Chicago is home to McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America and the strictest union venue in the country. SET Exhibits designs and builds in Haverstraw, New York, then ships, installs and dismantles at Chicago shows. A booth that installs without comment in Las Vegas can become a rules problem here, and the difference is worth understanding before you design rather than after you arrive.
What Catches Exhibitors Out Here
Chicago punishes assumptions more than any other US venue.
Your contractor must register 30 days out
EAC companies have to be registered with your Event Manager thirty days before the show, with company names, contacts and the booth numbers they will work in. Unregistered contractors are not allowed on the property, and there are no exceptions made on the day.
There are four buildings, not one
North, South, West and Lakeside Center each have their own loading docks, service desks and utility arrangements. Freight delivered to the wrong building will not reach your booth on time. Your building assignment is the first fact to pin down, before design even starts.
Overtime starts at 4:30pm
Weekday labor shifts to overtime before 8am and after 4:30pm, and to double time at weekends. An install that runs past the afternoon costs materially more than one that finishes inside the working day — which makes install sequencing a budget decision, not just a logistics one.
Crossing a union line stops your install
Jurisdiction at McCormick Place is assigned by trade, and the lines are strict. Crossing one — even accidentally, even with good intentions — triggers a grievance and can shut your build down on the spot while it gets resolved.
McCormick Place, Building by Building
One campus, four buildings, four separate sets of loading docks. Which building you are in changes your entire plan.
1
McCormick Place — South Building
2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60616
We have built here
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Campus Size
Part of 2.6 million sq ft across four buildings
Ceiling Heights
Up to 50 ft
Docks
Its own, separate from the other buildings
Unions
Teamsters, Carpenters, IBEW, IATSE
South pairs with North for the largest shows on the campus. A cross-building show means two sets of dock schedules to coordinate.
SEE OUR WORK HERE →FULL VENUE DETAILS →2
McCormick Place — North Building
2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60616
We have built here
▶
Floor
Large contiguous exhibit space
Ceiling Heights
Up to 50 ft
Docks
Separate dock and service infrastructure
Unions
Teamsters, Carpenters, IBEW, IATSE
Frequently paired with South. Together they carry the biggest events on the campus.
SEE OUR WORK HERE →FULL VENUE DETAILS →3
McCormick Place — West Building
301 E. Cermak Road, Chicago, IL 60616
Newest
▶
Certification
LEED certified
Access
Own entrance and loading
Meeting Space
Modern meeting infrastructure adjacent to the floor
The newest of the four and the one most often chosen when a show wants meeting rooms right next to the exhibit floor.
FULL VENUE DETAILS →4
McCormick Place — Lakeside Center
2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60616
Oldest
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Main Hall
Roughly 300,000 sq ft
Opened
1971, originally the East Building
Also Houses
The 4,249-seat Arie Crown Theater
Different structural character to the newer halls. Worth confirming ceiling and rigging points early rather than assuming they match the rest of the campus.
FULL VENUE DETAILS →The Detail
Chicago rewards planning more than any other city. Here is what to plan around.
Union jurisdiction — who does what
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McCormick Place runs the strictest jurisdictional structure of any major US convention venue. Each trade owns specific work.
Teamsters hold freight. You cannot unload trucks or move crated material yourself.
Carpenters install and dismantle exhibits.
Decorators hang signs and fabric.
Riggers position machinery.
IBEW electricians handle electrical work.
IATSE owns anything overhead — hanging signs, lighting truss, suspended displays.
What you can do yourself is narrow: hand-carry small items and set a pop-up that needs no tools or powered equipment. Legislation effective August 2010 expanded exhibitor rights to include using your own ladders and hand tools within your booth, but for a custom exhibit the practical answer is that installation is done by credentialed labor.
We handle registration, labor calls and jurisdiction planning as part of the build. See Union Compliance Support.
Your building assignment drives your entire freight plan.
Drayage bills per hundredweight with minimums applied regardless of actual weight.
Each building has its own docks. Material sent to the wrong one does not reach your booth on time.
Overtime thresholds are tight — before 8am and after 4:30pm on weekdays, double time at weekends.
On dismantle, Teamsters return crated freight to the dock. Outbound shipping is arranged separately, and this is a common point of confusion.
Booth Sizes for a Chicago Floor
Every standard footprint, built custom or supplied as a rental. See what each size costs →
10x10
100 sq ft
Back wall, counter, one demo point
The standard starter footprint
Lowest total cost of entry
10x20
200 sq ft
Twice the aisle frontage
Product display plus a meeting corner
Same install window as a 10x10
20x20
400 sq ft
Island, open on four sides
The size where hanging signs become possible
Room for several zones
30x30
900 sq ft
Enclosed meeting rooms
Theater seating and large-format LED
A headline presence on the floor
How Your Booth Gets Built
The same sequence on every project, whether the show is in Chicago or anywhere else across the 50 states.
1
Week 1
Brief and budget
We start with your show, your space and what you actually need to achieve there. You get a straight answer on what fits.
2
Weeks 1-2
Design in 3D
Layout and graphics built around your placement, sightlines and brand. Revised until it is right.
3
Weeks 3-8
Fabrication in Haverstraw
Built in our own shop in New York. Structure fabricated, graphics printed and mounted, finishes applied, everything checked before it goes anywhere.
4
Before it ships
Pre-build and inspection
The booth goes up in our warehouse before it goes anywhere near a show floor, so install day is a repeat, not a first attempt.
5
Show week
Freight, labor and install
We handle the marshalling yard, the union labor calls, the paperwork and the install. You walk into a finished booth.
6
During the show
On-site support
Someone from our team is reachable while the show runs, not a ticket queue.
7
Final day
Dismantle and return
We pack it properly and handle the return so your team can leave the venue without a checklist.
Major Shows Held in Chicago
McCormick Place hosts many of the largest shows in North America. Each publishes its own exhibitor manual, and the manual overrides the venue’s general specs.
Chicago Auto ShowInternational Home + Housewares ShowNational Restaurant Association ShowIMTSC2E2PACK EXPO
Chicago Exhibitor FAQ
Can we install our own booth at McCormick Place?
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Only within narrow limits — hand-carried items and a pop-up needing no tools or powered equipment. For a custom exhibit, installation is done by credentialed union labor, planned and budgeted from the start.
Why is Chicago more expensive than other cities?
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Stricter jurisdiction means more trades involved in the same install, and tighter overtime thresholds. It is not unreasonable, it is specific — exhibitors who plan around the rules pay far less than those who improvise on site.
What is the EAC deadline?
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Thirty days before the show, registered with your Event Manager, including company details and booth numbers. Unregistered contractors are not permitted on the property.
Which building will our show be in?
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Show management assigns it, and it is the first fact to establish. Docks, service desks and utilities all differ by building, and it affects design as well as freight.
Related Pages
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