ATD 2027 · May 16–19, 2027 · Thomas Michael Menino Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC), Boston
ATD 2027 booth design & build in Boston
Custom and rental exhibits for learning platforms, training programs and L&D services, built so a buyer can try the product in the first minute. Demo stations wired for your devices, a quiet spot for the rollout conversation, and Freeman drayage at the BCEC handled by Purple's Northeast crew.
Woman using a virtual-reality headset at a desk in a modern workspace
Purple at ATD 2027
What makes ATD different, and how we build for it
ATD is the largest EXPO for training and development practitioners, and the floor is built for trying things rather than reading about them. Attendees move between Mainstage keynotes, preconference courses such as the Instructional Design Certificate and the Evaluating Learning Impact Certificate, and the EXPO Hall, where the Puppy Park pulls steady traffic past every aisle. ATD26 in Los Angeles put 300+ exhibitors in front of buyers from more than 80 countries. Freeman runs the floor at the Menino Center, and island and hanging-sign drawings go to show management for approval before the build starts. A booth that gets a visitor into a real task inside two minutes wins here.
A five-minute path from the learner view to the admin view, then a quiet table where rollout, integration and pricing can be discussed away from the aisle.
Hands on the authoring tool or platform with approved sample content, a repeatable reset between visitors, and staff who can answer integration and content-standard questions.
A short facilitated exercise that shows the program's approach, printed evidence they can take with them, and a way to book a follow-up before they leave the booth.
Purple in Boston
Local crew, national shop
Serving venues like the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, our Boston team coordinates transport, local labor and installation so your booth arrives on schedule and runs smoothly.
Predictable 30–45-day turnarounds, secure storage and pre-show QA. Your booth ships from our production shop in Fishkill, NY or our Las Vegas hub, and our project manager is on the floor for install and dismantle.
Booth options for ATD 2027
Pick a footprint. We’ll price it as a rental, a custom build, or a hybrid.
The ATD EXPO is a mix of 10×10 and 10×20 inlines from platform vendors, content houses and consultancies, with islands from the enterprise learning suites and the big assessment brands. Most Purple clients at ATD choose a 10×20 with two demo stations or a 20×20 island with a small presentation corner and a closed meeting nook.
One demo screen at standing height, a lockable counter for laptops and a stool for a learner-to-admin walkthrough.
See 10×10 rental booths →
Two demo stations with separate learner and admin views, a pair of lounge chairs for a program conversation and hidden storage for giveaways.
See 10×20 rental booths →
An open island with three demo pods, a presentation corner for a ten-minute session, a hanging sign and a semi-private meeting table.
See 20×20 rental booths →
Demo pods, a seated micro-theater, a headset or simulation zone with its own reset area, private meeting rooms and a branded tower.
See 20×30 rental booths →All-in 2026 ranges for design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle; booth space, drayage and show services are separate. 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 ATD 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 return a fixed proposal, usually within two business days.
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.
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
Designing for learning platforms, training programs and L&D services at ATD
Four things we get right for ATD exhibitors
Start the demo at minute one
Nobody at ATD waits through a login screen. We load approved sample content, script the first 60 seconds with your team and give every station a one-tap reset so the next visitor starts from the same clean state. A recorded fallback keeps the story alive if the hall network drops.
Separate the learner view from the admin view
A CLO and an instructional designer want different screens. We build two demo paths into the same station, learner first, then authoring or analytics, with a second screen angled so a waiting visitor can follow along without leaning over the person at the keyboard.
Give the rollout talk its own room
Integration, SSO, content licensing and pricing questions run ten minutes or more. We plan a table or enclosed nook away from the demo noise, with power, a wall-mounted screen and print storage, so one buyer can go deep while the next demo starts at the front.
Plan headsets and simulations as zones
A VR headset or a simulation rig changes where a person stands, where their bag goes and how staff assist. We design the participant footprint, cable routing, sanitizing supplies and an observer view into the booth so throughput does not stall at one station.
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 Sensei.
Start my ATD conceptThomas Michael Menino Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) · Boston
Logistics for ATD 2027, handled
The Menino Center (BCEC) is a union hall: Carpenters Local 327 handles booth assembly through Freeman, ATD's general service contractor, and Boston drayage is among the most expensive in the country, with a 2026 rate sheet at this building listing $323.95 per hundredweight for crated advance-warehouse freight. We read the ATD exhibitor kit, submit island and hanging-sign drawings to show management, file the EAC form and certificate of insurance, ship to the Freeman advance warehouse about three weeks out, and book your target. The floor is one level across three bays, so freight rolls straight to the booth. Our Northeast crew installs and dismantles, and your team stays at the Westin Boston Seaport, connected by skybridge, or in the Seaport hotels nearby, three miles from Logan.
Hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines for this building are in our Boston Convention & Exhibition Center exhibitor guide.
What Purple handles
- ATD exhibitor kit, Freeman orders and target dates
- Island, tower and hanging-sign drawings for show management approval
- EAC form, certificate of insurance and lead retrieval order
- Graphics printed in house and proofed against your screens
- Freight to the Freeman advance warehouse and drayage paperwork
- Installation, dismantle and return shipping with our Northeast crew
Timeline, counted back from move-in
- Early March 2027Design sign-off; island, tower and hanging-sign drawings prepared for show management approval.
- Mid-March to mid-April 2027Production in Fishkill, NY; demo furniture built around your actual devices and screens.
- Late April 2027Booth ships to the Freeman advance warehouse in Boston; EAC form and certificate of insurance filed.
- May 14–16, 2027Move-in at the Menino Center; every screen and network drop tested before the EXPO opens.
- May 16–19, 2027EXPO open; a Purple project manager is on call throughout.
- May 19–20, 2027Dismantle after the EXPO closes Wednesday; devices packed to your return plan, booth to storage or the next show.
ATD exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before ATD
How much does a 20×20 at ATD cost?
A 20×20 custom island for ATD runs $50,000 to $120,000 all in for design, structure, graphics and installation; a 20×20 rental island lands between $16,000 and $40,000. Demo hardware, monitors and a hanging sign move the number, so send us your device list and we return a fixed quote.
Can you install at the Menino Center (BCEC)?
Yes. Boston is a union hall, so our Northeast crew works alongside Carpenters Local 327 through Freeman. We book your Freeman targets, supervise the install, test every screen and network drop before the EXPO opens, and stay through dismantle on Wednesday.
Can we rent a booth for ATD?
Yes. Rental structures with your graphics, custom demo counters and a hybrid of the two are all available. Many first-time ATD exhibitors start with a 10×20 rental at $7,500 to $15,000 and add custom demo furniture the following year once they know their traffic.
When do we need to decide?
Design sign-off by early March gives a comfortable 30 to 45 day build, a late-April ship to the Freeman advance warehouse and time for show management to approve island and hanging-sign drawings. Later is possible; the trade-off is finish options and freight cost.
Do you handle Freeman orders and drayage?
Yes. We order Freeman material handling, electrical, rigging and internet, route your freight through the advance warehouse, file the drayage paperwork and keep you copied on every deadline. You only need to ship your demo devices, and we can receive and stage those too.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your ATD 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.
- We build in 30–45 days, ship to the advance warehouse and install before the hall opens.
