livestock and dairy · Nashville
CattleCon 2027Exhibitor guide to booth costs, dates and deadlines
Chutes, trailers and 9,400 cattlemen: CattleCon 2027 booths in Nashville
- Event dates
- February 2–4, 2027
- Exhibit hall
- Not confirmed yet
- Venue
- Music City Center, Nashville
4.9 client rating3,000+ exhibitorsIn business since 201510,000+ booths built
Quick answers
CattleCon 2027 in 30 seconds
CattleCon is the Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, the annual meeting of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. CattleCon 2027 runs February 2–4, 2027, at Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee, with business meetings from February 1. CattleCon 2026, also in Nashville, set an attendance record of more than 9,400 cattle producers and industry stakeholders, per NCBA. Exhibitors sell cattle handling equipment, trailers, feed, animal health, genetics, ranch technology and finance in booth space on the trade show floor, which also hosts Cattlemen's College demonstrations. Purple builds inline and island booths for chutes, trailers and ranch products there.
- When is CattleCon 2027?
- February 2–4, 2027, at Music City Center, Nashville.
- When is the hall open at CattleCon?
- Not confirmed yet for 2027. In 2026 CattleCon ran February 3–5 in downtown Nashville with the NCBA Trade Show on the floor all week.
- How big is CattleCon?
- 9,400+ attendees (2026 edition).
- How much is booth space at CattleCon?
- Not confirmed yet; rates are in NCBA's exhibitor prospectus, paid to the organizer.
- What does a 10×20 booth cost all-in?
- $7,500 – $15,000 for a Purple rental at CattleCon with design, graphics, lighting, install and dismantle. Space and show services are billed separately by CattleCon.
- For CattleCon, what is the next exhibitor deadline?
- Oversized equipment move-in, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: January 30, 2027.
Official CattleCon 2027 links: CattleCon 2027 hotelsCattleCon 2027 booth space
Livestock & dairy · Nashville · 2027
9,400+
cattle producers and stakeholders at CattleCon 2026, an all-time record source
The lookNashville 2027
Ranch country comes to Music City.
CattleCon 2027 runs February 2 to 4 at Music City Center, Nashville. In 2026 more than 9,400 cattle producers and industry stakeholders came, an all-time record, per NCBA.
Everything about CattleCon 2027 in one place
CattleCon 2027 fact sheet
| Official name | CattleCon 2027 (Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show) |
|---|---|
| Event dates | February 2–4, 2027 |
| Exhibit hall dates | Not confirmed yet In 2026 CattleCon ran February 3–5 in downtown Nashville with the NCBA Trade Show on the floor all week |
| Venue | Music City Center 201 Rep. John Lewis Way S, Nashville, TN 37203 |
| Organizer | National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) |
| Size (2026) | 9,400+ attendees source |
| Who attends | Cow-calf ranchers, stocker and feedlot operators, beef producers, CattleWomen, young cattlemen and allied industry |
| Next deadline | Oversized equipment move-in, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: January 30, 2027 source |
| Nearest airport | Nashville International Airport (BNA) The main airport for downtown Nashville, where Music City Center sits |
| Hotels | Book only through the official CattleCon website; NCBA warns of hotel pirating scams Official hotel page → |
| Official website | convention.ncba.org |
Official CattleCon resources
CattleCon 2027 calendar
CattleCon 2027 dates and deadlines
These are the dates the organizer has published for CattleCon, listed in order and linked to the pages that state them. We highlight the next one.
01 Purple at CattleCon 2027
Chutes, trailers and 9,400 cattlemen: CattleCon 2027 booths in Nashville
CattleCon is the National Cattlemen's Beef Association convention, where ranchers, feeders and beef producers fill the NCBA Trade Show between policy meetings and Cattlemen's College. We build booths that carry a squeeze chute, a trailer or a feed story on a downtown Nashville floor.
