ALA Annual 2027 · June 24–28, 2027 · Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans
ALA Annual 2027 booths in New Orleans built for galleys and signing lines
Your ALA Annual booth has to hand librarians a galley, run an author signing line without blocking the aisle and seat a director for a platform demo. At the Morial Center, GES handles booth orders and union drayage, and island hanging signs need ALA approval by May 4.
- June 24–28 · Morial Center
- 15,000 at ALA 2026, Chicago
- 700+ exhibits and stages
Every last fee listed upfront, in full, on paper. 3,000+ exhibitors · 10,000+ booths built · 4.9★ client rating · Since 2015
Books on a library shelf in daylight
01 Purple at ALA Annual 2027
What makes ALA Annual different, and how we build for it
ALA Annual is the largest gathering of the library world, and its exhibit floor, the Library Marketplace, is home to more than 700 exhibits and live stages. Publishers pitch titles in Book Buzz sessions, host in-booth Meet the Authors events and staff Author Autographing Stations, while the Gaming Grove, Artist Alley, the Diversity in Publishing pavilion and the Mobile App pavilion pull librarians across the hall. The Exhibits Opening Reception on Friday evening sets the pace. Librarians come to discover titles and tools for their communities, so a booth that hands over a galley, books a demo and handles a signing line wins.
Titles to discover, galleys and catalogs to carry home, and short conversations about programming, collections and what their patrons ask for.
Demos of library platforms, furniture and services, pricing and contract talks at a seated table, and references from libraries like theirs.
Classroom resources, author meetings and a clear path to sign up for trials, newsletters and future events.
Your team in New Orleans
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 Ernest N. Morial 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 walks into a lit, stocked booth. You just show up.
02 Booths & pricing for ALA Annual 2027
Popular booth sizes at ALA Annual
The Library Marketplace runs from Small Press tables and pavilion kiosks to inline booths with an 8-foot back drape and large publisher islands; only island and cross-aisle booths may hang a sign. We recommend a 10×20 with shelving and a side signing table for most publishers, or a 20×20 island with a hanging sign.
Shelving by imprint or age group, a signing table set to the side so the line runs along the booth, and a demo screen for digital products.
Shown: Funskool, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
Give the signing line somewhere to go: the queue along one bay, galley pickup beside the face-out shelving in the middle, and a platform demo with hardwired internet at the far end.
Shown: LatexGreen, a Purple inline booth
See 10×30 rental booths →
An island with four shelving faces, an author signing area with queue space inside the footprint and a seated table for acquisitions talks.
Shown: LeadSquared, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
Separate zones for imprints or product lines, a small stage for in-booth author sessions, a private meeting room and galley storage.
Shown: Doona, a Purple island 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, where the space rate does not include it
- Electrical service, internet and rigging
- Booth cleaning and any union labor the venue requires
Rates to plan with for ALA Annual:
- Drayage About $155 per cwt, 200 lb minimum, 2026–2027 New Orleans planning rate
We estimate every one of these on your proposal, so the total is on paper before you sign.
Prices are all-in 2026 rental ranges for design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle; custom builds are quoted per project. Get an exact number for ALA Annual 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 · Amazon
Amazon at ESSENCE Festival of Culture, New Orleans
Amazon’s first ESSENCE Festival activation: a walk-through environment that welcomed hundreds of thousands of attendees across Prime Video, Amazon Live and Alexa.
Different audience, same problem: Amazon’s ESSENCE activation moved large crowds through a walk-through space, as your ALA booth must move signing lines and browsers without blocking the aisle.
Read the Amazon case study All case studies →“From start to finish, their team was professional, responsive, and incredibly easy to work with. They designed and built a beautiful trade show exhibit that exceeded my expectations and helped our company stand out. We received many compliments on our booth.”
Yossi Mouskup, Senior Insurance Broker, IGI Insurance Agency · more client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for publishers, library technology and library service brands at ALA Annual
Four things we get right for ALA Annual exhibitors
1Plan the signing line inside the booth
Author signings draw lines in minutes. We set the signing table so the queue runs along your booth instead of into the aisle, add a stanchion route and a book pickup point, and keep galley stock within reach of the staff running the line.
2Build shelving for real book weight
A loaded shelf of hardcovers is heavier than most display systems expect. We engineer face-out shelving with lips and bracing sized to your trim sizes, so covers stay visible and nothing tips when a hundred visitors pull copies.
Light covers without glare
Glossy jackets and laminated covers reflect overhead light. We angle LED fixtures and use matte graphic finishes around the shelves, so cover art reads true from the aisle and in every photo a librarian takes.
Give platforms a quiet demo corner
Library systems, databases and digital lending tools need a screen, a stool and some quiet. We place demo stations away from the signing area, with hardwired internet and a table where a director can talk contracts.
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 ergoPouch.
