concrete, roads and underground · Tampa
CGA Conference & Expo 2027Tampa booth costs, dates and deadlines: exhibitor guide
Locate, mark, dig safe: CGA Conference & Expo 2027 booths in Tampa
- Event dates
- April 12–15, 2027
- Exhibit hall
- April 12–15, 2027 (Outdoor demos Apr 12–13; Expo Hall Tue 3:50 p.m. to Thu 10:30 a.m.)
- Venue
- Tampa Convention Center, Tampa
4.9 star client rating3,000+ exhibitors10,000+ booths builtSince 2015
Quick answers
CGA Conference & Expo 2027 in 30 seconds
The CGA Conference & Expo is the yearly gathering of the Common Ground Alliance, the North American association for underground damage prevention. The 2027 edition runs April 12–15, 2027 at the Tampa Convention Center, with about 1,400 attendees and 130+ exhibitor booths expected, per CGA. Attendees come from CGA's 15 stakeholder groups, from excavators and locators to 811 centers and regulators. CGA sells indoor booths per square foot, private meeting rooms, and outdoor demo spaces at Damage Prevention LIVE! beside the hall. Purple builds locating and software booths and outdoor demo staging for it.
- When is CGA Conference & Expo 2027?
- April 12–15, 2027, at Tampa Convention Center, Tampa.
- When is the hall open at CGA Conference & Expo?
- April 12–15, 2027, Outdoor demos Apr 12–13; Expo Hall Tue 3:50 p.m. to Thu 10:30 a.m.
- How big is CGA Conference & Expo?
- The Broadmoor, April 24–27, 2028 exhibitors (2028 edition).
- What is the all-in cost of a 10×20 booth at CGA Conference & Expo?
- A Purple rental runs $7,500 – $15,000 with design, graphics, lighting, install and dismantle included. Space and show services are billed separately by CGA Conference & Expo.
- At CGA Conference & Expo, what is the next exhibitor deadline?
- Last day to cancel attendee registrations for a refund: February 26, 2027.
Official CGA Conference & Expo 2027 links: CGA Conference & Expo 2027 hotelsCGA Conference & Expo 2027 scheduleCGA Conference & Expo 2027 booth space
Underground & infrastructure · Tampa · 2027
15
stakeholder groups meet on one floor, from 811 centers to excavators source
The lookTampa 2027
Flags, paint, and what lies beneath.
The CGA Conference & Expo meets at the Tampa Convention Center April 12–15, 2027, with 1,400 damage prevention professionals expected and live demos on the lot next door.
Everything about CGA Conference & Expo 2027 in one place
CGA Conference & Expo 2027 fact sheet
| Official name | CGA Conference & Expo 2027 |
|---|---|
| Event dates | April 12–15, 2027 |
| Exhibit hall dates | April 12–15, 2027 (Outdoor demos Apr 12–13; Expo Hall Tue 3:50 p.m. to Thu 10:30 a.m.) source |
| Venue | Tampa Convention Center 333 S Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602 |
| Organizer | Common Ground Alliance (CGA) |
| Size (2028) | The Broadmoor, April 24–27, 2028 exhibitors source |
| Who attends | CGA's 15 stakeholder groups: excavators, locators, 811 centers, utilities, pipeline operators, regulators; 70% owners, executives or managers |
| Next deadline | Last day to cancel attendee registrations for a refund: February 26, 2027 source |
| Nearest airport | Tampa International Airport (TPA) |
| Hotels | Five downtown hotels; headquarters Tampa Marriott Water Street at $325 a night; booking link sent with paid registration Official hotel page → |
| Official website | cgaconference.com |
Official CGA Conference & Expo resources
CGA Conference & Expo 2027 calendar
CGA Conference & Expo 2027 dates and deadlines
Published CGA Conference & Expo dates in order, each one linked to the organizer page that states it. We highlight the next one.
- Last day to cancel attendee registrations for a refund source
- Damage Prevention LIVE! move-in begins source
- Conference opens; indoor move-in; outdoor demos source
- Expo Hall Grand Opening and Reception source
- Final exhibit hours; move-out begins source
- CGA 2028 opens at The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs source
01 Purple at CGA Conference & Expo 2027
Locate, mark, dig safe: CGA Conference & Expo 2027 booths in Tampa
The damage prevention industry's yearly meeting puts locators, excavators, one-call centers and utilities in one hall, with an outdoor lot next door where vacuum trucks and locating gear run for real. We build booths that make a locate or a ticket workflow easy to see.