- Feb 2–4 · Nashville
- 9,400+ attendees in 2026
- Music City Center
What makes CattleCon different, and how we build for it
CattleCon is the Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, the yearly meeting of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, held with the annual meetings of the Cattlemen's Beef Board, American National CattleWomen, CattleFax and the National Cattlemen's Foundation. The trade show is also the classroom: Cattlemen's College runs live animal handling demonstrations in the Demonstration Arena, which adds a trailer for Beef Quality Assurance loading in 2027, while Cattle Chats, the Learning Lounge, the Marquee Stage and the new Corral Conversations put education on the floor. Producers come for policy, CattleFax outlooks and buying gear for the ranch.
Handling equipment, genetics, herd health and grazing tools they can see working, priced for a family operation.
Nutrition, animal health, scales, software and finance, with a seat to run numbers per head.
Policy updates, Beef Quality Assurance training and the vendors their neighbors already use.
Your team in Nashville
How Purple runs CattleCon 2027 in Nashville
The Fishkill, NY or Las Vegas shop fabricates and prints the booth, and the crates and any chute or trailer are booked into NCBA's Saturday oversized or Sunday general move-in window at Music City Center. On the floor, the Purple project manager directs the install alongside the labor CattleCon assigns, keeps the booth running through the Thursday 4 p.m. close and handles the Friday morning move-out.
Inside CattleCon 2027
CattleCon rules that shape your booth
Oversized equipment moves in Saturday, January 30, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; general exhibitors, squeeze chutes included, Sunday, January 31, 2 to 8 p.m. We book the carrier and the platform build to the right window.
All exhibits must remain intact and fully operational until 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 4, 2027. Our project manager books dismantle for the 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday morning move-out.
Outside food and beverages are not allowed on the floor at CattleCon 2027, including meals for booth staff. We plan hospitality or sampling through the venue's caterer and budget staff meals on site.
Housing and registration for CattleCon are only available through the CattleCon website, and NCBA warns of hotel pirating scams. We point every staff booking to the official site and ignore outside offers.
Programs worth planning for
Sponsored by Zoetis for more than 30 years: classroom sessions and live animal handling demonstrations, open to all CattleCon 2027 attendees, with in-person BQA certification.
New in 2027: in-depth discussions with industry experts on the NCBA Trade Show floor, alongside the returning Marquee Stage, Cattle Chats and Learning Lounge.
On-farm tours on Friday, February 5, 2027, after the convention, with an Agricultural Tour, for an additional fee.
CattleCon is the beef industry's national convention; choose it over World Ag Expo or the National Farm Machinery Show when your buyer is a rancher or feeder and you want policy leaders and cattle producers in one Nashville hall. Compare all the agriculture shows we build for →
agriculture at CattleCon
The industry behind CattleCon, in pictures
02 Booths & pricing for CattleCon 2027
What a CattleCon 2027 booth costs to plan
The NCBA Trade Show sells booth space through its exhibitor prospectus and floor plan, with oversized equipment such as chutes and trailers moving in a day ahead of standard booths. 2027 rates are not confirmed yet. We recommend a 10×20 inline with a working product for a first CattleCon and a 20×20 or larger island when a chute, panel system or trailer is the hero.
A feed, health or genetics story on a lit back wall, a counter with product in hand and a screen of ranch results.
Shown: a Purple inline booth for Sedemac
See 10×20 rental booths →
Room for a squeeze chute or scale beside the counter, with a graphic panel that shows the animal-side view and two stools for a rancher.
Shown: Riviera Towel Company, a Purple inline booth
See 10×30 rental booths →
An island around a hydraulic chute or panel system, with rubber flooring, a hanging sign where permitted and counters on two aisles.
Shown: Türkiye / Turkish Tastes, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
A trailer or truck with a lit structure behind it, a handling-system run and a quiet table for a feedlot's buyer.
