FAQs

In the fast-paced environment of a tradeshow you have to be able to grab a potential customer’s attention within about 3 seconds. In order to do this your booth has to speak to the attendees. Important factors that can attract traffic are color, lights, special effects, life size or larger-than-life images, banners or flags, moving objects, mirrors, mannequins, robots and active demonstrations. Impactful, but not too busy – it should not look like a garage sale. Clean and clear messaging and branding. It is important to establish your company identity by advertising your logo or company branding in a prominent location or multiple locations. Important graphic statements should include ideas like what benefit do you offer to a potential client, a question that might spark thought in an attendee or a humorous catch phrase.

The cost of participating in trade shows has changed for the year 2023.

Here are some examples of how pricing works in the trade show industry. Keep in mind that every city has its own rules and regulations regarding union labor, which can affect costs.

10 x 10 trade show exhibit rentals

In most major non-union cities, a 10 x 10 trade show booth rental ranges anywhere from $8,000 turnkey to $11,000 turnkey.

The prices that were mentioned here do not include show services. Locations include, Orlando, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia, New Orleans, Louisiana, Dallas, Texas, Houston, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee.

Las Vegas 10 x 10 trade show exhibit rentals range from $9,000 – $13,000 because of union rules and regulations.

A Philadelphia, New York, or Boston 10 x 10 trade show exhibit rental will start anywhere from $10,000 to $16,000. The prices in the Northeast are typically higher because of union labor costs.

The cost of a Chicago 10 x 10 exhibit rental ranges anywhere from $9,000 to $15,000.

The cost of a San Francisco 10 x 10 exhibit rental ranges from $11,000 to $18,000.

Please note: These are all turnkey prices, including graphics, flooring, furniture, labor, and supervision. These prices do not include material handling, show services, or anything else the show contractor has deemed mandatory.

10 x 20 trade show exhibit rentals

In most major non-union cities, a 10 x 20 trade show booth rental ranges anywhere in the neighborhood from $8,000 turnkey to $18,000. The prices that were mentioned here do not include show services. Locations include, Orlando, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia, New Orleans, Louisiana, Dallas, Texas, Houston, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee.

Las Vegas 10 x 20 trade show exhibit rental ranges from $16,000 to $33,000 because of union rules and regulations.

A Philadelphia, New York, or Boston 10 x 20 trade show exhibit rental will start anywhere in the neighborhood of $25,000 to $45,000. The prices in the Northeast are typically higher because of union labor costs.

The cost of a Chicago 10 x 20 Exhibit rental ranges anywhere in the neighborhood of $21,000 to $35,000.

The cost of a San Francisco 10 x 20 exhibit rental ranges anywhere in the neighborhood of $26,000 to $38,000.

These are turnkey prices, including graphics, flooring, furniture, labor, and supervision. These prices do not include material handling, show services, or anything else the show contractor has deemed mandatory.

20 x 20 trade show exhibit rentals

In most major non-union cities, a 20 x 20 trade show booth rental ranges anywhere in the neighborhood of $18,000 turnkey to $31,000. The prices that were mentioned here do not include show services. Locations include Orlando, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia, New Orleans, Louisiana, Dallas, Texas, Houston, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee.

Las Vegas 20 x 20 trade show exhibit rental ranges from $21,000 to $43,000 because of union rules and regulations.

A Philadelphia, New York, or Boston 20 x 20 trade show exhibit rental will start anywhere in the neighborhood of $40,000 to $66,000. The prices in the Northeast are typically higher because of union labor costs.

The cost of a Chicago 20 x 20 trade show exhibit rental ranges anywhere in the neighborhood of $29,000 to $65,000.

The cost of a San Francisco 20 x 20 trade show exhibit rental ranges anywhere in the neighborhood of $41,000 to $78,000.

20 x 30 and larger trade show exhibit rentals Pricing ranges drastically from any other exhibit size because of the different levels of customization involved with this exhibit size.

There are several factors that should be included in your budget when a decision is made to exhibit at a tradeshow or convention. Here is a list of products and services you should be prepared to pay for in order to successfully exhibit.

Booth Space purchased by Show Management
Marketing Expenses through Show Management
Booth Rental or Purchase
Furniture Rental or Purchase
Carpet Rental or Purchase
Drayage paid to General Show Contractor taking into consideration
Electrical Service and other utilities such as plumbing paid to individual contractors
Electrical Labor and other utility labor depending on city Union Guideline
Labor depending on city Union Guidelines through General Show contractor or another Exhibitor Appointed Contractor
Booth Cleaning ordered with show provider
Additional services catering, florist, photographer, lead retrieval, A/V
Travel, Lodging and Meals for staff
Entertainment and Meals for customers
Give-aways and other marketing spend
Advertising and PR about your exhibiting at the show

Travel, hotels, advertising, and meals will take some independent research and will vary by objective and goals. All the pricing for services and products related to the show itself and your exhibit will be available from your booth provider, in your exhibitor service manual, and/or website link sent by the general show contractor and show management/show producer. A rule of thumb for planning ahead from the previous year is to increase your total costs by 10 percent.

