Demo hosts, booth reps, brand ambassadors and models for the Seattle Convention Center’s Arch and Summit buildings, PAX West, Emerald City Comic Con and every downtown show. Local staff ready for technical questions and a rainy walk between buildings. $85 an hour, every role.
The Seattle Convention Center is two buildings about a block apart, with separate docks, doors and elevators. Figures from our Seattle Convention Center guide.
705 Pike St. · opened 1988, built over Interstate 5
How we staff it: Halls sit on Level 4 beside the docks, so booths roll straight in. Staff use the Pike Street entrances and the hotel-side walkways.
900 Pine St. · opened 2023, LEED Platinum
How we staff it: Summit stacks its halls vertically. We plan elevator time for staff and make sure everyone knows which floor your booth is on.
Seattle runs one convention center in two buildings a block apart, plus a stadium event center and a downtown full of tech, gaming and fan events. Purple Exhibits staffs the Seattle Convention Center’s Arch and Summit buildings, the Lumen Field Event Center and downtown hotels with local demo hosts, booth reps, brand ambassadors and models at a flat $85 an hour per person. Our Seattle crew is used to technical audiences, long fan-convention lines and a forecast that always says “showers.” Book four to six weeks ahead for PAX West and Emerald City Comic Con, three weeks for most shows, and 72 hours for a rush.
Seattle at a glance
| Rate | $85 per hour, per person, every role |
|---|---|
| Travel fees | None for Seattle-area bookings |
| Main venues | Seattle Convention Center (Arch and Summit), Lumen Field Event Center, downtown hotels |
| Peak weeks | Emerald City Comic Con (March), spring science meetings, PAX West (Labor Day weekend) |
| Book ahead | 4–6 wks for fan and gaming shows · 3 wks otherwise · rush 72 hrs |
| Labor | Washington is not right-to-work; union crews build, our staff greet, demo and scan |
| Crew strength | Demo hosts and reps who handle technical questions |
Seattle audiences are engineers, researchers and gamers. Here is how we prepare staff for them.
A briefing call and a one-page cheat sheet a week before the show.
Staff rehearse your demo flow until it runs in under three minutes.
Deep technical questions go straight to your engineers, with the visitor’s details captured.
Leads are tagged by role and interest so your sales team knows who to call first.
Brands that have booked Purple
Staff arrive in rain layers; we plan a dry spot for coats and umbrellas at the booth.
Brighter booth lighting and upbeat greeters keep the aisle warm on dark winter days.
Waterfront activations get shade and water like anywhere else.
Seattle visitors respect real product knowledge more than a script. We brief deeply.
2027 dates as posted by each organiser; PAX West is Labor Day weekend. Confirm yours, then lock your crew.
A three-day developer conference with a 20×20 needs four people: two demo hosts, a greeter and a lead qualifier. Here is that team from our Seattle roster, next to the same team flown in.
| Developer conference, 20×20 | Cost |
|---|---|
| Purple local staff | |
| Travel, hotel, per-diem | $0 |
| Your Seattle total |
| Typical fly-in agency, same team | Cost |
|---|---|
| Staff hours at $85 | |
| Round-trip flights ~$400 each | |
| Hotel downtown, conference week · ~$349/night | |
| Per-diem ~$79/day | |
| Fly-in total |
What each option really costs and delivers at a Seattle show.
| Purple local crew | Fly-in staffing agency | General temp agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per staffer | $85 an hour in Seattle | Higher once travel is added | Lowest rate, highest risk |
| Flights and rooms | None. Seattle is home | ~$400 airfare and ~$349 a night, each | None |
| Knows Seattle venues | Local crew, every season | Usually first time in town | Sometimes |
| The Seattle edge | Call, cheat sheet and demo practice. | 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 |
| If someone cancels | Replacement in 2 hours, or the shift is free | Hard to replace from out of town | Whoever is free |
| Exhibit and staff together | Design, build and staff | People only | People only |
Fly-in costs use the same typical Seattle rates as the budget above. Other agencies’ pricing varies.
Arch and Summit are a block apart with separate docks and doors. Plan who goes where.
Seattle visitors ask real technical questions. Brief your staff properly.
Gaming and fan events fill local talent fast. Book four to six weeks out.
Fan conventions draw long queues. Put a host on the line.
Summit’s stacked halls mean elevators at call time. Start staff 15 minutes earlier.
Seattle audiences prefer straight answers. Keep the pitch honest and short.
Call (800) 994-8030 and ask for the Seattle desk.
$85 an hour per person with a four-hour minimum, for any role: demo host, booth rep, brand ambassador or model. Seattle-area bookings carry no flights or hotel nights.
Yes. We staff both and plan staff movement when your booth and sessions are in different buildings, a block apart.
Arch opened in 1988 over Interstate 5 and keeps its six exhibit halls on one level beside the docks. Summit opened in 2023, stacks its halls on several floors and has 30 ft ceilings.
Yes. Our Seattle demo hosts take a briefing call, rehearse a short demo flow and hand deep technical questions to your engineers.
Yes. We send demo hosts, brand ambassadors and line hosts. Book four to six weeks ahead.
Yes. Washington is not a right-to-work state and the center works with local unions. Union crews build booths; our staff greet, demo and capture leads.
Yes. We brief reps for research and medical audiences at meetings in the Summit building and downtown hotels.
Staff arrive with rain layers, and we plan a dry spot for coats and umbrellas at the booth.
Yes. We book Eastside staff for customer days and launches so they avoid the bridge traffic.
Spanish, Mandarin, Vietnamese and other languages are available with notice.
Our Seattle coordinator sends a briefed local replacement within two hours, or that shift is free.
Yes. We design, build and install exhibits for the Seattle Convention Center and staff them under one plan.
About three minutes. No deposit.
We’ll email your quote within 24 hours, usually much sooner. Need it now? Call (800) 994-8030.
Seattle events reach from the stadium district to Eastside tech campuses.
Boat, home and consumer shows plus stadium hospitality.
We send: Brand ambassadors, hostessesCustomer days, product launches and developer events.
We send: Demo hosts, product presentersConferences, VIP dinners and hospitality suites.
We send: Hostesses, registration hostsReceptions, launches and summer activations.
We send: Greeters, sampling teamsSponsor activations and suites.
We send: Ambassadors, sampling teamsFrom Capitol Hill to the Eastside, all a light-rail ride or short drive from the venue.
After the floor closes
Restaurants and cocktail bars a short walk up the hill from both buildings.
Seafood dinners for clients with a view of the sound.
Breweries for a relaxed team night.
Send the show and your dates. A Seattle price within 24 hours.
Let’s get right on that answer for you:
