Trade show booth cost in the USA: what European exhibitors should budget

There is no fixed price, but published 2026 guides give a useful picture. All figures below are for the stand only. They do not include the space fee you pay the show organiser.

Design, materials, LED walls, the city and the show all move the price. Treat these ranges as a starting point for your budget, not as a quote.

Sources for comparison: a US exhibit builder's 2026 pricing guide puts a 20×20 custom build at $20,000–$50,000 AM World Group, another puts larger custom booths at $50,000–$100,000+ The Trade Show Network, and turnkey 20×20 rentals are commonly quoted at $18,000–$45,000 The Trade Show Network, 20×20 rentals.

The organiser charges for floor space by the square foot. GES, one of the largest official show contractors, gives an average of $100–$150 per square foot of space, so a 10×10 ft booth can cost $10,000–$15,000 before anything is built GES. Prices vary a lot by show and location, so check your show's exhibitor price list early.

A simple rule many US planners use: the total cost of a show is about three times the space fee GES.

A typical split of the stand budget (excluding the space fee):

Roughly half pays for the stand itself. The other half pays for getting it into the hall, building it and taking it down.

Material handling (drayage)

In US halls, the official contractor moves your freight from the loading dock to your booth and back, and charges by weight. Rates of $75–$150 per hundred pounds, with minimum charges, are commonly quoted Wave Connect. In Europe this is rarely billed separately, so it is often missing from first budgets.

Union labour

In cities such as Las Vegas, Chicago and New York, union rules decide who may install what. Labour is charged by the hour, with higher rates for overtime and weekends. A late delivery that pushes work into overtime can quickly add up.

Venue services

Electricity, internet, rigging for hanging signs, and cleaning are ordered from the venue or official contractor, each with its own price list and deadlines. Ordering after the early deadline usually costs more.

Together, these extras often add 15–30% to a US show budget. A good quote lists them as estimates from the start.

See our guide to the hidden costs of US trade shows.

• Separate billing. Design, transport, installation and venue services are often priced by different companies.
• Union labour at many big venues, with overtime rules.
• Material handling by weight instead of being part of the stand price.
• Shipping a stand across the Atlantic, if you bring your own: freight, customs and storage.

1. Rent or go modular if you exhibit in the US up to about three times a year. You avoid buying, shipping and storing a stand. See trade show booth rental in the USA.
2. Plan early, ideally 8–12 weeks or more before the show. You avoid rush fees and late-order surcharges from the venue.
3. Keep it light and build it locally. Lighter stands cost less to handle, and a stand built in the US doesn't need transatlantic freight. Reusable fabric graphics can be kept for your next show.

• Drayage was left out. The stand was on budget, but the material-handling bill at the show added around a quarter to the total. A lighter, modular stand avoids most of this.
• Custom stand for one show. A company planned a full custom build for its first US show. A rental stand with its own graphics would have cost far less for the same visibility.
• Two shows booked separately. Planning CES and NAB together, with one stand and storage in between, is usually cheaper than two separate projects.