specialty crops and greenhouse · Danville
CEA Summit East 2027Booth costs, dates and deadlines: the Danville exhibitor guide
Research greenhouse, tabletop floor: CEA Summit East 2027 booths in Danville
- Event dates
- September 14–15, 2027
- Exhibit hall
- Not confirmed yet
- Venue
- Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), Danville
4.9 star client rating10,000+ booths built3,000+ exhibitors servedSince 2015
Quick answers
CEA Summit East 2027 in 30 seconds
CEA Summit East is an annual conference for greenhouse, vertical farm and protected-cropping operators, run by Indoor Ag-Con with the CEA Innovation Center, a joint project of Virginia Tech and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR). The 6th edition runs September 14–15, 2027 at IALR in Danville, Virginia. It combines keynotes, deep-dive tracks and research showcase sessions with tabletop exhibits and guided tours of the Innovation Center's greenhouse and growth rooms. Exhibitors show at tabletops, not booths; 2027 rates are not confirmed yet. Purple builds tabletop displays, backdrops and lit product risers for it.
- When is CEA Summit East 2027?
- September 14–15, 2027, at Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), Danville.
- When does the CEA Summit East exhibit hall open?
- Not confirmed yet for 2027. In 2026 tabletop exhibits ran during the September 15–16 summit, with CEA Industry & Research Showcase sessions on both days.
- How much is a 10×20 booth at CEA Summit East, all-in?
- $7,500 – $15,000 for a Purple rental at CEA Summit East with design, graphics, lighting, install and dismantle. Space and show services are billed by CEA Summit East.
Official CEA Summit East 2027 links: CEA Summit East 2027 hotelsCEA Summit East 2027 booth space
Specialty crops & growing · Danville · 2027
Inside the greenhouse
where one 2026 breakout track met, at the CEA Innovation Center in Danville source
The lookDanville, Virginia 2027
Under the grow lights, industry meets research.
The 6th CEA Summit East brings growers, researchers and suppliers to IALR’s Danville campus on September 14–15, 2027, next door to the CEA Innovation Center it runs with Virginia Tech.
Everything about CEA Summit East 2027 in one place
CEA Summit East 2027 fact sheet
| Official name | CEA Summit East 2027 |
|---|---|
| Event dates | September 14–15, 2027 |
| Exhibit hall dates | Not confirmed yet In 2026 tabletop exhibits ran during the September 15–16 summit, with CEA Industry & Research Showcase sessions on both days |
| Venue | Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) 150 Slayton Ave., Danville, VA |
| Organizer | Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center (Virginia Tech and IALR) |
| Who attends | Greenhouse and indoor grower-operators, vertical farms, researchers, educators, government officials, architects and developers |
| Nearest airport | Lynchburg Regional (LYH), Piedmont Triad International (GSO) or Raleigh-Durham International (RDU) About 52, 54 and 58 miles away; Amtrak also stops in Danville (DAN), per Indoor Ag-Con |
| Hotels | No room block: the summit lists nine Danville hotels to book directly, from the Courtyard by Marriott to the Bee Hotel Official hotel page → |
| Official website | indoor.ag |
Official CEA Summit East resources
01 Purple at CEA Summit East 2027
Research greenhouse, tabletop floor: CEA Summit East 2027 booths in Danville
CEA Summit East brings greenhouse growers, vertical farmers, researchers and extension staff to a working research campus in Danville, Virginia. Exhibitors show at tabletops, so we build compact displays, lighting and graphics that make a grow light or control system read in one glance.
- Sep 14–15, 2027 · Danville
- Tabletop exhibits
- 6th annual summit
What makes CEA Summit East different, and how we build for it
CEA Summit East is built to bring the controlled environment agriculture industry and academia together, and it does so on a working research campus.Indoor Ag-Con, which produces North America's largest greenhouse and vertical farm trade show, partners with the CEA Innovation Center, a joint project of Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. In 2026 some breakout sessions moved into the Center's research greenhouse, CEA Industry & Research Showcase sessions ran on both days, and guided Innovation Center tours came with every pass. Suppliers exhibit at tabletops rather than booths.
Lighting, environmental controls, substrates and automation they can compare with peers, plus honest data on results.
Suppliers willing to share data, join trials and support the growers that extension serves.
Clear advice on launching an operation: markets, high tunnels and greenhouses, siting, funding and the models behind vertical farms.