- Apr 12–15, 2027 · Tampa
- 1,400 attendees expected
- Outdoor demo lots
What makes CGA Conference & Expo different, and how we build for it
The CGA Conference & Expo is the Common Ground Alliance's annual meeting for underground damage prevention, and CGA calls it the largest global event on the subject.Its 2027 theme is The Challenge of Change. Besides the indoor Expo Hall, exhibitors can buy space at Damage Prevention LIVE!, an outdoor demonstration area next to the Tampa Convention Center where equipment, tools and technology run in the open. New for 2027, Tide Talks put 20-minute thought-leadership sessions on the Expo floor with silent headsets. Club CGA and the welcome reception run at the Tampa Marriott Water Street.
Owners and field leaders who dig near buried lines and want locating, vacuum excavation and ticket tools that keep crews out of trouble.
Contract and in-house locating teams comparing locators, GPR, mapping and marking products.
One-call center staff, utility and pipeline operators who buy ticket management, mapping and damage data systems.
State regulators and compliance officers who follow CGA Best Practices and the data that shapes them.
Your team in Tampa
How Purple runs CGA in Tampa
Our Fishkill, NY shop builds the indoor booth and the outdoor demo graphics and ships them on one Florida schedule. Crates go to the warehouse in CGA's Exhibitor Service Manual or straight to the east docks off Channelside Drive. Our project manager oversees the outdoor lot on Sunday and Monday and the indoor booth through Tuesday, with the labor the center allows.
Inside CGA Conference & Expo 2027
CGA Conference & Expo rules that shape your booth
CGA limits registration to qualified industry professionals; suppliers may attend only as exhibitors, sponsors or confirmed speakers. We plan the booth roster around the badges each 100 square feet includes.
Damage Prevention LIVE! spaces are sold with weather and safety guidelines that apply to every demonstration. We ballast tents and signs for the Tampa waterfront and plan a dry fallback.
No one under the age of 18 may enter the Expo Hall at any time, and badge sharing or splitting is prohibited. We brief booth staff so no guest is turned away at the door.
The city-run Tampa venue keeps power drops, rigging points and internet as house services, and its early-bird pricing ends roughly three weeks before move-in. We place those orders for you.
Programs worth planning for
New for 2027: 20-minute executive-level presentations in a dedicated Expo floor space with silent headsets, $1,000 per session, non-sales content only.
Outdoor live demonstrations beside the convention center on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, with a breakfast reception on Tuesday.
A video challenge marking two decades of the 811 call-before-you-dig number, run as part of the 2027 conference program.
Packages across education, networking and Expo Hall experiences, including Club CGA and receptions at the headquarters hotel.
The CGA Conference & Expo is the buying room for underground damage prevention: pick it ahead of the Underground Infrastructure Conference if the people you sell to are locators, 811 centers and utility damage prevention managers rather than pipeline construction contractors. Compare CGA Conference & Expo with the other construction and equipment shows we build for →
02 Booths & pricing for CGA Conference & Expo 2027
What does a CGA Conference & Expo 2027 booth cost?
CGA sells indoor booths from 10×10 up to 20×60, priced per square foot at member and non-member rates, premium 10×10 spaces near entrances and activations, 400-square-foot meeting rooms, and outdoor demo spaces of 10×10 to 10×40 at Damage Prevention LIVE!. Purple sizes start at 10×20: a 10×20 or 10×30 inline suits most locating and software firms, and equipment makers pair an indoor booth with an outdoor demo lot.
A locator, GPR cart or marking kit on a low plinth, a screen with a live locate or ticket map, and a counter for 811 and utility staff.
Pictured: IMS, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
Hardware on one end and the software that dispatches it on the other, with a stand-up table in the middle for locate managers comparing workflows.
Pictured: Avertic by Engtex, a Purple inline booth
See 10×30 rental booths →
An island with a cutaway trench showing buried lines at true depth, a hanging sign and a seating corner for utility buyers.
Shown: a Purple island exhibit for SMOXH
See 20×20 rental booths →
A full damage-prevention story for a large supplier: hardware, software and data, plus a closed room, planned together with an outdoor lot.
