Two venues and one 70,000 forecast
The 99th National FFA Convention and Expo runs Wednesday 21 October to Saturday 24 October 2026 in Indianapolis. The Indiana Convention Center forecasts 70,000 attendees for it. The event record names the location as the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium, at 100 S. Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46225. Lucas Oil Stadium's address block reads 500 South Capitol Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46225.
The campus a group books
The two buildings sit on the downtown skywalk system. FFA's own A to Z guide lists the indoor walkways as connecting the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium to the JW Marriott complex, the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, the Westin, the Hyatt Regency, the Omni Severin, the Crowne Plaza and Circle Centre Mall.
The convention returns to Indianapolis through at least 2033, and the organiser prints the next edition as 27 to 30 October 2027.
Host inventory the venue publishes
Downtown Indianapolis carries 7,100 hotel rooms, of which 4,700 connect to the convention center by skywalk. The venue's attendee hotels page states that more than half of downtown's 7,100-plus rooms sit within blocks of the convention center and the stadium.
The same footer block carries 200 downtown restaurants within walking distance and 15 minutes to Indianapolis International Airport.
Downtown holds 10.14 percent of the 70,000 forecast on one night, and seating the convention in those rooms alone would need 9.86 occupants a room. A group this size draws on the wider metro base.
Housing routes and one closing date
FFA runs separate housing routes for chapter groups and for alumni, each with its own reservation link, alongside webinars for chapter and state staff coordinators. Chapter groups also get a Chapter Housing FAQ, a Chapter Hotel List and a Hotel Area Map, and expo sponsors get their own FAQ and hotel list.
Housing opened on 13 May 2026 at 6 p.m. EDT. The last day to cancel without penalty was 2 September 2026 at 5 p.m. EDT. Housing closes on 23 September 2026 at 5 p.m. EDT. The Chapter Hotel List, the Hotel Area Map and the Expo Sponsor Hotel List each sit behind a Box link that returns a script shell on a direct fetch, so no room rate and no property roster are published in readable form.
The Housing Desk runs in the Indiana Convention Center, Room 116, with the phone line (317) 262-5906. Published hours run Tuesday 20 October 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Terms a group contracts against
Registration opened on 9 September 2026 at 6 p.m. EDT. Early bird runs at $95 a person to 30 September at 7:59 p.m. EDT. Standard runs at $115, and on-site registration starts at 12 a.m. on 20 October at $120. Daily registration costs $55 for Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and $30 for Saturday, rising to $60 and $35 on site. The Saturday daily badge covers the American Degree Ceremony and Session 7 alone.
Full registration covers Wednesday to Saturday and includes entry to one opening session, the general sessions, the American Degree Ceremony, the Expo, the Shopping Mall and the student and teacher workshops. Badge pickup sits in Hall A of the convention center, running Tuesday 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium only.
Cancellation runs free for any reason to 8 p.m. on 30 September. After that date FFA accepts documented extreme circumstances. It names two: illness or injury proven by a doctor's note, and an official cancellation of trip approval carried in a signed letter from the school administration on letterhead. Refund requests close on 24 November 2026.
Moving a group across the city
FFA runs courtesy shuttles between the convention center and the Indiana State Fairgrounds for registered participants in career and leadership development events. They depart about every 15 minutes, take 20 minutes one way and run 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Both stops are published on the organiser's travel page.
Rodeo shuttles run round trip from the convention center to the state fairgrounds at $13 a person, sold through convention registration alone, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday.
Parking for buses, mini-buses, school buses and motorcoaches runs through Denison Parking and iPark. FFA states that no parking passes are sold through convention registration.
What the booking calendar on either side carries
The venue's calendar shows the dates on either side. The Midwest Multifamily Conference runs 15 to 16 October with a forecast of 950. Lucas Oil Stadium carries the Bands of America Super Regionals on 16 and 17 October and the Colts against the Tennessee Titans on 18 October at 1 p.m. The convention center then takes no booking until FFA opens on 21 October.
After FFA closes, the State Board of Law Admission Ceremony arrives on 26 October with a forecast of 1,800, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers National Conference runs 28 to 31 October with a forecast of 15,000.
The venue is building for this shape of business. Its expansion page puts the Signia by Hilton Indianapolis at 803 rooms with a skybridge connection and a December 2026 opening, lists 90,000 square feet of meeting space in the hotel, and states that the expansion will let Indianapolis host two citywide conventions at one time.
A planner's published frame is the 70,000 forecast, a housing clock closing 23 September and a registration ladder stepping from $95 to $115 on 30 September. Room rates sit behind the organiser's downloads.