Your team in Danville
How Purple runs CEA Summit East in Danville
The tabletop kit is fabricated and printed in our Fishkill, NY shop and packed into cases that travel as luggage or by parcel to IALR, since the summit is a campus event rather than a freight-handled hall. Our project manager confirms table size, power and setup time with Indoor Ag-Con and sets up with your team.
Inside CEA Summit East 2027
CEA Summit East rules that shape your booth
The summit's exhibits are tabletop displays from suppliers, set among the networking breaks, meals and evening social. We keep the display inside the table footprint with a slim freestanding backdrop.
Indoor Ag-Con posts the 2027 tabletop roster later in the year and adds exhibitors as they sign. We hold the design until your place on the roster and any table size are confirmed.
In 2026 one breakout track met inside the CEA Innovation Center greenhouse and tours closed the program. We plan staffing so the table is covered while attendees are in the room and free when they leave for the greenhouse.
Programs worth planning for
Ten registration scholarships for extension personnel in 2026, each with a full pass for the extension professional and one grower from their network.
Graduate students present posters of their own original research, judged at the summit, with winners announced at the day-two breakfast and keynote.
Showcase sessions on both days of the 2026 summit where industry and research teams presented, scheduled between keynotes, breaks and lunch.
CEA Summit East is the research-campus summit for eastern greenhouse and vertical farm operators; choose it over Indoor Ag-Con in Las Vegas when you want researchers, extension staff and growers at a tabletop rather than a full booth floor. Compare every agriculture show we build for →
agriculture at CEA Summit East
The industry behind CEA Summit East, in pictures
02 Booths & pricing for CEA Summit East 2027
What does a CEA Summit East 2027 tabletop cost?
CEA Summit East sells tabletop exhibits, not booth floor space, and 2027 tabletop rates are not confirmed yet. Purple does not pitch a booth the organizer does not sell: we build tabletop displays with a fabric backdrop or banner, table cover, lit product risers and a screen, packed to travel by car or parcel.
Product demos, two-person teams
Above: Sedemac, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
Multiple product lines, a small meeting nook
Shown: Piccolo Bambino, a Purple inline booth
See 10×30 rental booths →
Hanging sign, open floor plan, lounge
Above: Ecotact, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
Demo stations plus private meetings
Shown: a Purple island exhibit for Prime Video
See 20×30 rental booths →In Purple's CEA Summit East price
- A 3D rendering of your CEA Summit East booth, revised until you approve it
- Structure, printed graphics, counters and storage, as specified for CEA Summit East
- Lighting plus power distribution within the booth at CEA Summit East
- Install and dismantle at CEA Summit East, led by our project manager on the floor
- Each service order and deadline in the CEA Summit East exhibitor kit, tracked for you
Billed by CEA Summit East and its contractor
- Your CEA Summit East booth space, paid to the organizer
- Material handling (drayage) at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), where the space rate does not include it
- Electrical service, internet access and rigging
- Cleaning, plus any union labor the venue requires
Rates to plan with for CEA Summit East:
- Tabletop exhibit, 2027 Not confirmed yet; exhibiting details posted by Indoor Ag-Con source
Before you sign, your proposal already estimates each of these show charges, so the CEA Summit East total is on paper.
The prices above are all-in 2026 rental ranges covering design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle; custom builds for CEA Summit East are quoted per project. Get an exact number for CEA Summit East with the booth cost calculator or the 2026 booth cost guide.
Send us your booth size for CEA Summit East and what the space needs to do. You hear back within one business day, and a rendering with a fixed CEA Summit East proposal usually follows within a week. No charge.
The booth we would build for CEA Summit East 2027
The living tabletop
At a research-campus summit with tabletops, the strongest display is a small working system: a light over live greens, a sensor reading the room, a controller running a schedule. It turns a table into a demo that a grower or researcher can question in two minutes.
Live tray
A tray of microgreens or lettuce under your fixture or in your system, grown by your team and set in a tray holder we build.
Backdrop
A slim fabric backdrop with one trial result in large type: yield per square foot, energy per gram or water per head.
Data screen
A small monitor showing a live dashboard or a time-lapse of the crop cycle.
Take-away
A QR code to the full trial data and a sign-up for a research collaboration or extension demo.
The demo
Run the light or controller through a short cycle every half hour during showcase breaks, and show the same crop grown with and without it.
The meetings
There is no meeting system; conversations happen at the tables during coffee breaks, meals and the evening reception. Book researchers ahead for the day-two showcase sessions.