Above: Bonomi, a Purple large-format exhibit
See 20×30 rental booths →In Purple's CGA Conference & Expo price
- Design and a 3D rendering for CGA Conference & Expo, revised until it is right
- Structure, printed graphics, counters and storage, as specified for CGA Conference & Expo
- Lighting plus power distribution within the booth at CGA Conference & Expo
- Installation and dismantle in Tampa, run by our project manager on the floor
- Show-service orders and deadlines for CGA Conference & Expo, tracked on your behalf
Billed by CGA Conference & Expo and its contractor
- Your CGA Conference & Expo booth space, paid to the organizer
- Material handling at the Tampa Convention Center, when the space rate does not include it
- Electrical, internet and rigging orders for CGA Conference & Expo
- Booth cleaning and any union labor the venue requires
Rates to plan with for CGA Conference & Expo:
- Indoor booth, 2027 $30 per sq ft member, $40 non-member (10×10 $3,000 / $4,000); premium 10×10 $3,200 / $4,200 source
- Outdoor demo, 2027 Damage Prevention LIVE! 10×10 $1,100; 10×20 $1,500; 10×40 $2,500 source
- Meeting room and Tide Talk Meeting room (about 400 sq ft) $1,000; Tide Talk $1,000 per 20-minute session source
- Booth build 10×20 rental $7,500–$15,000; custom 20×20 island $50,000–$120,000, Purple's 2026 planning range source
Every one of these is estimated on your proposal, so you see the full CGA Conference & Expo total on paper before you sign.
These are all-in 2026 rental ranges (design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle). A custom build is quoted per project. For an exact CGA Conference & Expo figure, try the booth cost calculator; the 2026 booth cost guide has the ranges.
Send us your booth size for CGA Conference & Expo and what the space needs to do. A reply within one business day, then a CGA Conference & Expo rendering and fixed proposal, usually within a week. No charge.
Ready-made booths for CGA Conference & Expo 2027
Rental booths priced for Tampa
Four of our ready-made designs with one all-in price for a show at Tampa Convention Center: design, production, shipping, install, dismantle and the show paperwork. Pick one and we send a rendering with your graphics within 24 hours.
Lounge Seating and Tall Logo Tower$31,950 all-in in Tampa12 items · design, build, shipping, install and dismantle
Layered Graphic Back Wall and Long Reception Counter$23,060 all-in in Tampa6 items · design, build, shipping, install and dismantle
Square Hanging Sign and Storage Room$25,100 all-in in Tampa9 items · design, build, shipping, install and dismantle
Storage Closet and Artificial Turf Floor$24,100 all-in in Tampa10 items · design, build, shipping, install and dismantle
All booth rentals priced for Tampa10×20 rentals20×20 rentalsHow all-in pricing works
The booth we would build for CGA Conference & Expo 2027
The cut-section booth that shows what lies under the street
Everyone at CGA works on the same problem, buried lines nobody can see, so the strongest booth shows the ground in section. A low cut-away of soil with lines at real depth turns a locator, a GPR scan or a ticket map into something an 811 manager and an excavator both read at once.
Ground section
A waist-high cut-away with gas, water, power and fiber lines in their marking colors, and the product placed where it finds them.
Map screen
A screen above the section with the locate, ticket or GIS view of the same lines, so the visitor sees field and office together.
Stakeholder panels
Three short panels for the excavator, the locator and the utility, each with one result that matters to that buyer.
Lot link
A floor graphic and a schedule card sending visitors to your Damage Prevention LIVE! space for the machine itself.
The demo
Hand the visitor the locator over the ground section, let them find the line, then show the same line appear on the ticket map. Outdoors on Monday and Tuesday, run the full-size version with the machine.
The meetings
CGA's event platform schedules meetings with attendees and CGA sells 400-square-foot rooms at $1,000; with only about nine hall hours, book utility and 811 meetings in advance and use the room between receptions.
Know what is down there before the bucket does.
Read before you design for CGA Conference & Expo 2027
CGA Conference & Expo 2027 exhibit rules in Tampa: equipment fuel, floor load, outdoor demos and rigging
CGA Conference & Expo runs an indoor expo hall at the Tampa Convention Center plus the outdoor Damage Prevention LIVE! area beside it. The city venue's November 2025 building policies and CGA's 2027 prospectus set the rules for machines, structures and demos.