Shown: Prime Video, a Purple large-format exhibit
See 20×30 rental booths →In Purple's CattleCon price
- Design and a 3D rendering for CattleCon, revised until it is right
- The structure, printed graphics, counters and storage your CattleCon plan specifies
- Booth lighting, with power distributed inside the booth
- Our project manager on the floor for installation and dismantle
- Each service order and deadline in the CattleCon exhibitor kit, tracked for you
What CattleCon and its contractor bill
- Booth space, paid to National Cattlemen's Beef Association
- Material handling / drayage, if the CattleCon space rate leaves it out
- Electrical, internet and rigging orders for CattleCon
- Booth cleaning and whatever union labor the CattleCon venue requires
Rates to plan with for CattleCon:
- NCBA Trade Show space, 2027 Not confirmed yet; rates are in NCBA's exhibitor prospectus source
- 10×20 build Rental $7,500–$15,000; custom $15,000–$45,000, Purple's 2026 planning range source
- 20×20 island build Rental $16,000–$40,000; custom $50,000–$120,000, Purple's 2026 planning range source
Your proposal estimates all of these, so the total for CattleCon is on paper before you sign anything.
Prices are all-in 2026 rental ranges for design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle; custom builds are quoted per project. For an exact CattleCon figure, try the booth cost calculator; the 2026 booth cost guide has the ranges.
Send us your booth size for CattleCon and what the space needs to do. We reply within one business day, then send a rendering and a fixed proposal, usually within a week. No charge.
The booth we would build for CattleCon 2027
The working chute and the ranch-numbers counter
CattleCon buyers are ranchers and feeders who learn by watching cattle move in the Demonstration Arena, then walk the floor looking for gear that makes the next working day calmer and safer. The booth puts one piece of equipment on a matted platform, lets people work it by hand, and backs it with results per head.
Chute platform
A squeeze chute, scale or panel run on rubber matting, open on two sides so a rancher can work the head catch and the gates with a staffer beside them.
Low-stress wall
A back wall that shows the cattle-side view: flow, footing and Beef Quality Assurance practice, with one short line readable from the aisle.
Per-head counter
A counter with a tablet that turns weight gain, shrink or treatment cost into dollars per head for the visitor's herd size.
Bench
A plain bench and coffee table for the conversation that happens after the policy session lets out.
The demo
Cycle the chute by hand every few minutes with a short video loop of cattle moving through it on a real ranch. For feed and health products, show the before and after on a weight or treatment record, not a slogan.
The meetings
NCBA committee and general sessions shape traffic: the floor fills when they let out. Book customer meetings for those breaks, and use the Learning Lounge or Corral Conversations schedule to time a staff expert at the booth.
Calmer cattle. Safer crews. Better weights.
Your team walks into a lit, stocked CattleCon booth. You just show up.
03 Built by Purple
CattleCon booths built for ranchers and feeders
Case study · KLEEMANN
KLEEMANN at an industrial technology exhibition
KLEEMANN's booth put real equipment beside a guided path and simulations, the same approach a chute, scale or handling-system maker needs at CattleCon, where ranchers want to touch the gates and see how cattle flow before they buy.
Read the KLEEMANN 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 reviews from Purple clients
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for cattle handling, chute, trailer, feed, animal health, genetics, ranch technology and ag finance companies selling to beef producers at CattleCon
Designing a CattleCon booth around working cattle equipment
1Show the chute working
Ranchers at CattleCon judge handling equipment by how a head catch, squeeze and gates move. We build a platform with rubber matting and a clear walk-around, so a staffer can cycle the chute by hand without a crowd stepping into it.
2Speak the Beef Quality Assurance language
Cattlemen's College puts BQA training and live handling demos on the floor, and a new trailer in the Demonstration Arena shows loading and transport. Graphics that tie your product to low-stress handling and BQA practice land with this crowd.
3Plan for meeting breaks
Traffic peaks when NCBA policy committees and general sessions let out. We give the booth a fast-read headline and a counter that handles a rush, then a side table for the longer talks that follow.
4Downtown freight, tight windows
Music City Center sits in downtown Nashville, and CattleCon's 2027 schedule gives oversized equipment one Saturday window and standard booths a Sunday evening. We schedule carriers to those exact windows, so a trailer or chute is never waiting on Broadway.
Concept rendering
Your CattleCon proposal comes with a rendering like this
Before we cut a single panel, you see the booth in 3D (layout, graphics, lighting and product positions) and we revise it until it is right. This one is a Purple concept for sensei.