Grow more per square foot. Prove it in the data.
In Danville, your team walks into a booth that is already lit and stocked. You just show up.
03 Built by Purple
CEA Summit East tabletops for lighting and controls suppliers
Case study · Pixee Medical
Pixee Medical at a medical technology congress
Pixee Medical’s Purple booth was designed so each visitor could try the product themselves; a lighting, sensor or control system at a CEA Summit East tabletop needs the same idea at small scale, a working unit a researcher can test on the spot.
Read the Pixee Medical case study All case studies →“We were very happy with the experience and with the support provided throughout the project. The booth looked great, the coordination process was smooth, and everything was handled professionally, which made the event much easier for our team.”
Miriam Valdes, Communications Manager, INdermal · more Purple client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for greenhouse, vertical farm, lighting, environmental control, growing system and CEA technology suppliers at CEA Summit East
Designing a CEA Summit East tabletop that works live
1Light the light
Lighting companies sell spectrum and output, so a fixture that is switched off on a table says little. We power one fixture over a living tray of greens and print the photon figures on the backdrop.
2Bring data, not slogans
Researchers and extension staff are in the room, and the 2026 program included tracks on data management and core horticultural skills. A tabletop that shows yield, energy or water figures from a trial gets real questions.
3Time it to the showcase
The 2026 schedule put CEA Industry & Research Showcase sessions and coffee breaks back to back on both days. We plan the tabletop to be staffed and lit for those windows, when attendees move through the exhibits.
4Pack small
Danville is a research campus, not a convention hall, with the nearest large airports about an hour away. We design tabletops that pack into cases and travel as luggage or parcel, with no freight crate needed.
Concept rendering
Every CEA Summit East proposal includes a rendering like this
See the CEA Summit East booth in 3D first: layout, graphics, lighting and where products sit, revised until it is right and before any panel is cut. This one is a Purple concept for Netronix.
Start my CEA Summit East conceptFloor at a glance
Where you could be at CEA Summit East 2027
CEA Summit East uses the IALR campus in Danville. These are the spaces that shape a tabletop, from Indoor Ag-Con's summit pages.
IALR Conference Center
The summit's base in IALR's 90,000 sq. ft. main building, where sessions, meals and tabletop exhibits take place.
Our advice Expect a conference-center room, not a hall: keep the display within the table and a slim backdrop.
CEA Innovation Center
Hydroponic and soilless systems, indoor growth rooms, a greenhouse, growth chambers and vertical racks; in 2026 one track met inside its greenhouse.
Our advice Attendees tour it at the end of the program; bring results that relate to what they will see there.
05 Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) · Danville
Getting a tabletop to IALR in Danville for CEA Summit East
The summit meets on the IALR campus in Danville; the institute’s 90,000 sq. ft. main building at 150 Slayton Avenue opened in 2005 and houses the conference center beside the CEA Innovation Center's greenhouse and growth rooms. Parking at IALR is free. The nearest airports are Lynchburg (LYH, about 52 miles), Piedmont Triad in Greensboro (GSO, about 54 miles) and Raleigh-Durham (RDU, about 58 miles), and Amtrak stops in Danville. Tabletop shipping instructions for 2027 are not confirmed yet; our project manager confirms them with Indoor Ag-Con and sets up the table on site.
What Purple handles
- Tabletop displays with fabric backdrops and fitted table throws
- Lit product risers for grow lights, sensors and controllers
- Screens with crop time-lapse and data loops
- Cases built to travel as luggage or parcel
- Sponsor banners for sessions and receptions
- Reuse at Indoor Ag-Con in Las Vegas in March
CEA Summit East timeline, counted back from move-in
For CEA Summit East, we need design sign-off by June 2027.
- When 2027 exhibiting opensReserve a tabletop or sponsorship with Indoor Ag-Con; the 2027 exhibitor roster is to be posted later.
- June 2027Design sign-off: backdrop, table throw, risers, lighting and screen content approved.
- July 2027Production in our Fishkill, NY shop within 30 to 45 days.
- Late August 2027Cases packed and shipped, or handed to your team to carry, following Indoor Ag-Con's 2027 instructions.
- September 14, 2027Tabletop setup at IALR before the summit opens.
- September 14–15, 2027Summit days, CEA Innovation Center tours, and pack-out after the close.
Purple's planning timeline for CEA Summit East. The official CEA Summit East move-in, freight target and order dates come from your exhibitor kit and assigned schedule; when you book, we confirm them against your booth.