| Rule | What the manual says | What it means for your booth |
|---|---|---|
| 01Outdoor demo spaces | Damage Prevention LIVE! sells outdoor demo spaces up to 10 by 40 ft, priced from $1,100 to $2,500; weather and safety guidelines apply (2027) source | Vacuum excavators, locators and potholing gear run outside in Tampa spring weather, so we plan ballasted tents and graphics built for wind and rain. |
| 02Equipment fuel | Displayed vehicles and equipment hold under half a tank or under 10 gallons, whichever is less, with fuel caps taped; no fueling or de-fueling on site (TCC 2025) source | Hydro-excavation trucks and locating vans have to arrive nearly empty, which means a planned fuel burn-down on the drive to Tampa. |
| 03Batteries and keys | Positive battery cable disconnected and taped or bagged; after move-in, vehicle keys stay with TCC security until move-out begins; no jump-starts (TCC 2025) source | Move-out waits on getting keys back from security, so the vehicle key handoff goes on the dismantle schedule with a named driver. |
| 04Floor load | Exhibit hall rated for a uniform 350 lbs per sq ft and concentrated loads of 16,000 lbs on a 2 ft by 2 ft contact area (TCC 2025) source | Anything heavier than those limits needs load-spreading frames and a certified placement letter before it rolls onto the Tampa floor. |
| 05Covered booths | Covered areas over 300 sq ft need a smoke detector and fire extinguisher; over 900 sq ft they need a Tampa Fire Rescue permit (TCC 2025) source | A meeting-room ceiling inside the booth adds fire equipment and possibly a permit, so we size roofs under those thresholds where the design allows. |
| 06Sign rigging | All rigging runs through TCC's exclusive rigging contractor; rigging plots with weights per point are due 21 days before the first move-in day (TCC 2025) source | A hanging sign over a CGA booth needs its plot and weights filed three weeks out, so sign artwork is final about a month before the show. |
| 07Drone flights | Drones may fly in contracted interior spaces once TCC holds drone liability cover of $1M per occurrence; exterior flights also need an FAA commercial license (TCC 2025) source | Utility mapping drones can fly at Damage Prevention LIVE! only after the pilot's FAA license and the insurance certificate are on file with the venue. |
Your team walks into a lit, stocked CGA Conference & Expo booth. You just show up.
03 Built by Purple
CGA Expo booths built for damage prevention buyers
Case study · KLEEMANN
KLEEMANN at an industrial technology exhibition
KLEEMANN's booth let engineers compare a real product with a digital simulation of it, the same pairing a locating company needs at CGA: the locator in hand and the map of what it found on the screen beside it.
Read the KLEEMANN case study All case studies →“Itzy and his team are the real deal. If you want to wow your potential customers at your next trade show, this is the team for you. They create the best custom and portable trade show exhibits by far.”
Sherri McManus, Corporate Training, The Lou Everett Group · more client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for utility locating, GPR, vacuum excavation, mapping software, marking products and damage prevention services at CGA Conference & Expo
Designing for the CGA Expo Hall and Damage Prevention LIVE!
1Show what is under the floor
Attendees think in depth of cover and tolerance zones. A cut-section of soil with colored lines at real depths, or a marked floor graphic in APWA colors, explains a locator or a GPR result faster than a brochure.
2Split indoor and outdoor jobs
Damage Prevention LIVE! runs Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning outdoors, before the Expo Hall opens Tuesday at 3:50 p.m. We plan the outdoor lot for the machine and the indoor booth for the data and the meeting.
3Build for short hall hours
The Expo Hall is open about nine hours across three days, most of them at receptions and meals. We keep the booth open-fronted, with the demo at the aisle and a screen visible over the crowd.
4Speak to all 15 stakeholders
An 811 center manager and an excavator owner want different things from the same product. We give each one a panel or a screen loop so staff can point to the right story.
Concept rendering
You get a rendering like this with your proposal
The 3D view shows layout, graphics, lighting and product positions before we cut a panel, and we revise it until the CGA Conference & Expo booth is right. This one is a Purple concept for Netronix.
Start my CGA Conference & Expo conceptFloor at a glance
Where you could be at CGA Conference & Expo 2027
CGA's 2027 exhibitor sales map shows four areas exhibitors can buy, per cgaconference.com.
Expo Hall
Indoor booths from 10×10 to 20×60, with premium 10×10 spaces near entrances, networking hubs and Tide Talks.
Our advice Premium spaces cost $200 more and sit where attendees gather between receptions.
Damage Prevention LIVE! (outdoors)
Outdoor demo spaces of 10×10, 10×20 and 10×40 beside the convention center, open Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.
Our advice Plan shade, ballast and a weather plan; CGA's weather and safety guidelines apply.
Meeting rooms
Private rooms averaging 400 square feet on the Expo Hall level and the upper level, $1,000 each.