Start my ALA Annual concept05 Ernest N. Morial Convention Center · New Orleans
Logistics for ALA Annual 2027, handled
The Morial Center stretches about two miles along the river, so dock-to-booth distance depends on the hall, and the building does not supply carts or pallet jacks. Louisiana is a right-to-work state: your full-time staff can set up a simple booth, while drayage, electrical and rigging stay with union crews through GES, the official contractor. Hanging signs are limited to island and cross-aisle booths, with approval forms due May 4 and structural drawings due May 14, 2027. We order through the GES exhibitor manual, ship to the advance warehouse and run the June 23–25 move-in with our project manager. Your team can walk from Warehouse District hotels.
Hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines for this building are in our Ernest N. Morial Convention Center exhibitor guide.
Hall guide
ALA places the Library Marketplace in the Morial Center exhibit hall. These are the halls and spaces this building uses, laid out along about two miles of riverfront.
1.1 million square feet of divisible exhibit space in a line along the river; dock-to-booth distance varies widely across the building.
Our advice: We plan freight and hand-carry of galley cartons from your hall assignment, since the center lends no carts or dollies.
A 60,300 square foot space completed in 2013, with 25,000 square feet of ballroom and prefunction space plus indoor and outdoor balconies.
Our advice: It suits receptions and general sessions, a good spot for an author event that sends librarians back to your booth.
140 meeting rooms, two ballrooms and a divisible 4,000-seat theater with its own rigging and AV rules.
Our advice: Sessions or sponsor events in these rooms need their own tabletop graphics and signs; we build them to match your booth.
What Purple handles
- GES exhibitor manual orders, material handling and electrical
- Hanging sign forms and structural drawings for the May deadlines
- Shelving engineered for real book weights
- Freight to the advance warehouse with galley and catalog counts
- Install and dismantle led by our project manager with vetted local labor
Timeline, counted back from move-in
Hanging sign approval request (island and cross-aisle booths): May 4, 2027. Structural drawings follow by May 14, so we need your booth concept and sign size approved by late April to file both on time.
We need design sign-off by mid-April 2027.
- Mid-April 2027Design sign-off, shelving loads and signing layout approved.
- April–May 2027Production in Fishkill, NY; graphics proofed against your cover art.
- May 4 and May 14, 2027Hanging sign approval form, then structural drawings, filed with ALA show management.
- Early June 2027Booth, galleys and catalogs ship to the GES advance warehouse.
- June 23–25, 2027Move-in; our project manager and vetted local labor install, loads shelving and sets up the signing area before the Opening Reception.
- June 25–29, 2027Exhibit days through 12:30 p.m. on June 28, then dismantle until noon on June 29.
Purple planning timeline. Official move-in, freight target and order deadlines come from your exhibitor kit and assigned schedule; we confirm them against your booth when you book.
Printable budget & deadline sheetALA Annual exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before ALA Annual
How much does a booth at ALA Annual 2027 cost?
A 10×20 rental with shelving costs $7,500 to $15,000, a custom 20×20 island costs $50,000 to $120,000, and a small press 10×10 rental starts at $3,500. Loaded book shelving, a signing area with queue space and a hanging sign move the figure. ALA bills booth space; GES and the center bill show services.
What is the deadline to order a booth for ALA Annual?
Island and cross-aisle exhibitors file the hanging sign approval form by May 4, 2027 and structural drawings by May 14. Directory listings update by April 9. We need design sign-off by mid-April 2027 to build in 30–45 days and ship galleys and the booth in early June.
Can we rent a booth for ALA Annual, and what does a rental include?
Yes. A rental includes the frame, printed graphics, face-out shelving sized to your trim sizes, a signing or galley counter, lighting, freight and install. Many publishers rent the structure and keep custom shelving and signing furniture they reuse at other book and library events.
Can we set up our own booth at the Morial Convention Center?
Your full-time staff can assemble a simple booth because Louisiana is right-to-work, while drayage, electrical and rigging stay with GES union crews. Floor covering must be down by 1 pm Friday June 25 or ALA carpets the booth at your cost. We install during the June 23–25 move-in.
What are the ALA rules for hanging signs, covered booths and alcohol?
Only island and cross-aisle booths may hang a sign, with written approval requested by May 4 and drawings by May 14. Multi-story or covered exhibits need a written request 60 days before opening, and serving alcohol in the booth needs one 30 days before. We prepare and file each request.
What does drayage cost at ALA Annual and who pays it?
GES bills material handling to the exhibitor by weight, and books are heavy. Our New Orleans planning number is about $155 per hundredweight with a 200-pound minimum (2026–2027 planning rate). We count galleys and catalogs before shipping and put the drayage estimate on your proposal.
Can we reuse the ALA Annual booth at other shows?
Yes. Publishers and education brands carry the same shelving and frame to ISTELive in Boston, the ATD International Conference & EXPO and Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. We design it to reconfigure between inline and island footprints and store it between shows.
We already own a booth. Can you refresh it for ALA Annual?
We inspect and repair your exhibit, reinforce shelving for current titles, reprint cover art graphics, ship to the GES advance warehouse and install in New Orleans with our project manager, then store it until the next show. Every fee is on the proposal before you sign.
Before you sign with anyone
Five questions to ask any exhibit builder for ALA Annual:
- 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 ALA Annual 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.