The merchandise editChicago / 2027
Help distributors see the item, imagine the client application and remember why it belongs in their next proposal. Your booth should make good merchandise easy to understand and easy to present.
A show-specific perspective
ASI Show Chicago connects promotional-product suppliers with distributors. The organizer confirms education on July 27 and exhibits on July 28–29, 2027. A focused stand can help visitors compare products and decoration options while giving representatives room to discuss the practical details behind a client-ready recommendation.
Find your product storyBuilt around what you bring
Show the physical qualities that photographs cannot fully communicate: scale, material, construction and the relationship between the item and its decoration. Use orderly product families and retain room for handling. If samples are distributed, manage that activity separately from the presentation assortment so the display remains complete.
Combine a few finished looks with organized access to fabric, colors and decoration examples. Avoid using the whole footprint as a dense garment rack. A clear sample sequence lets representatives explain the collection while leaving room for visitors, and it makes replacement and repacking easier for the team.
Use approved examples to show what changes between processes or options. If equipment is part of the presentation, establish its space and service requirements early. When a live process would dominate the booth, consider a representative sample sequence and approved media that explains the same commercial value.
A closer look
The 2027 exhibit dates are July 28–29, following Education Day on July 27. Give the stand a concise opening story and a reliable way to continue deeper discussions. A busy sample station should not become the only place for appointments. Create a small consultation position where staff can review a client application, compare options and agree the information that should be sent after the event.
ASI lists island, cross-aisle, corner and inline booth options on its supplier page. Treat those as starting points for choosing a layout, then work from the actual space assignment and current requirements. More open sides do not automatically make the presentation clearer. Purple can help translate the sample range and distributor priorities into an exhibit concept whose circulation and storage support the way your team intends to sell.
Build your planning checklist
Good products deserve a clear presentation
Organize the exhibit around a few recognizable promotional applications, then give visitors a clear route from inspiration to a specific product discussion. Use real decorated samples and approved information to make the ideas concrete.
Client context
Create small, distinct groupings around the applications that matter to your range: an employee welcome, an event, a customer gift or another relevant use. Keep the scenarios illustrative. A distributor should understand the opportunity without reading a long story or sorting through the entire catalogue.
Physical sample
Let visitors see material, size and decoration quality at close range. Use a coherent display height and clear product identifiers. Keep enough open surface for a representative to take a sample from the display and discuss it without balancing it over a stack of brochures.
Product options
Arrange decoration examples, colors and configurations so differences are visible. Clearly distinguish what is shown from what is currently available. A small comparison tray or material board can be more useful than several repeated finished items when the conversation turns to a specific client brief.
Follow-up brief
Capture the products, intended use and information requested, rather than only the distributor’s contact details. Keep current approved commercial information accessible to staff. Give longer discussions a place away from sample collection so other visitors can continue exploring the range.
The human connection
Place staff close to the sample groupings and equip them with a consistent way to record what a distributor is exploring. Separate a quick product introduction from questions that require a commercial specialist. Agree how scheduled appointments, sample requests and decoration enquiries are routed, so visitors receive a clear answer or a named next step instead of repeating their needs.
Shape the visitor experienceDESIGN NOTES / 01
A supplier may have far more products than the booth can comfortably hold. Begin by defining the role of the Chicago presentation: launch a collection, broaden awareness of a category or support known distributors with new options. Select the assortment against that purpose. Use a small number of clear display families and keep additional variants available for guided discussion, so visitors can understand the offer without doing the cataloguing themselves.
Sample logistics belong in the design brief. Decide which pieces stay on display, which may be handled and which are available to take away under your own programme. Plan the storage and staff access for each group. A distributor should not have to navigate cartons or interrupt a replenishment task to see a product. Durable, well-labeled trays and shelves can also make the range easier to reuse at the next show.
The practical details
Organizer information checked September 16, 2026. Event dates and exhibit-hall dates are labeled separately.
July 27–29, 2027
Official organizer information ↗July 28–29, 2027
Official organizer information ↗McCormick Place, West Building
Official organizer information ↗Chicago, Illinois
Official organizer information ↗ASI Show
Official organizer information ↗Use your contracted footprint and the current exhibitor information.
Official organizer information ↗The organizer confirms exhibits on July 28–29, 2027 at McCormick Place, West Building in Chicago. Education Day is July 27, making the full event July 27–29. Use the separate exhibitor access schedule when arranging delivery, installation and staff setup.
Begin with the purpose of the show and the applications you want distributors to remember. Select enough samples to explain the range, with additional variants organized for guided discussion. The goal is a clear product story and useful comparison, rather than reproducing every page of the catalogue.
Yes. The brief can group merchandise by category or client application, with a consistent display system connecting the whole stand. Shared storage and meeting space can keep the layout efficient. Provide the sample inventory and dimensions so the design reflects the actual range.
Use approved physical examples with clear identifiers and room for side-by-side comparison. A material or decoration board may communicate the difference efficiently. If a live process is planned, establish equipment, staffing and service needs before the booth layout is fixed, and check the current event requirements.
The organizer’s supplier page describes island, cross-aisle, corner and inline options. Availability and the specific requirements depend on the actual assignment. Choose a configuration around the product handling, visibility and meeting needs of your range, then review it against the current show documentation.
Yes. Reusable shelves, sample drawers, garment rails or comparison boards can be developed around rental architecture. This can help preserve a distinctive product presentation while allowing the layout to change at future events. Compare the full fixture, graphics and logistics scope when reviewing options.
Share the assigned dimensions, open sides, sample inventory, presentation priorities and meeting needs. Include any equipment, AV, decoration demonstrations and planned reuse. The estimate can then reflect the real display workload and distinguish the exhibit scope from event services and operating costs.
Give staff a consistent way to connect contact details to the products and applications discussed. Record requested samples or information and assign an owner. The booth can provide a quiet place to capture that brief, helping the post-show conversation begin with something more specific than a general catalogue email.
Choose the working space
Use the back wall for a legible category message, with sample shelves and a counter that leaves an open entry. Give the lead collection enough space to stand out. Store secondary variants nearby so the representative can expand the conversation without overcrowding the initial display.
Explore this approachUse one side for discovery and another for a more detailed sample discussion. Low, open displays can preserve sightlines between the two. Check that visitors handling bags, apparel or larger items have enough room to step aside without blocking others who want to enter.
Explore this approachOrganize product families around a shared welcome and meeting area. Repeat the display logic so a visitor can navigate the whole range easily. Reserve concealed stock space and a staff route for replenishment; an island with every edge filled by merchandise can become difficult to operate.
Explore this approachConceptual layouts, adapted to your confirmed footprint, open sides, equipment and current show requirements.
Shelving, garment presentation, decoration sample boards and storage determine much of the useful exhibit scope. Custom fixtures may be worth retaining even when the architecture is rented. Compare the number of products displayed, the handling requirements and future reuse before adding decorative construction. Include shipping, installation, AV and ordered services as visible parts of the project plan.
Keep planning
Your working checklist
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Share the samples, client applications and distributor conversations you want to support at ASI Chicago. Purple can develop a booth brief that gives each product a clear role and your team a practical place to work.