Chicago trade show and expo work runs on its own clock — move-in to move-out. We build booth builds that produce merch while guests watch, whether that is a floor at McCormick Place or a tighter footprint in The Loop. Chicago sits 1,732 miles out, so gear ships freight and the crew lands a day early, and date changes are easiest with two weeks' notice because of freight.
Why exhibitors book a live press in Chicago
- Fits your footprint — from a 10×10 to a 50-foot island at McCormick Place.
A favorite for McCormick Place trade shows. Pair it with printed totes so attendees carry your brand across the floor all day.
Working Chicago's show floors
Chicago is one of the busiest trade-show cities in the country, and most of the big ones land at McCormick Place — the West, South, North, and Lakeside buildings host shows like the National Restaurant Association Show, IMTS, PACK EXPO, and the RSNA radiology meeting, each filling the halls with tens of thousands of badge-holders. We plan every booth around the realities of that venue: drayage and material handling billed by weight, booth electrical ordered separately through the venue's contractor, and tight union move-in and move-out windows. Tell us your hall and booth number and we spec the station to your footprint, from a 10×10 inline to a 50-foot island. Not every show is downtown, though — the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, right by O'Hare, draws a steady run of regional expos, and we staff those too, often for exhibitors who like keeping load-in close to the airport. On a busy floor where attention is the whole game, a working station is one of the few things that physically stops traffic, and the wait for a custom piece becomes the time your team spends with a qualified lead instead of chasing badge scans. For the full booth playbook, see our guide to live merch at McCormick Place.