Start my CattleCon conceptFloor at a glance
Where you could be at CattleCon 2027
CattleCon puts its education on the trade show floor. These are the areas that draw ranchers through the hall, from NCBA's 2026 and 2027 announcements.
Demonstration Arena
Live cattle handling demonstrations from Cattlemen's College; in 2027 a trailer shows Beef Quality Assurance loading and transport.
Our advice A booth on the path to the arena meets ranchers already thinking about handling.
Marquee Stage
Speakers on the trade show floor on reproductive technologies, vaccination programs, ag lending and crop protection.
Our advice Sponsors of a talk should have their booth within sight of the stage.
Learning Lounge, Cattle Chats and Corral Conversations
20-minute Cattle Chats, informal Learning Lounge talks and the new Corral Conversations with industry experts.
Our advice Schedule booth demos between sessions, when the floor refills.
05 Music City Center · Nashville
CattleCon 2027 move-in windows and Music City Center rules
CattleCon 2027 uses a split move-in at Music City Center, per NCBA's 2027 general information guide: oversized equipment on Saturday, January 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and general exhibitors, squeeze chutes included, on Sunday, January 31, from 2 to 8 p.m. Exhibits stay intact and running until 4 p.m. Thursday, February 4, and move-out runs that evening and Friday morning. Outside food and drink, staff meals included, is not allowed. Our project manager sets the carrier windows from the exhibitor kit and runs the install with the labor the show requires.
What Purple handles
- Inline and island booths built around chutes, panels and scales
- Trailer and truck displays planned for the oversized move-in window
- Rubber matting and walk-around platforms for working equipment
- Graphics written for ranchers and feeders
- Carrier scheduling into Music City Center's downtown docks
- Storage and reuse for World Ag Expo or NFMS a few weeks later
Your CattleCon timeline, from move-in back
Oversized equipment move-in at Music City Center: January 30, 2027. Chutes move in Sunday, January 31; trailers and big equipment need the Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. window.
For CattleCon, we need design sign-off by early December 2026.
- November 2026Booth space and floor location set through the NCBA Trade Show exhibitor registration, which opened in September 2026.
- Early December 2026Design sign-off, with equipment dimensions and any chute or trailer listed for oversized move-in.
- December 2026–January 2027Production in our Fishkill, NY or Las Vegas shop; ranch-facing graphics proofed.
- January 30–31, 2027Move-in at Music City Center: oversized equipment Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., all other booths Sunday 2 to 8 p.m.
- February 2–4, 2027CattleCon; our project manager is on site, and the booth stays fully operational until 4 p.m. Thursday.
- February 4–5, 2027Move-out Thursday 4 to 10 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to noon.
Our planning timeline. Move-in, freight target and order deadlines are set by the CattleCon exhibitor kit and your assigned schedule; we confirm them for your booth once you book.
Printable CattleCon budget & deadline sheetBefore you book CattleCon 2027
What CattleCon exhibitors plan before Nashville
Squeeze chutes move in with general exhibitors on Sunday, January 31, from 2 to 8 p.m.; trailers and other oversized equipment need the Saturday, January 30 window from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. source
Book staff rooms only through the CattleCon site: NCBA warns that outside groups sell CattleCon hotel rooms with no connection to NCBA. source
The Demonstration Arena adds a trailer in 2027 for Beef Quality Assurance loading and transport, a natural neighbor for trailer, handling and transport brands. source
Cattle producers who attend Cattlemen's College can apply for the Rancher Resilience Grant, which reimburses one full registration, worth mentioning to customers you invite. source
Plan for 2028 now: CattleCon moves to New Orleans February 1–3, 2028, and Houston for 2029, so a booth built for Nashville should travel. source
Who you meet on the floor
They come for business meetings, Cattlemen's College and the trade show, and set CattleCon's 2026 attendance record, per NCBA.
They guide NCBA policy and Beef Checkoff programs at the annual meetings held during CattleCon.
CattleFax holds its annual meeting at CattleCon, and its outlook sessions draw producers planning the year's sales.
