AIA 2027 · May 19–22, 2027 · Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia
AIA 2027 booth design & build in Philadelphia
Custom and rental exhibits for building product manufacturers, built so architects can handle the finish and read the assembly. Engineered mockup supports, lighting tested on your real samples, and installation handled by our on-site team.
- May 19–22, 2027
- Pennsylvania Convention Center
Every last fee listed upfront, in full, on paper. 3,000+ exhibitors · 10,000+ booths built · 4.9★ client rating · Since 2015
A contemporary building with a blue metal roof beneath a clear sky
01 Purple at AIA 2027
What makes AIA different, and how we build for it
AIA is the one show where the specifier walks the aisle in person. AIA27 expects 13,000+ attendees, 91% of whom visit the expo floor, and they compare products the way they compare details: by hand. Nearly 350 sessions carrying HSW, GBCI and RIBA credit, keynotes from Sameh Wahba and Charlene Li, and architect-led tours of Philadelphia landmarks set each day's rhythm, so expo time is short and focused. Sponsors like Sherwin Williams, Kawneer, Andersen and Kohler anchor the floor at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. A booth that shows an installed assembly at full scale, with the section open and the sample within reach, is the one an architect remembers when the spec gets written.
A full-scale fragment that shows the edge, the fixing and the adjacent material, with the product identifier and detail drawing within arm's reach.
A cutaway or working assembly that explains performance and installation, and staff who can answer a technical question on the spot.
A comparison surface with room to lay out finishes, honest lighting, and a quiet corner to talk about a live project away from the aisle.
Your team in Philadelphia
Two shops, one project manager, every hall
We build in our own production shop in Fishkill, NY and our Las Vegas hub, ship to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and install with our own project manager on the floor and vetted local labor. Predictable 30–45-day turnarounds, secure storage and pre-show QA.
Your team lands to a lit, stocked booth. You just show up.
02 Booths & pricing for AIA 2027
Pick a footprint. We price it as a rental, a custom build, or a hybrid.
The AIA expo floor runs from sponsor-level building product brands like Sherwin Williams, Kawneer, Andersen and Kohler down to 10×10 and 10×20 inlines. An inline needs one installed detail that reads from the aisle. Exhibitors here usually land between a 10×20 with a full-height assembly and a 20×20 walk-through fragment.
One installed assembly at full height, a sample counter at hand height and a compact resource station with QR links to the detail drawings.
Shown: Marling Leek, a Purple inline booth
See 10×10 rental booths →
A larger product view plus a comparison table for side-by-side samples, organized by application or collection, with a small specification desk.
Shown: Duplach, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
A walk-through fragment with separate moments for scale, touch and section, a specification table and a hanging sign over open sightlines.
Shown: Eagle Chemicals, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
A sequence of room settings, operable doors or glazing units on engineered supports, a private meeting room and product storage.
Shown: Bonomi, a Purple large-format exhibit
See 20×30 rental booths →In Purple's price
- Design and a 3D rendering, revised until it is right
- Structure, printed graphics, counters and storage as specified
- Lighting and power distribution inside the booth
- Installation and dismantle, with our project manager on the floor
- Every show-service order and deadline tracked for you
Billed by the show and its contractor
- Booth space (paid to the organizer)
- Material handling / drayage
- Electrical service, internet and rigging
- Booth cleaning and any union labor the venue requires
We estimate every one of these on your proposal, so the total is on paper before you sign.
All-in 2026 ranges for design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle. A custom-built booth runs roughly $100 to $250 per square foot depending on finish level. A rental of the same footprint usually lands at 35 to 50 percent of the purchase price for one show. Get an exact number for AIA with the booth cost calculator or read the 2026 booth cost guide.
Send the show, your booth size and what the space needs to do. We reply within one business day and send a rendering and a fixed proposal, usually within a week. No charge.
03 Built by Purple
Booths we have designed, built and installed
Case study · Fabuwood
Fabuwood at KBIS 2026, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando
An award-winning 13-room cabinetry environment with an illuminated brand portal and timber slat walls. Designed, built and installed by Purple; named one of the best booths on the floor.
Read the Fabuwood case study All case studies →“If you’re looking for a trade show booth expert who shows up and gets the job done right, Purple Exhibits is the real deal.”
Magdalena Kulisz, Service Manager, Miss Immigrant USA · more client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for building product and architectural material brands at AIA
Four things we get right for AIA exhibitors
1Pick the detail before the walls
Start with the application, then choose the smallest convincing piece of it: an operable leaf and frame for a door, a readable section plus a larger finish area for cladding, a lit surface for a luminaire. We plan what reads from the aisle and what rewards a close look, so the booth sequences views instead of rebuilding a whole building.
2Engineer heavy assemblies, not just graphics
Doors, glazing units and stone panels carry real weight and move. We take dimensions, weights, swing and mounting details up front, size the supports and floor loading, plan how staff reach the assembly, and design protective packing so the product arrives ready for architects to operate.
