[5] Notable events hosted at the convention center include San Diego Comic-Con, TwitchCon, and the Society for Neuroscience.

[18] The center's most distinguishing feature is the Sails Pavilion, a 90,000 sq ft (8,400 m2) exhibit and special event area.

[23] Renovations to the Sails Pavilion were completed in late February 2018, with a capability addition of a programmable LED lighting system.

[24] Another unusual feature of the convention center is its inclined elevator,[25] which ascends alongside the large exterior staircase.

[28][29] The proposed expansion would have increased the available space within the convention center by 33 percent and had a target completion date of early 2016.

[32] However, on August 1, 2014, a California appeals court ruled the hotel tax unconstitutional, jeopardizing the financing scheme for the convention center expansion, forcing the city to either appeal the decision, seek ballot approval for the tax in accordance with the court's ruling, or come up with an entirely new financing scheme.

[37] In May 2015, the Convention Center stopped paying the lease owners of the Fifth Avenue Landing, having spent $4 million up to that point, losing their rights to the property.

[43] In November 2018, the City of San Diego paid the lease owners of the Fifth Avenue Landing, to settle a lawsuit out of court regarding development rights.

[44] While the lawsuit was occurring, the Port of San Diego and the City of San Diego were in negotiations with the Fifth Avenue Landing to enter into a new lease to allow for convention center expansion on the neighboring property, which would involve an initial $5 million payment, and a total $32 million buyout if the ballot initiative passes.