NCBA's 2026 program added Next Generation Day and a Career Crawl through participating trade show booths.
Side by side
CattleCon vs Minnesota Pork Congress vs Iowa Pork Congress: 2027 at a glance
| CattleCon | Minnesota Pork Congress | Iowa Pork Congress | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | February 2–4, 2027 | February 9–10, 2027 | January 20–21, 2027 |
| Where | Nashville, TN · Music City Center | Mankato, MN · Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center | Des Moines, IA · Iowa Events Center (EMC Expo Center) |
| Size | 9,400+ attendees at CattleCon 2026, a record | 70,000+ sq ft of event space at the venue, per MPC in 2026 | 3,900+ attendees, per IPPA (2027 event page) |
| Main buyers | Cattle producers and ranchers | Pig farmers | Iowa and Midwest pork producers |
| Booth space | 20×20 island build: Rental $16,000–$40,000; custom $50,000–$120,000, Purple's 2026 planning range | Booth space, 2027: $750 for one booth; $730 per booth for two or more (10 ft wide by 8 ft deep) | In-line booth, 2027: 10×10 or 8×10 $1,015; end space +$370 per 10×10; obstructed 10×10 $975 |
Figures carry the year and source shown on each show's own page.
Travel to CattleCon 2027
Getting to CattleCon 2027: airport, hotels and parking
Fly in
Nashville International Airport (BNA)
The main airport for downtown Nashville, where Music City Center sits
Stay
Book only through the official CattleCon website; NCBA warns of hotel pirating scams
Park
Music City Center is in downtown Nashville near Broadway; plan freight and staff arrival around the move-in windows
Travel facts from ncba.org.
CattleCon by the numbers
CattleCon year by year
How CattleCon 2027 compares with other agriculture shows
The agriculture shows closest to CattleCon on the calendar, with the latest size each organizer has published. Each name other than CattleCon opens our exhibitor guide for that show.
| Show | Dates | City | Latest published size |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAICC AG PRO EXPONational Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants (NAICC) | January 25–30, 2027 | St. Louis, MO | – |
| Iowa Ag ExpoIowa-Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association (INEDA) | February 2–4, 2027 | Des Moines, IA | 550+ expected exhibitors (2027) |
| Spokane Ag ExpoGreater Spokane Inc. (Spokane Ag Expo) | February 2–4, 2027 | Spokane, WA | – |
| Oregon Wine SymposiumOregon Wine Board | February 2–3, 2027 | Portland, OR | 1,200+ expected attendees (2027) |
| Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable ConventionState Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania and partner grower associations | February 2–4, 2027 | Hershey, PA | 160+ (sold out) exhibitors (2026) |
| CattleConNational Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) | February 2–4, 2027 | Nashville, TN | 9,400+ attendees (2026) |
| Southern Farm ShowSouthern Shows Inc. | February 3–5, 2027 | Raleigh, NC | 415 exhibitors (2026) |
| World Ag ExpoInternational Agri-Center | February 9–11, 2027 | Tulare, CA | 100,000+ attendees · 1,179 exhibitors (2026) |
| Minnesota Pork CongressMinnesota Pork Producers Association | February 9–10, 2027 | Mankato, MN | – |
| NFMSKentucky Venues | February 10–13, 2027 | Louisville, KY | 300,000 attendees · 800+ booths exhibitors (2026) |
CattleCon exhibitor questions
CattleCon 2027 questions exhibitors ask
When is CattleCon 2027?
February 2–4, 2027, in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, with NCBA business meetings beginning February 1, per the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. The convention is at Music City Center, 201 Rep. John Lewis Way S.
Where is CattleCon 2028?
New Orleans, February 1–3, 2028, per NCBA's future dates. CattleCon then moves to Houston for January 30 to February 1, 2029, and returns to Nashville January 29–31, 2030.
How many people attend CattleCon?
More than 9,400 cattle producers and industry stakeholders came to CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, an all-time attendance record, per NCBA. Nearly 9,000 were already on site on opening day.
How much does a booth at CattleCon cost?