Another rule of thumb is that your total show budget is 3 times the budget for the booth itself.

Show Service Spending can be decreased by being organized, pro-active and understanding your Exhibitor Service Manual. An attentive Exhibit Builder/ Designer or Exhibitor Appointed Contractor can help you identify with your exhibitor service manual.

Most services offered have discount or preshow pricing. Ordering all materials and services such as furniture, booth cleaning, forklift labor and carpet before your deadline date can save you almost 10% on each service.
Have detailed drawings of your booth that your laborers can understand. The easier your drawings are to read the faster the booth will be assembled and this will decrease your labor bill. Requesting the same laborer for dismantle as on the install will save time as well. They are familiar with your booth and will work faster.
In cities where tools are allowed by exhibitors make sure you have a well-stocked gang box. Missing a simple tool might force you to order labor that is not needed.
Be aware of overtime and double time hours during move in. Avoid these times for ordering hanging signs, rigging or labor.
Following Union Guidelines for each city will help you decrease your show site costs.
Emergency changes to your booth will make labor charges add up.

Freight costs for a tradeshow account for about 10% of an average tradeshow budget. There are shipping charges to and from the show as well as drayage costs within the show itself.

Drayage is a charge for material handling within the tradeshow convention hall. All pieces of freight must be unloaded from trucks and transported by forklift to your booth space. General Service Contractors charge a fee by weight per 100 lbs. All of your freight that is shipped to the show is weighed and charged accordingly.

To minimize shipping charges from a location to your tradeshow or event schedule a round trip pick up, give your carrier plenty of time to deliver the freight on both ends, price shop with several carriers, and investigate tradeshow carrier discounts. Another way to decrease shipping costs is to contract a storage facility that will maintain your freight and ship it for you economically to each of your shows under a contract.

Drayage charges on show site paid to the general service contractor can be minimized by:

Shipping as many pieces as you can if not all pieces as one shipment. Because drayage is based on 100 lb increments with minimums you can avoid a substantial amount of cost by sending all freight as one shipment. Small boxes should be shrink-wrapped to a pallet, so they are weighed and charged individually. This will also ensure that all your pieces arrive together.
Read your Exhibitor Manual Freight Handling Page and the charges associated with shipping in freight. Understand your logistical situation for each show. You must analyze each show to decide how you can save.
- If the show is targeted know when your target move is scheduled for. Surcharges apply for shipments arriving late as well as early.
- Surcharges also apply for freight arriving on overtime or double time. If you have control over your set-up dates, try to schedule them during the day on a weekday during straight time.
- Carefully read the different classes of tradeshow freight. Is your equipment uncrated? Can you crate it? Is your shipment pad wrapped? Does it need to be? Was your shipment delivered by a van line or a company truck? Could you use a common carrier instead? Sometimes you need to change your logistics to fit into a less expensive class.
- Compare the rates for shipping freight to the advanced warehouse as opposed to shipping directly to showsite. If your direct freight is going to move in on overtime, wouldn’t it be more cost effective to send to the advanced warehouse and pay the lesser of two evils? Sending your freight to an advanced warehouse usually saves you on labor costs as well because freight will already be in your booth when you arrive to set up.
Review your freight bill from your general service contractor in detail. Mistakes can be made during this hectic tradeshow experience. If you keep accurate records about your freight such as, the actual certified weight of your pieces, weight of your crates full and empty. The number of shipments that you had, color and size of freight, tracking numbers, name of carrier, contact numbers for your carrier, customs paperwork for international shipments then you will be able to make sure you have been charged accordingly for your freight. All of this information will also help you locate lost or stolen freight on show site.

Pre- wire as much of the exhibit as possible- prepare all electrical equipment to just be plugged in. Doing wiring and connecting on site might lead to needing to order electrical labor.
Avoid hard wiring- if an electrician must connect actual wires for your equipment to work your labor bill will increase significantly.
Do not order an electrical outlet for every piece of equipment you need electricity for. Understand how much AMPS each piece requires and order only the electrical power you will need.
Have your electrical labor ordered to lay all cords under carpet and pad. This will avoid having to pay to have your crates moved and your carpet to be pulled up and re- installed. Schedule your electrical labor before your booth installation labor.
Make a floor plan of your exhibit booth highlighting exactly where your equipment is being placed and where the electrical outlets need to be. This will save on electrical labor time within your booth as well as allow the contractor to complete the work before your arrival.
Carry extension cords, T plugs or power strips in your gang box. They will save you a rental fee on site. Purchasing electrical equipment before the show will always be cheaper than renting on site.