Light the finish honestly
A textured panel and a glossy laminate need different fixtures and angles. We test your representative samples under the proposed lighting from the visitor's position, check reflections, shadow and color with your product team, and keep colored spill off the material so what an architect sees matches what ships.
Run the sample library as a system
Every piece gets a location and an identifier that matches the installed product and the literature. Frequently requested samples sit within reach of the specialist, reserve pieces and take-aways stay separate from the display set, and a reset routine keeps the wall complete between conversations.
Concept rendering
Every proposal comes with a rendering like this
You see the booth in 3D before we cut a single panel: layout, graphics, lighting and product positions, revised until it is right. Shown: a Purple concept for KLI.
Start my AIA concept05 Pennsylvania Convention Center · Philadelphia
Logistics for AIA 2027, handled
The Pennsylvania Convention Center sits at 1101 Arch Street in Center City, with hotels and restaurants within a few blocks of the docks. AIA space rental covers the floor only; furnishings, utilities and material handling are separate orders, and the Exhibitor Service Manual arrives in January 2027. We read it the week it lands, file your display rendering for AIA written approval before production starts, order electrical, rigging and material handling through the general contractor, and book your freight target. Heavy door, glazing and panel assemblies ship from our Fishkill, NY shop to the advance warehouse, ride drayage to your space, and our project manager and Philadelphia labor install, level and test every moving part before you arrive.
What Purple handles
- Exhibitor Service Manual, service orders and target dates
- Display rendering and written approval from AIA show management
- Structural engineering of doors, glazing and panel mockups
- Graphics printed in house and proofed against your finishes
- Freight to the advance warehouse and drayage paperwork
- Installation, dismantle and return shipping with our on-site team
Timeline, counted back from move-in
- Early March 2027Design sign-off; display rendering submitted to AIA show management for written approval.
- March–April 2027Production in Fishkill, NY; assemblies test-fitted and lighting checked against your real samples.
- Late April 2027Booth, supports and sample furniture ship to the advance warehouse for Philadelphia.
- May 18–19, 2027Targeted move-in at the Pennsylvania Convention Center; our on-site team installs and runs pre-show QA.
- May 20–21, 2027Expo days; your Purple project manager is on call for the whole run.
- May 21–22, 2027Dismantle after the floor closes, samples packed to your return plan, booth to storage or the next show.
AIA exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before AIA
How much does a 20×20 at AIA cost?
A complete 20×20 custom island runs $50,000 to $120,000 for design, structure, graphics and installation, and a 20×20 rental $16,000 to $40,000. Full-scale assemblies and heavy samples move the number, so send dimensions and weights and we return a fixed quote. AIA's space rental, furnishings and utilities are billed separately.
Can you install at the Pennsylvania Convention Center?
Yes. We install in Philadelphia with our own project manager and local crew, and we book freight targets for 1101 Arch Street ourselves. We coordinate the general contractor for drayage and rigging so a door unit or stone panel is levelled and operable before you walk in, and we run a pre-show QA on every moving part.
Can we rent a booth for AIA?
Yes. Rental structures with your graphics, a custom sample wall on a rental frame, or a fully custom build are all on the table. A 10×20 rental lands between $7,500 and $15,000 and a 10×10 between $3,500 and $8,000. Many first-time AIA exhibitors rent the structure and put the budget into one installed detail.
When do we need to decide?
Design sign-off by early March 2027 gives a 30–45 day build, time to file the display rendering for AIA's written approval, and a late April ship date to the advance warehouse. Later works; the trade-off is finish choices and freight cost, since rush production and expedited trucking both add to the number.
Do you handle service contractor orders and drayage?
Yes. We read the Exhibitor Service Manual in January 2027, order electrical, rigging and material handling through the general contractor, book your target time, route the truck to the docks and keep you copied on every deadline so nothing depends on a form you never saw.
Before you sign with anyone
Five questions to ask any exhibit builder for AIA:
- Is every fee on the proposal, including what the show contractor bills?
- Who builds the booth: your own shop or a subcontractor?
- Will your project manager be on the floor for install and dismantle?
- What exactly is in the rental, and what is billed by the show?
- Where does the booth go after the show, and what does storage cost?
Common situations
Already own a booth? We refresh the graphics, repair what is worn, ship it, install it and store it between shows. You keep the structure you paid for.
Exhibiting from outside the US? We are your team on the ground: freight to the advance warehouse, show-service orders, installation and storage, with one project manager answering your emails in your time zone.
Short on time? A rental with your graphics can be ready in two to three weeks. We tell you on the first call what is realistic for your date.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your AIA booth
What happens next
- We reply within one business day with questions about your products, goals and footprint.
- You get a concept rendering and a fixed proposal, usually within a week. Every last fee listed upfront, in full, on paper.
- We build in 30–45 days, ship to the advance warehouse and install before the hall opens.