2027 NCBA Trade Show rates are not confirmed yet on a page we could read; NCBA publishes them in its exhibitor prospectus. Our own 2026 build budgets run $7,500 to $15,000 for a rented 10×20 and $50,000 to $120,000 for a custom 20×20 island.
When is move-in for the NCBA Trade Show 2027?
Saturday, January 30, 2027, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for oversized equipment, and Sunday, January 31, 2 to 8 p.m. for general exhibitors including squeeze chutes, per NCBA's 2027 general information guide.
When can we tear down at CattleCon 2027?
At 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 4, 2027, not before: all exhibits must stay intact and fully operational until then. Move-out runs Thursday 4 to 10 p.m. and Friday, February 5, 8 a.m. to noon.
What is Cattlemen's College?
CattleCon's education program, sponsored by Zoetis for more than 30 years, with classroom sessions and live animal handling demonstrations on business management, grazing, nutrition, herd health, succession, genetics and reproduction. It is open to all CattleCon 2027 attendees.
What is new on the CattleCon 2027 trade show floor?
Corral Conversations, in-depth discussions with industry experts, is the new trade show feature for 2027, per NCBA. The Demonstration Arena adds a trailer for Beef Quality Assurance loading and transport, and the Marquee Stage, Cattle Chats and Learning Lounge return.
How do we book a CattleCon hotel safely?
Only through the official CattleCon website, per NCBA, which warns that outside groups try to sell CattleCon hotel rooms with no relation to NCBA. Treat any housing email that is not from NCBA as a scam.
Can we bring a squeeze chute or trailer to CattleCon?
Squeeze chutes move in with general exhibitors on Sunday, January 31, and oversized equipment has its own Saturday, January 30 window, per NCBA's 2027 guide. We plan the platform, matting and freight around that schedule.
Can Purple build our CattleCon booth?
Yes. We build in Fishkill, NY or Las Vegas, book carriers into the Saturday or Sunday move-in window at Music City Center, and our project manager stays through the Thursday 4 p.m. close and the move-out.
Is CattleCon worth it for a small ranch-supply company?
It is the one event where beef producers from across the country meet in one hall, with more than 9,400 people in 2026, per NCBA. A 10×20 with working product and a clear ranch-results story is enough to compete on this floor.
What is the difference between CattleCon and World Ag Expo?
CattleCon is NCBA's beef-only convention, mixing policy meetings, education and a trade show for ranchers and feeders. World Ag Expo in Tulare is an outdoor farm show for all of agriculture, with machinery lots and ride-and-drive areas.
Before you sign for CattleCon
Ask any CattleCon exhibit builder these five questions:
- How will you get our chute or trailer into Music City Center in the January 30 oversized window, and who is on site?
- What platform and matting will let ranchers work the equipment safely in our booth?
- How will you staff the booth so it stays fully operational until 4 p.m. Thursday, February 4?
- How do you plan staff meals and hospitality when outside food is not allowed on the floor?
- Can the same booth travel to New Orleans in 2028, and what does storage cost between shows?
What CattleCon exhibitors ask us
It is a convention. Do producers really shop the floor? The education is on the floor: the Demonstration Arena, Marquee Stage, Cattle Chats, Learning Lounge and Corral Conversations all sit in the NCBA Trade Show, so producers walk past booths all week.
Can we bring heavy equipment downtown? Yes, on schedule: oversized equipment has its own Saturday move-in window and chutes come in Sunday. We plan the carrier and the platform to those windows.
The show moves cities each year. Is a custom booth worth it? A booth designed to travel pays back over Nashville in 2027, New Orleans in 2028 and Houston in 2029, and can also serve World Ag Expo or NFMS the same month.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your CattleCon booth
What happens next
- You get a reply within one business day, asking about your products, goals and footprint at CattleCon.
- You get a concept rendering and a fixed proposal for CattleCon, usually within a week. Every fee on paper upfront, in full, for your CattleCon booth.
- The build takes 30–45 days; we ship to the advance warehouse and install before the hall opens at the Music City Center.