Indianapolis at the same time as the annual meeting. Though not as large, those conferences still range from 150 to 2,000 attendees, a significant enough amount to impact hotel availability.
“The key is hotel inventory,” said Jonathan Howe, SBC Executive Committee vice president for convention administration. “We do everything we can to get the largest blocks at the largest hotels. This year, there was no JW Marriott block available to us. Last time, we had 500 rooms there. The Indianapolis Westin block is around 300 rooms, when last time it was 500. The Hyatt availability was reduced to 165 rooms.”
More rooms will be added both in hotels already in the queue as well as new locations, he added.
The annual meeting’s growth has made additional space a priority. Early planning includes approximately 800 rooms at two hotels and 600 more at a third for St. Louis in 2028. San Antonio has four hotels covering 600 rooms each at this point. The Marriott and Hilton in Houston for 2030 will each have 850-room blocks.
Indianapolis routinely ranks among the top cities for hosting a conference. The close proximity of hotels, Howe noted, has made shuttles unnecessary for next June.
“Even with smaller room blocks available for attendees, it’s still going to be a great experience no matter where you stay in the city. None of the hotels are further away than a 10-minute walk from the convention center.”
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This story appeared in Baptist Press.
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