Dallas Market Center, Convention center in Dallas, United States

Dallas Market Center is a wholesale trade complex of four buildings on Stemmons Freeway, covering 5 million square feet. Its World Trade Center rises 15 stories and holds showrooms for gifts, lighting, home decor and apparel; the red tower with the white DMC logo marks the entrance. The campus also includes the Trade Mart, International Trade Plaza and Market Hall.

Real-estate developer Trammell Crow founded Dallas Market Center in 1957, and its first trade event that July drew 1,850 visitors. The two-story International Trade Plaza opened that year as the Southwest Homefurnishings Mart, followed by the Trade Mart in 1958, Market Hall in 1960 and the Apparel Mart in 1964. The World Trade Center, opened in 1974 and expanded in 1979, became the campus centerpiece.

The center serves as a gathering place for business professionals across many industries who meet here for trade shows, conferences, and networking events. Visitors experience a venue where commerce and professional exchange happen throughout the year.

The campus sits at 2200 Stemmons Freeway, and only Market Hall, across Market Center Boulevard, admits the general public; the showroom buildings require certified retail buyer or designer credentials. Market Hall hosts more than 60 shows a year, so check which building your event uses before arriving.

The Trade Mart was the destination of President John F. Kennedy's motorcade on November 22, 1963; he was to speak to 2,600 guests in its Grand Courtyard. Outside the main entrance stands Elisabeth Frink's bronze sculpture The Eagle, placed in his memory by friends who awaited his arrival.