The Longhorn State Tattoo Expo runs Friday October 30 through Sunday November 1 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas, Exhibit Hall B, 650 South Griffin Street. Shine and Deanna James host the show and Sullen presents it. Two booking decisions shape the weekend: which night to add at the front, and which night to drop at the back.
Two of three days end at midnight
Doors run Friday 4 p.m. to midnight, Saturday noon to midnight and Sunday noon to 7 p.m. The floor holds 27 hours across the three days: 8 on Friday, 12 on Saturday, 7 on Sunday.
The Eventbrite listing carries admission from $36.64 to $71.30. Children under 12 enter free, and refunds run up to seven days before the event.
Contests cost $20 per entry per category and register at the Main Stage during posted hours. Best of Day work must start and finish the same day. Best of Show work must be tattooed at the convention. A cover-up entry needs a before photograph. Sunday carries traditional, Asian influenced, collaboration, cover-up and original categories, so the last day is a working day for anyone competing.
15,000 rooms in the walkable core
The venue publishes the count on its plan-your-visit page: 15,000-plus hotel rooms in the walkable downtown core, inside a city inventory it puts above 35,000. The Omni Dallas Hotel holds 1,001 rooms and stands adjacent to the building.
The convention center has no on-site business center. The Omni UPS Business Center serves the campus. A guest shipping a machine or printing a portfolio walks next door.
The AT&T Discovery District and its Exchange Food Hall sit a short walk away, per the same venue page.
A Thursday check-in protects the Friday open
Friday doors open at 4 p.m. A Thursday October 29 check-in through a Sunday November 1 checkout is three nights, and it puts the guest in the building at open. A Friday check-in through Sunday is two nights.
A Thursday-to-Monday booking, four nights, adds a Sunday night the schedule does not use. Sunday closes at 7 p.m.
Saturday October 31 is Halloween, and the organiser bills the weekend as Halloween Weekend.
Sunday checkout meets a tournament
The venue lists the USA Wheelchair Football League tournament in Exhibit Hall C on November 1 and 2, presented by RISE Adaptive Sports. The Irving Outlaws host six visiting teams. Play runs 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday. Admission is free and spectators reserve seats in advance.
The tournament host hotel is the Fairfield Inn & Suites Dallas Downtown, 555 Evergreen Street, at $150 a night plus taxes, breakfast included and valet parking only at $20 a night. Rooming lists were due September 30.
The two events use different halls. A Sunday checkout wheels bags out through an 8 a.m. tournament start.
What the organiser publishes about rooms
The expo Hotels item points at a Hyatt group-booking page carrying the code G-GST1. That page returns an error to a direct request, and no nightly rate, block deadline or property name appears on the organiser site.
Ask Hyatt for the cut-off date and the cancellation deadline in writing before paying a deposit. The code is the only room reference the show publishes.
Parking charges per entry
ACE Parking runs both on-site options. The garage at Memorial Drive and South Griffin Street charges $20 and holds 1,200 spots over two levels. Lot C at 502 South Lamar Street charges $17 and holds 170. Both run first come, first served, and both charge per day per entry with no in-and-out. Three show days cost $60 in the garage or $51 in Lot C.
The venue warns that master plan construction and roadwork slow arrival. Dallas Love Field sits seven miles out, DFW runs about 30 minutes, and Dallas Executive is 10 minutes away. Rideshare drop-off belongs at the Lower C Driveway between Lamar and Griffin.
One request, 50-plus hotels
hotelhuddle sends one request to 50-plus hotels in a destination. Hotels answer with competing quotes in 24 to 72 hours. Submission is free, no commission is added to the booking rate, and hotels pay a separate commission on accepted bookings. Group travel starts at 10 rooms.
Ask for Thursday October 29 through Sunday November 1 with the Saturday night held, and name the expo in the request. Ask every property to state its cancellation deadline and its parking charge in writing. The building is cashless, with ATMs in the A and C lobbies on Level 2, and Wi-Fi lists as Free Internet.