Find and Compare Exhibit Builders for Automate 2027 in Las Vegas

Why Automate Exhibit Builders Need Live-Demo Experience

At most shows, the booth is the product display. At Automate, the product is often a robot or a full cell that has to run safely for four days, and the booth is built around it. That changes what you need from a builder:

• The demo sets the floor plan. Where the cell sits, how visitors see it and where the guarding goes decide where walls, screens and meeting space can go.
• Power and air come first. Robots, conveyors and vision systems need electrical drops and often compressed air. These are ordered through the show and venue, so they have to be planned before the design is locked.
• Moving equipment needs safeguarding. Automate's rules require guarding around any demo with machine motion, and they set extra conditions for robots running at full speed, collaborative robots and AMRs (details below).
• It's Automate's first Las Vegas edition. Equipment access, contractor requirements and move-in arrangements will follow the Las Vegas Convention Center and the 2027 manual, not the Chicago setup. Ask your builder how it will coordinate the demo with the booth's guarding and visitor flow in this venue.

Not every Automate exhibitor needs a robotics specialist. If you're showing software or components, a builder who plans good meeting and screen space may be all you need. If you're running live equipment, ask builders for examples of comparable installations and how they handled guarding, power and safety.

Automate Las Vegas 2027: Dates, Hours and Halls

The show runs May 10–13, 2027 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Show hours are 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. from Monday, May 10 to Wednesday, May 12, and 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 13 (Automate FAQs).

As of October 2026, the official 2027 floor plan shows two exhibit areas for the show: the Central Hall and the South Hall Lower. Check your booth's hall on the plan, because it affects your freight and move-in plans.

Move-in and move-out times for 2027 will be in the exhibitor manual. Confirm your slot before your builder books crews and freight.

Exhibiting at other Las Vegas shows? See booth builders in Las Vegas and the full Las Vegas convention calendar.

Automate 2027 Exhibitor Timeline, Worked Back from May 10

The 2027 exhibitor manual for Las Vegas hasn't been published yet, so most 2027 deadlines aren't known. The table separates confirmed dates from planning advice and from items to confirm once the manual is out. Deadlines measured from your installation date, such as hanging-sign approval, depend on your assigned move-in slot, not just on May 10.

Robot Demo Planning: Automate Trade Show Rules to Confirm for 2027

The 2027 Automate exhibitor manual for Las Vegas is the final authority for booth construction, robot demonstrations and installation. The points below come from the 2026 Chicago manual and are a planning reference, not confirmation of the 2027 rules. Before finalizing a design, confirm each one with A3, the venue and the appointed show contractor.

2026 reference rules, pending 2027 confirmation:

• Safeguarding. Any demo with machine motion, including robots, vision systems, conveyors and index tables, needs appropriate safeguarding. Barriers should be at least 36 in (0.9 m) high.
• Robots at full speed. Robots running in automatic mode or above reduced speed (250 mm/sec), that aren't collaborative displays, must be supervised by the exhibitor at all times while operating.
• Collaborative robots. Cobot displays may only run with badged exhibitor staff present.
• Mobile robots. AMRs that don't meet the safety requirements, or carry hazardous attachments, must stay behind guarding.
• Other hazards. Machines that create eye, noise, blower or heat hazards must be shielded or dampened.
• Sound. Noise should not exceed 85 dB measured from the aisle in front of the booth.
• Floor covering. Exhibitors must cover their full booth space, except where AMRs are demonstrated.
• Booth heights. Inline booths up to 8 ft. Island and split-island structures up to 20 ft. Hanging signs only for booths of 20×20 or larger, never for inline booths.

Ask every builder which 2027 Automate and Las Vegas Convention Center requirements will affect your demo, and who will confirm compliance before the design is approved.

Give your builder the spec sheet for every robot and machine before the first design round. Guarding, power routing and AMR paths are much cheaper to plan than to retrofit.

Automate Booth Cost: What You Pay and Who Bills It

An Automate budget has three main cost categories, which may all be billed separately. Builders usually quote only the booth itself, so account for all three before comparing proposals.

What Automate 2027 booth space costs

A3's 2027 exhibitor prospectus lists booth-space rates from $37 to $51 per sq ft, with discounts for A3 members. The range isn't broken down by booth size or membership, so the table below is an illustrative estimate for early budgeting. Confirm your actual rate with A3 before committing to space.

