Booth Builders for ProMat 2027 : Find and Compare on Exhibitorly

What Will Your ProMat Booth Cost?

Your total cost will depend heavily on booth size, design, labor, machinery handling, power, flooring, freight and material handling. If you're deciding between a rental system and a custom exhibit, see our guide to custom trade show booths.

2027 ProMat Booth Space Rates

MHI has published its 2027 space rates (lease page):

• MHI members: $40 per sq ft
• Non-members: $50 per sq ft

Here's what that means for common sizes. This is our math from MHI's rates.

The member rate needs MHI membership, which has its own dues (mhi.org/join). Compare the savings with the dues before you decide.

ProMat StartUp Pavilion ($2,900)

New companies can apply for a kiosk in the StartUp Pavilion for $2,900. It includes the kiosk, a 30-minute talk in the StartUp Theater, a spot in the pitch competition and a year of MHI membership. Your company must be under 5 years old and new to ProMat and MODEX. Applications close October 16, 2026, and MHI picks 14 companies by October 31 (StartUp Pavilion).

A Major ProMat Cost: Moving Heavy Equipment

If you're bringing machinery, moving and placing it can be a major cost. Conveyors, robots, racking and vehicles are heavy. Your own staff can't use forklifts, pallet jacks or lifts at McCormick Place. So equipment has to be moved and placed by the show's labor. Get a separate line for this in every quote.

Other ProMat Booth Costs to Budget For

• The booth itself, rented or owned
• Flooring
• Freight and material handling, through GES
• Electrical and internet for live demos
• Setup and teardown labor, if your own staff don't do it
• Hotel rooms, through onPeak

Ask each ProMat exhibit builder to price these lines separately. It's the only fair way to compare quotes.

ProMat 2027 Dates and Hours

ProMat 2027 runs Monday, April 19 to Wednesday, April 21 (exhibitor FAQ).

Move-in and move-out dates are in GES's exhibitor manual. ProMat's exhibitor contacts are listed on the exhibit page.

ProMat Floor Plan and Exhibitor List

The ProMat 2027 floor plan is live. The exhibitor directory fills in as companies book. MHI also publishes a partial list of past exhibitors.

The show fills the North, South and Lakeside halls at McCormick Place in Chicago, with more than 700,000 sq ft of exhibits. The first round of booth picks, the Space Draw, closed on November 5, 2025. Space booked now comes from what's left, so check the floor plan early.

McCormick Place Labor Rules for ProMat Booths

Chicago gives exhibitors more freedom than many show cities. Under McCormick Place's Exhibitor Bill of Rights, your full-time employees can do a lot of the work themselves (Exhibitor Bill of Rights, July 2026). They must have been on your payroll for at least 6 months, with a W-2 or payroll record to prove it. They can:

• Set up and take down your exhibit, whatever the booth size.
• Assemble and take apart machinery and equipment.
• Hang signs, graphics and drapes.
• Plug in, connect and run electrical equipment.
• Use ladders, hand tools and power tools.
• Move and position items with non-motorized hand trucks and dollies, and load or unload at the docks.

They can't use forklifts, pallet jacks, scissor lifts, scaffolding, condors or motorized dollies.

For a machinery-heavy ProMat booth, this matters a lot. Your team can build and run the demo. But anything that needs a forklift or a lift has to be handled by the show's labor. Plan that with your builder and GES before the show.

ProMat Booth Rules

ProMat's booth rules are in GES's 2027 exhibitor manual. We'll add the height limits, hanging sign rules and move-in dates here once they're public. Until then, ask your builder to confirm these before design starts:

• Height limits for your booth type and hall
• Whether a hanging sign is allowed for your booth, and who rigs it
• Drawings needed for large islands, two-story booths or heavy machinery
• Rules for moving equipment demos, like vehicles or robots
• Your targeted move-in time

Using Your Own ProMat Trade Show Contractor

GES is the official show services contractor for ProMat 2027 (SHOWpro). You can still hire your own builder. This is called an Exhibitor Appointed Contractor, or EAC. The forms, insurance and deadlines for EACs are in GES's manual. Ask your builder to confirm they can meet them before you sign.

Free Prep: SHOWpro, October 27–28, 2026

MHI runs a free workshop for exhibitors called SHOWpro. It's on October 27–28, 2026, at McCormick Place West, Room W192. It includes a GES session on ProMat 2027 exhibitor services and a lead retrieval session with Maritz. If you're new to ProMat, the workshop provides an opportunity to hear directly from MHI and GES about exhibitor services.

ProMat 2027 Booth Planning Timeline

ProMat Booth Design Tips

These tips come from how ProMat buyers use the floor and from McCormick Place's labor rules.

• Design around the machinery first. Place conveyors, robots, racking or other large equipment before you design the visitor-facing parts of the booth.
• Separate demonstration and conversation zones. Live machinery draws attention, but buyers also need somewhere to discuss specifications, pricing and implementation.
• Design around the move-in plan. If equipment needs forklifts or other restricted equipment, your layout has to work with the official labor process.
• Show the equipment in context. A working system tells buyers more than a static machine when they're evaluating automation or material handling.
• Order power and internet early. Live demos need the right power and connection in the right place.
• Keep moving demos inside your booth. Robots and vehicles need clear safety space.

Planning a robotics-heavy exhibit? Our Automate booth builder guide covers similar considerations around live demonstrations, equipment, power and visitor flow.

ProMat Booth Rental vs. Custom Build

• New to ProMat? The StartUp Pavilion kiosk ($2,900) or a rental booth keeps your first year's cost down while you learn what works.
• Doing MODEX and ProMat regularly? An owned modular booth may make sense if you plan to reuse the system across both shows.
• Big island with machinery? You'll likely need a custom build that's designed around the equipment, the power and the moves.

What to Ask a ProMat Exhibit Builder

You'll find three kinds of ProMat exhibit builders: Chicago shops, national exhibit houses and internationally managed exhibit companies. Ask each one:

1. Have you built at McCormick Place for ProMat or MODEX? Which halls?
2. Can we see photos of machinery or automation booths you've built?
3. How will you handle our machinery moves with GES?
4. Can you meet GES's EAC forms, insurance and deadlines?
5. What can our own staff set up, and what will your crew do?
6. Who handles power and internet for our live demos?
7. Where is the booth built and stored, and what does freight to Chicago cost?
8. Will you price each line separately?

Pricing each line separately makes it much easier to compare quotes and spot costs that one builder may have bundled or omitted. Exhibitorly lets you send one brief to several ProMat booth builders and compare their quotes side by side.

Avoid Hotel Scams at ProMat

Book hotels only through onPeak, ProMat's official hotel office. MHI warns about brokers who ask for prepayment and then oversell rooms. onPeak takes a credit card or check guarantee but charges no deposit at booking. Official hotels also get free shuttles to McCormick Place (exhibitor FAQ).

If you're also exhibiting at other manufacturing and automation shows in Chicago, see our guide to IMTS booth builders.

How Exhibitorly Helps You Find a ProMat Exhibit Builder

1. Tell us your booth size, budget and goals.
2. We match you with vetted builders.
3. You get up to three design concepts and quotes.
4. You compare them side by side.
5. You pick one and work with them directly.

Ready to Exhibit at ProMat 2027?

ProMat 2027 runs April 19–21 at McCormick Place. Get quotes from ProMat booth builders who know Chicago while there's still time to compare.