Printable CEA Summit East budget & deadline sheetBefore you book CEA Summit East 2027
What CEA Summit East exhibitors learn at the research campus
Guided CEA Innovation Center tours were included with every conference pass in 2026, so attendees see working research before or after visiting the tables. source
Ten extension scholarships in 2026 each came with a second pass for a grower, which brings extension agents and the growers they advise to the summit together. source
Graduate student poster winners are announced at the day-two breakfast and keynote, a good moment to meet the researchers behind the work. source
The nearest airports are about an hour out: Lynchburg 52 miles, Greensboro 54 and Raleigh-Durham 58; Amtrak's Danville stop is closer. source
The summit has no hotel block: book directly with one of the nine Danville hotels Indoor Ag-Con lists, from chain properties to the Bee, Holbrook and Laurel hotels. source
Who you meet on the floor
They come for business strategy, horticultural skills and technology sessions and to compare suppliers at the tables.
Virginia Tech and IALR scientists and visiting academics share research and look for industry partners.
Cooperative extension professionals attend, some on scholarships, to bring CEA research to the growers they serve.
They attend to plan new greenhouse and indoor farm projects, per Indoor Ag-Con's audience list.
Side by side
CEA Summit East vs Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo vs Great Lakes EXPO: 2027 at a glance
| CEA Summit East | Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo | Great Lakes EXPO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | September 14–15, 2027 | August 4–5, 2027 | December 7–9, 2027 |
| Where | Danville, VA · Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) | Fort Myers, FL · Caloosa Sound Convention Center & Luminary Hotel | Grand Rapids, MI · DeVos Place |
| Size | 90,000 sq. ft. IALR main building in Danville | Not published | 400+ companies in the 2026 trade show |
| Main buyers | Greenhouse and indoor grower-operators | Commercial citrus growers | Tree fruit growers |
| Booth space | Price not published | Price not published | Booth units, 2026: $1,100 first and second; $650 third and fourth; $500 fifth and more; nonprofit $400 |
Figures carry the year and source shown on each show's own page.
Travel to CEA Summit East 2027
Getting to CEA Summit East 2027: airport, hotels and parking
Fly in
Lynchburg Regional (LYH), Piedmont Triad International (GSO) or Raleigh-Durham International (RDU)
About 52, 54 and 58 miles away; Amtrak also stops in Danville (DAN), per Indoor Ag-Con
Stay
No room block: the summit lists nine Danville hotels to book directly, from the Courtyard by Marriott to the Bee Hotel
Park
Free parking at IALR
Find the venue
Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR)
150 Slayton Ave., Danville, VA
Travel facts from indoor.ag.
CEA Summit East by the numbers
CEA Summit East year by year
How CEA Summit East 2027 compares with other agriculture shows
The agriculture shows closest to CEA Summit East on the calendar, with the latest size each organizer has published. Each name other than CEA Summit East opens our exhibitor guide for that show.
| Show | Dates | City | Latest published size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agronomy Conference & ExpoThe Fertilizer Institute (TFI) | August 9–11, 2027 | Indianapolis, IN | Expo limited to 30 companies, JW Marriott Indianapolis, August 4–6 (2025) |
| Ag Progress DaysPenn State College of Agricultural Sciences | August 10–12, 2027 | Pennsylvania Furnace, PA | 40,000+ (show manager's estimate) attendees (2026) |
| DakotafestIDEAg Group | August 17–19, 2027 | Mitchell, SD | 400+ exhibitors (2026) |
| Farm Progress ShowFarm Progress (Informa Markets) | August 31 – September 2, 2027 | Decatur, IL | Nearly 600 exhibitors (2026) |
| Husker Harvest DaysFarm Progress (Informa Markets) | September 14–16, 2027 | Grand Island, NE | 2,220 average acres farmed by attendees (2025) |
| CEA Summit EastIndoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center (Virginia Tech and IALR) | September 14–15, 2027 | Danville, VA | – |
| AABP Annual ConferenceAmerican Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) | September 16–18, 2027 | Louisville, KY | 1,594 total attendance, Minneapolis 2026 |
| Farm Science ReviewThe Ohio State University | September 21–23, 2027 | London, OH | 112,000 attendees · 600+ exhibitors (2026) |
| World Dairy ExpoWorld Dairy Expo | September 28–October 1, 2027 | Madison, WI | 468+ exhibitors (2026) |
| Sunbelt Ag ExpoSunbelt Agricultural Exposition | October 19–21, 2027 | Moultrie, GA | 850+ companies per year (2026) |
CEA Summit East exhibitor questions
CEA Summit East 2027: exhibitor questions
When is CEA Summit East 2027?