These figures cover exhibit space only. Add booth design and construction, freight, installation, electrical and other show services when you build your total budget. Ask each builder to mark which services are included in its quote, which are estimated allowances and which you'll order or pay for separately.

What changes the rest of the budget

• Equipment weight. Material handling is billed by shipment weight, so crated robots and cells usually cost more to handle.
• Power and air. Each running demo needs electrical drops and often compressed air.
• Build or rent. A custom build costs more up front but can serve other shows like PACK EXPO, ProMat and IMTS. A rental costs less once.
• Timing. Show services ordered after the advance deadline cost more.

If you're weighing a full custom structure, see how custom trade show booths are usually priced and built.

Automate Booth Builders and Labor Rules at the LVCC

Labor rules change with the building. Exhibitors who know McCormick Place's rules from Chicago will find the Las Vegas Convention Center works differently, and the 2027 Automate manual will set out what your own staff may do and which work goes to the official contractor.

What to plan for now:

• Outside installers must register. In 2026, any contractor other than the official one had to register with the general contractor and show management and send a certificate of insurance before the show. Expect the same in 2027.
• Ask how your builder will staff the install. If your builder plans to supply installation labor, confirm how that crew will comply with the 2027 labor rules before you sign.
• Heavy equipment and material handling. Confirm which contractor handles material handling, rigging and moving crated equipment, and how those services are ordered. Give your builder the equipment dimensions, weight and delivery plan before installation is arranged.

Until the 2027 manual is out, don't plan around self-installing. Confirm the current labor terms with A3 at events@automate.org.

Automate Booth Design: Custom Build or Booth Rental

Whether an Automate booth rental or a custom build fits depends on how often you exhibit and how much of your space is taken up by equipment.

More on how trade show booth rental works and what's included.

Automate booth design ideas that work around live demos

• Run the demo where the aisle can see it. Engineers stop for working equipment. Put the cell where it's visible from the main aisle, behind its guarding.
• Show the result, not just the robot. Parts picked, inspected or packed by the demo tell a buyer more than the arm alone.
• Leave room to talk specs. A small table or meeting area away from the running cell is where cycle times and pricing get discussed.

Automate 2027 Floor Plan and Exhibitor List

The official Automate 2027 floor plan is live for booth sales and shows the Central Hall and the South Hall Lower. The Automate exhibitor list for 2027 is still developing. Use the 2026 list to spot returning companies and likely competitors, not as a definitive list of 2027 exhibitors.

Send your builder the booth number and a marked-up floor plan screenshot showing the aisle-facing sides, neighboring booths and any access limits. Then brief them on three things:

• Open sides. Which sides face main aisles decides where the demo cell and the main graphics go.
• Neighbors. Running equipment next door affects noise and sightlines. Put your meeting area on the quieter side.
• Pavilions. If your booth is in a pavilion, check whether it has its own booth requirements.

Questions to Ask Before You Hire an Automate Booth Builder

Send the same questions to every builder you're comparing. The answers tell you more than the renders do.

• Have you built booths around comparable live equipment? Ask for photos, the show name, the equipment type, and how guarding, power and installation were handled.
• What's in your quote, and what isn't? Freight, installation labor, graphics, storage and on-site supervision should each be a clear yes or no.
• Who files the show orders? Electrical, compressed air, material handling and labor are ordered through the show's contractor and venue. Find out whether the builder files them or you do.
• Will we see a floor-level layout before the render? It should show the demo cell, guarding, power and air drops, and where staff stand.
• Have you installed at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and in which hall? This is Automate's first year there, so recent LVCC experience matters.
• Which 2027 rules will affect our demo, and who confirms compliance? The 2027 Las Vegas manual may differ from Chicago's, so ask who checks the design against it before approval. Also ask whether the booth can be reused at other shows and what storage costs.

Start Planning Your Automate 2027 Booth for Las Vegas

Tell us your booth size, hall, the equipment you're demonstrating and your budget. Compare proposals from Automate 2027 exhibit builders against the same brief, including design, fabrication or rental, installation and what each quote includes.

Compare Automate Exhibit Builders

Planning the rest of your show calendar? See our guide to manufacturing trade shows in 2027 and 2028.