AWWA ACE 2027 · June 13–16, 2027 · San Diego Convention Center, San Diego
AWWA ACE 2027 booth design & build in San Diego
Custom and rental exhibits for pumps, valves, meters, treatment systems and utility software, built so an operator can put a hand on the hardware. Engineered equipment supports, process graphics that trace the water, and union labor and drayage at the San Diego Convention Center handled by our on-site team.
- June 13–16, 2027
- San Diego Convention Center
Every last fee listed upfront, in full, on paper. 3,000+ exhibitors · 10,000+ booths built · 4.9★ client rating · Since 2015
Blue industrial machinery and pipework in a maintenance corridor
01 Purple at AWWA ACE 2027
What makes AWWA ACE different, and how we build for it
ACE is the water industry's annual meeting, and its floor is built for people who run systems, not just buy for them. The Pipe Tapping, Top Ops, Hydrant Hysteria and AWWA Meter Challenge competitions fill the hall with operators who judge hardware by how it handles, and the Tap Water Taste Test draws the utility crowd back to the floor. More than 20 education tracks keep utility teams on site all three days, with sponsors like Mueller, Xylem and Kamstrup setting the standard for the big islands. A booth that shows where your product sits in the process, then lets an engineer inspect the component and sit down with a drawing, gets the follow-up meeting.
A clear application story from the aisle, a private table for capital planning and procurement conversations, and staff who can talk lifecycle cost rather than specifications.
Cutaways, sample assemblies and system drawings close together, with room for two or three colleagues to inspect a component and ask installation questions.
Hands-on access to pumps, valves, meters and monitoring screens, with maintenance and access points visible and a demo they can operate themselves.
Your team in San Diego
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 San Diego 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 AWWA ACE 2027
Pick a footprint. We price it as a rental, a custom build, or a hybrid.
ACE floors mix large islands from the pump, valve and meter manufacturers with hundreds of 10×10 and 10×20 inlines from instrumentation, chemical and software companies. Exhibitors here usually land between a 10×20 with one equipment feature and a 20×30 island with a working demo and a drawing table.
One meter, valve or compact instrument on an engineered plinth, a process graphic behind it and a counter for the conversation.
Shown: Evodrop / Sulzer, a Purple inline booth
See 10×10 rental booths →
Two or three products arranged as steps in a treatment or distribution sequence, a cutaway on a stand and a small table for drawings.
Shown: Seain Industry Co., Ltd, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
A full-size pump or treatment skid with circulation around it, a monitoring screen at eye level, a hanging sign and an open meeting area.
Shown: Eonmetall, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
A live circulation loop with containment, grouped product families, a demo theater for operators and enclosed meeting rooms for utility procurement teams.
Shown: Senzani, 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
- 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 AWWA ACE 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 · Shapoorji Pallonji
Shapoorji Pallonji at engineering and infrastructure exhibition
A structured, powerful booth for a global engineering group founded in 1865, built to communicate scale, trust and engineering excellence.
Read the Shapoorji Pallonji case study All case studies →“They handle everything end to end so clients can really just show up and not worry about anything. Doesn’t get any better than that.”
Tess Bockes, Exit King Realty · more client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for water and wastewater technology brands at AWWA ACE
Four things we get right for AWWA ACE exhibitors
1Start with the application, not the spec
We open the booth with the water problem your product solves, then locate it in a simple treatment, distribution or monitoring sequence. Visitors understand where the hardware fits before they read a single specification, and your specialist can move from the aisle pitch to the engineering detail without losing anyone.
2Decide wet, dry or cutaway early
A live loop needs containment, power, drainage, an operating cycle and supervision. A dry assembly or cutaway can explain the same principle with a smaller scope. We settle this before the drawing is final because it changes the counter, the supports, setup time and reset between demos.
Engineer the equipment supports
Pumps, valves and treatment assemblies shape the whole plan. We take your packed weights, dimensions, transport configuration and viewing orientation, then design plinths and mounts that hold the load, keep moving parts behind a clear boundary and give operators safe access to the details.
Give the drawing a seat
Utility conversations move between a physical component and a system drawing. We put a meeting surface within a step of the display so an engineer can point at both, with a screen for digital tools positioned at a readable height and storage for samples and literature inside the furniture.
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 Exposom.
Start my AWWA ACE concept05 San Diego Convention Center · San Diego
Logistics for AWWA ACE 2027, handled
The San Diego Convention Center runs a union floor, so installation and dismantle are union work under the show contractor agreement, and heavy water equipment goes to the dock on a target date rather than through the lobby doors. Our planning rate for San Diego drayage is about $176 per hundredweight with a 200-pound minimum, and we build that into your quote. We read the ACE27 exhibitor kit, file the booth forms, book your material handling and targets, ship to the advance warehouse three weeks out and put our on-site team on the floor for install. The Marriott Marquis, Manchester Grand Hyatt and Gaslamp Quarter hotels are a short walk, and San Diego International is 10 to 15 minutes out.
Hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines for this building are in our San Diego Convention Center exhibitor guide.
What Purple handles
- ACE27 exhibitor kit, booth forms and target dates
- Engineered supports for pumps, valves, skids and cutaways
- Containment and utility planning for wet demos
- Graphics printed in house and proofed against your brand
- Freight to the advance warehouse and drayage paperwork
- Union installation, dismantle and return shipping with our on-site team
Timeline, counted back from move-in
- Early April 2027Design sign-off, equipment weights and utility needs locked, island drawings submitted where required.
- April to mid-May 2027Production in Fishkill, NY; supports built to your equipment, process graphics proofed against your brand.
- Late May 2027Booth and equipment supports ship to the ACE27 advance warehouse in San Diego.
- June 11–13, 2027Targeted move-in; our on-site team installs, levels the equipment and walks the pre-show punch list.
- June 14–16, 2027Exhibit hall open; a Purple project manager is on call through the 1pm close on Wednesday.
- June 16–17, 2027Dismantle, equipment packed to your return plan, booth to storage or the next show.
AWWA ACE exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before AWWA ACE
How much does a 20×20 at AWWA ACE cost?
A 20×20 rental island runs $16,000 to $40,000 and a custom 20×20 runs $50,000 to $120,000, all in for design, structure, graphics and installation. A 10×20 inline rental lands between $7,500 and $15,000. Equipment supports, wet demos and technical AV move the number; send us weights and we return a fixed quote.
Can you install heavy equipment at the San Diego Convention Center?
Yes. We design plinths and mounts from your equipment weights and dimensions, route the heavy pieces to the dock on a target date, and our on-site team works with the union labor on the floor to set, level and secure every piece before you arrive.
Can we rent a booth for AWWA ACE?
Yes. Rental structures with your graphics, custom equipment displays and a hybrid of the two are all available. Most first-time ACE exhibitors start with a 10×10 or 10×20 rental, add a custom product plinth and upgrade the whole booth once the show earns its place in the budget.
When do we need to decide?
Design sign-off by early April gives a comfortable 30 to 45 day build and a late-May ship date to the advance warehouse. Later is possible; the trade-off is choice of finishes, rush freight and less time to test a wet demo before it leaves our shop.
Do you handle the show contractor orders and drayage?
We file the exhibitor forms that concern the booth, order material handling, electrical, rigging and any water or drain service the demo needs, and keep you copied on every deadline. Drayage is budgeted at the San Diego planning rate up front, so there are no surprises on the final invoice.
Before you sign with anyone
Five questions to ask any exhibit builder for AWWA ACE:
- 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 AWWA ACE 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.
