Two to four weeks is comfortable for most Chicago events - but we keep gear staged and have turned events around in under a week, so if your date is soon, ask anyway.
A simple timeline
- 4+ weeks out - ideal for McCormick Place trade shows and large corporate sales kickoffs. Plenty of time for art proofing, garment sourcing, and station planning.
- 2-4 weeks out - the sweet spot for most events. Send the date, venue, and headcount and we lock the setup.
- Under 2 weeks - often still doable, especially for local Chicagoland events. Reach out and we will tell you fast.
What speeds things up
Have your logo or artwork ready, a rough headcount, the venue and date, and which stations you want. The more of that you can share up front, the faster we can proof art and confirm the booking.
Short notice? Don’t assume it is too late - we stage presses and blanks year-round and regularly cover last-minute Chicago events.
Check booking lead time and pricing, then request your Chicago quote.
Chicago proof
Local proof before the presses roll in
For Chicago, the page you are reading is planned around real venue constraints, not a generic merch table. We map the nearest load-in, the available power, the line path, and the point where guests choose garments before they reach the press. That planning is what keeps the station looking sharp at McCormick Place, a The Loop private event, or a smaller activation near Navy Pier — Festival Hall.
Merch Troop is based in Fullerton and travels with the same live-event production kit: presses, flash dryers, heat presses, blanks, folding tables, signage, and trained printers. A standard station needs roughly 10x10 ft and two 120V circuits, and a two-press setup can clear 100+ shirts per hour when the design menu is simple.