McCormick Place is the largest convention center in North America. We design and install exhibits across all four buildings and manage its labor, rigging, and freight rules.
McCormick Place is the largest convention center in North America and the beating heart of the Chicago trade show economy, with roughly 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space spread across four connected buildings, the North, South, and West buildings and the lakefront Lakeside Center. It hosts the largest shows in the world across manufacturing, radiology and healthcare, foodservice, packaging, and dozens of other industries, which means exhibiting at McCormick Place is both a tremendous opportunity and a logistical undertaking that rewards experience. We design, build, and install exhibits across all four McCormick Place buildings, and just as importantly we manage the venue-specific realities that trip up exhibitors who treat it like a generic hall. McCormick Place operates under defined labor jurisdiction, so install and dismantle, rigging for hanging signs, electrical, and material handling each follow specific rules and rate structures coordinated with the show's general contractor, and getting the labor plan right is the difference between an on-budget program and a runaway one. We produce a detailed labor, rigging, electrical, and freight plan for every exhibit and schedule it against the show's targeted and general move-in windows so your stand is built efficiently rather than on expensive overtime. We understand the line-of-sight and height rules that govern inline and island spaces, the rigging requirements and points for overhead signs, the floor-loading considerations for heavy machinery, and the freight and drayage flow that moves your crates from the dock to your space and back. Because the four buildings differ in their docks, ceiling heights, and rigging capabilities, we plan logistics specific to your hall and space assignment rather than applying a one-size template. Our exhibits themselves are built on modular and custom-fabricated rental systems that crate efficiently, install predictably, and refurbish cleanly between shows, which keeps your McCormick Place program inside the published price bands and off your balance sheet. Whether you are taking a 10x10 inline at a mid-size show or anchoring a 40x40 island at IMTS, RSNA, PACK EXPO, or the National Restaurant Association Show, we deliver the full program, design, fabrication, in-house graphics, install, dismantle, and the venue logistics, from a free 48-hour 3D rendering through final dismantle. Request your rendering and we will plan your McCormick Place exhibit and its logistics together so there are no surprises on the floor.
McCormick Place in Chicago is the largest convention center in North America, with roughly 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space across four connected buildings: the North, South, and West buildings and Lakeside Center. It hosts the biggest shows in manufacturing, healthcare, foodservice, and more.
Yes. We coordinate install and dismantle labor, rigging for hanging signs, electrical, and freight against McCormick Place's jurisdiction and the show's general contractor, and we schedule against targeted move-in windows to control cost.
It depends on the show. Large manufacturing and medical events use the North and South buildings and Lakeside Center, while the West building hosts many others. We design and plan logistics specific to your hall and space assignment.
Call Chicago Exhibits at (872) 369-0187 for a free 48-hour 3D rendering. Serving Chicago and McCormick Place since 2014.