September 14–15, 2027 (Tuesday and Wednesday), on the IALR campus in Danville, Virginia, per Indoor Ag-Con's future show dates. It is the summit's 6th annual edition.
Where is CEA Summit East held?
At IALR in Danville, Virginia, whose main 90,000 sq. ft. building at 150 Slayton Avenue houses the conference center. The CEA Innovation Center's greenhouse and growth rooms are on the same campus.
How do exhibitors show at CEA Summit East?
At tabletops: the summit features tabletop exhibits from suppliers of lighting, environmental control systems, AI and growing technology, per Indoor Ag-Con. There is no booth floor, so Purple builds tabletop displays rather than booths.
How much does a tabletop at CEA Summit East cost?
Not confirmed yet for 2027; Indoor Ag-Con's exhibiting page for the 2027 summit reads 'coming soon'. Purple quotes the tabletop display separately, built to pack into cases.
Who attends CEA Summit East?
Indoor and greenhouse grower-operators, researchers, educators, government officials, architects and developers, and industry suppliers, per Indoor Ag-Con. Cooperative extension staff attend too, helped by a scholarship program.
What are the CEA Innovation Center tours?
Guided tours of the CEA Innovation Center's research facilities, included with every conference pass in 2026. Researchers there work on micro-tomatoes, microgreens, edible flowers, pathogen management and microbial biostimulants.
What was on the 2026 program?
Four 90-minute deep-dive tracks, Launching a CEA Operation, Core Horticultural Skills inside the greenhouse, Technology Selection & Data Management, and Food Safety & Pest Management, plus keynotes and showcase sessions, per Indoor Ag-Con.
How do we get to Danville?
Fly into Lynchburg (about 52 miles), Greensboro's Piedmont Triad (about 54 miles) or Raleigh-Durham (about 58 miles), or take Amtrak to Danville, per Indoor Ag-Con. Parking at IALR is free.
How is CEA Summit East different from Indoor Ag-Con?
Indoor Ag-Con in Las Vegas (March 24–25, 2027) is a full trade show with booths; CEA Summit East is a smaller research-campus summit with tabletops and greenhouse tours. Choose the summit to meet researchers and eastern growers.
Is CEA Summit East worth it for a startup?
It suits a startup with a technical product: a tabletop costs far less to staff than a booth, and the people at the summit include researchers and extension staff who can put a product into trials.
Can Purple make our CEA Summit East tabletop?
Purple builds tabletop displays, backdrops, lit risers and screen stands in our Fishkill, NY shop, packed to carry or ship to Danville, and the same kit can go to Indoor Ag-Con in March.
Before you sign for CEA Summit East
Ask any CEA Summit East exhibit builder these five questions:
- Will our tabletop display pack into cases we can carry or ship to IALR in Danville?
- How will you power and light our fixture or controller at a conference-center table?
- How will the display hold and light a live tray of greens our team brings?
- Which details, such as table size, power and setup time, will you settle with Indoor Ag-Con for 2027?
- Can the same kit work at Indoor Ag-Con in Las Vegas, and what changes for a full booth there?
What CEA Summit East exhibitors ask us
It is only a tabletop. Is a custom display worth it? A good tabletop costs a fraction of a booth and can be reused at Indoor Ag-Con and regional grower meetings. A lit, working product on the table outperforms a bare table cover in a room of researchers.
Danville is out of the way. Will the right people come? The audience is smaller and specialized: grower-operators, researchers, extension and developers, drawn by the CEA Innovation Center. For sheer numbers, the March Indoor Ag-Con show in Las Vegas draws more.
Can we bring live plants? Indoor Ag-Con has not published 2027 exhibitor rules yet; we confirm plant and power rules with the organizer, and design the tray so it works with or without a live crop.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your CEA Summit East booth
What happens next
- Within one business day we write back to ask about your products, your goals for CEA Summit East and your footprint.
- Usually within a week, you receive a concept rendering and a fixed CEA Summit East proposal. All fees listed upfront, in full, on paper, before CEA Summit East.
- We build in 30–45 days, ship to the advance warehouse and install before the hall opens.