Downtown hotel ballrooms
JW Marriott, Hilton, Fairmont and the Rainey Street towersMost conferences and expos now run here. We staff registration, breakout doors and sponsor tables.
Brand ambassadors, hosts, booth reps and models for SXSW brand houses, downtown hotel conferences, Palmer Events Center and race weekend. Local staff who handle the lines, the heat and a 14-hour festival day.
The home of SXSW came down in 2025. Here is what that means for your event, from our Austin Convention Center guide.
The old convention center came down between April and October 2025.
A replacement designed to roughly double the old center’s capacity.
Rentable space in the new building, with bigger halls and a grand ballroom.
Until then, conferences and expos run in hotels and other venues.
Most conferences and expos now run here. We staff registration, breakout doors and sponsor tables.
Consumer shows, expos and festival-adjacent events in a large open hall.
Race weekends, concerts and corporate track days with suites and hospitality.
SXSW activations, product launches and lounges built for a week.
Pick the kind of activation, the days and how long doors are open. We will show the crew per shift and when to split into day and night teams.
Five roles, one flat rate. Here is who we send and where you will find them working.
Brands that have booked Purple
Austin events rarely look like a standard trade show. They are brand houses, festival lounges, hotel conferences and race-weekend suites. Purple Exhibits staffs SXSW activations, downtown hotel conferences, the Palmer Events Center and Circuit of the Americas with local brand ambassadors, hosts, booth reps and models at a flat $85 an hour per person. The Austin Convention Center was demolished in 2025 for a rebuild planned to open in 2029, so we help exhibitors staff the venues that took its place. Book six to eight weeks ahead for SXSW and race weekend, three to four weeks for most other events, and 72 hours for a rush.
Austin at a glance
| Rate | $85 per hour, per person, every role |
|---|---|
| Travel fees | None for Austin-area bookings |
| Main venues | Downtown hotels, Palmer Events Center, Circuit of the Americas, private brand houses |
| Peak weeks | SXSW (March), festival and race season (October) |
| Book ahead | 6–8 wks for SXSW and race weekend · 3–4 wks otherwise · rush 72 hrs |
| Labor | Texas is right-to-work; interim venues set their own rules |
| Heat | Summer highs pass 100°F; we plan shade, water and rotations |
From May to September, Austin afternoons pass 100°F. Here is how we keep staff sharp and guests at your booth.
Outdoor activations get tents, fans and a cool-down spot for staff and guests.
Water for staff and a hydration station for visitors at outdoor events.
Outdoor staff rotate every 60 to 90 minutes in summer.
Linen, light colors and comfortable shoes, in your brand colors.
Months are typical. Confirm each year’s dates with the organiser, then lock your crew.
A four-day brand house needs six people per shift: two queue hosts, two ambassadors, a sampling lead and a door host. Here is that team from our Austin roster, next to the same team flown in during the most expensive hotel week of the year.
| SXSW brand house, 4 days | Cost |
|---|---|
| Purple local staff | |
| Travel, hotel, per-diem | $0 |
| Your Austin total |
| Typical fly-in agency, same team | Cost |
|---|---|
| Staff hours at $85 | |
| Round-trip flights ~$360 each | |
| Hotel downtown, SXSW week · ~$459/night | |
| Per-diem ~$79/day | |
| Fly-in total |
What each option really costs and delivers at a Austin show.
| Purple local crew | Fly-in staffing agency | General temp agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per staffer | $85 an hour in Austin | Higher once travel is added | Lowest rate, highest risk |
| Flights and rooms | None. Austin is home | ~$360 airfare and ~$459 a night, each | None |
| Knows Austin venues | Local crew, every season | Usually first time in town | Sometimes |
| The Austin edge | Fresh crews for long days. | Not local | Not specialised |
| Knows your pitch | Learns your three key points | Generic script | Not their job |
| Qualified leads | Asks your questions, tags hot or warm | Basic scanning | Badge scans at best |
| Exhibit and staff together | Design, build and staff | People only | People only |
Fly-in costs use the same typical Austin rates as the budget above. Other agencies’ pricing varies.
About three minutes. No deposit.
We’ll email your quote within 24 hours, usually much sooner. Need it now? Call (800) 994-8030.
Local talent books up fast for March. Lock your team six to eight weeks out.
It was demolished in 2025. Confirm your venue and its load-in rules early.
From May to September outdoor shifts need shade, water and rotations.
I-35 and downtown closures during SXSW slow everything. We book staff who live close.
SXSW days run 14 hours. Split day and evening teams so energy stays high.
Popular activations draw lines around the block. Put a host on the queue.
Call (800) 994-8030 and ask for the Austin desk.
$85 an hour per person, four-hour minimum, for any role: brand ambassador, host, booth rep or model. Austin-area bookings carry no flights or hotel nights.
Yes. We staff brand houses, lounges, panels and night events with queue hosts, ambassadors, sampling teams and door staff. Book six to eight weeks ahead.
Most need five to seven people per shift: queue hosts, ambassadors, a sampling lead and a door host. Use the shift planner on this page for your hours and days.
No. The old building was demolished between April and October 2025, and a larger replacement is planned to open in 2029. Conferences and expos have moved to downtown hotels, the Palmer Events Center and other venues; we staff all of them.
Texas is a right-to-work state, but hotel ballrooms and the Palmer Events Center each set their own rules. Confirm with your show’s contractor; our staff only greet, present, sample and scan.
Yes. We send suite hosts, hospitality staff and brand ambassadors for race weekends and corporate track days.
We plan shade, water and shorter outdoor shifts, and we style uniforms in light, breathable fabrics.
Yes, and we recommend it. A day crew runs panels and sampling; a fresh evening crew runs doors and VIP.
Yes. Spanish-speaking staff are available on most dates.
Yes. We book greeters and hosts for offsites and incentive trips at the resorts west of Austin.
Our Austin coordinator sends a briefed local replacement within two hours, or that shift is free.
Yes. We design and build booths and brand spaces and staff them under one plan.
Austin events spread from Hill Country resorts to the racetrack and the suburbs.
Leadership retreats, incentive trips and offsites.
We send: Greeters, event hostsRace weekends, concerts and track days.
We send: Suite hosts, brand ambassadorsConcert and sports sponsor activations.
We send: Sampling teams, ambassadorsProduct launches, customer days and recruiting events.
We send: Product presenters, hostsSampling, lounges and sponsor booths.
We send: Sampling teams, ambassadorsEast Austin to Round Rock, so every venue has a crew close by, even when I-35 is jammed.
After the doors close
Bungalow bars and patios for team nights, steps from the downtown hotels.
Restaurants and live music for client dinners.
Breweries and taco trucks for a relaxed wrap-up.
Send the event and your dates. An Austin price within 24 hours.
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