Our advice A hall-level room keeps buyers a few steps from your booth.
05 Tampa Convention Center · Tampa
CGA Conference & Expo 2027 move-in and Tampa Convention Center rules
Exhibitor move-in runs Monday, April 12 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday, April 13 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Damage Prevention LIVE! moves in Sunday afternoon and Monday morning and moves out Tuesday from 11:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. Indoor move-out runs Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday morning. The Tampa Convention Center is city-run in a right-to-work state, with electrical, rigging and internet ordered from the center and docks on the east side off Channelside Drive. CGA's Exhibitor Service Center carries the service manual and booth personnel registration. We plan freight with margin because the center sits on the water.
CGA Conference & Expo exhibitors can find this building's hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines in our Tampa Convention Center exhibitor guide.
What Purple handles
- Indoor booths built around locating, GPR and ticket software demos
- Graphics and staging for Damage Prevention LIVE! outdoor lots
- Cut-section trench displays and marked floor graphics
- Branding for CGA meeting rooms beside the hall
- Convention center electrical and internet orders
- Storage and reuse for 2028 at The Broadmoor
CGA Conference & Expo timeline, counted back from move-in
We need your CGA Conference & Expo design signed off by January 2027.
- November 2026Book indoor space and any outdoor demo lot through CGA's online exhibitor sales map.
- January 2027Design sign-off, with the indoor booth and outdoor demo planned as one story.
- February 2027Production in our Fishkill, NY shop; electrical and internet ordered from the convention center.
- March 2027Freight to the advance warehouse listed in CGA's Exhibitor Service Manual.
- April 11–13, 2027Outdoor demo move-in Sunday and Monday; indoor move-in Monday and Tuesday morning.
- April 13–15, 2027Expo Hall days; move-out Thursday after 10:30 a.m. and Friday morning.
Planning timeline from Purple. Official move-in, freight target and order deadlines for CGA Conference & Expo come from your exhibitor kit and assigned schedule; we confirm them against your booth when you book.
Printable CGA Conference & Expo budget & deadline sheetBefore you book CGA Conference & Expo 2027
CGA Expo details exhibitors miss in their first year
The outdoor demo lot and the indoor hall run on different clocks: Damage Prevention LIVE! opens Monday 1 to 4 p.m. and Tuesday 8 to 11 a.m., then moves out before the Expo Hall opens that afternoon. source
Each 100 square feet of booth includes one exhibitor badge, and only two more are sold at the exhibitor rate ($925 member, $1,850 non-member), so count staff before choosing booth size. source
CGA does not sell attendee lists, but exhibitors can schedule meetings through the event platform and get a verified attendee directory after the event. source
Hotel links come only in the paid registration confirmation, and government per diem rooms are limited to the Embassy Suites, Hilton and Westin. source
Premium booth locations near entrances, networking hubs and Tide Talks are assigned first come, first served, so book them with the space contract rather than later. source
Who you meet on the floor
One of CGA's 15 stakeholder groups; they come to find tools and practices that cut line strikes on their jobs.
They compare locating equipment, GPR and marking products and the software that routes their tickets.
One-call center leaders who buy ticket management and mapping systems and attend their own board sessions at the conference.
Part of the 70% of attendees CGA counts as owners, executives or managers, who set damage prevention budgets.
Side by side
CGA Conference & Expo vs ACI Concrete Convention (Spring) vs ASCE2027: 2027 at a glance
| CGA Conference & Expo | ACI Concrete Convention (Spring) | ASCE2027 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | April 12–15, 2027 | March 21–24, 2027 | March 1–5, 2027 |
| Where | Tampa, FL · Tampa Convention Center | Las Vegas, NV · Caesars Palace Las Vegas | Philadelphia, PA · Pennsylvania Convention Center |
| Size | 1,400 attendees CGA expects in Tampa in 2027 | 2,000+ attendees per ACI convention, per ACI | 6,500+ attendees expected at ASCE2027, per ASCE |
| Main buyers | Excavating contractors | Engineers on ACI technical committees | Geotechnical engineers at Geo-Congress |
| Booth space | Indoor booth, 2027: $30 per sq ft member, $40 non-member (10×10 $3,000 / $4,000); premium 10×10 $3,200 / $4,200 | Sponsor tiers with exhibit space, 2027: Admixture $3,000; Reinforcement $5,000; Cement $10,000; Concrete $15,000 | Standard booth, 2027: $5,450 per 10×10 (base price from January 1, 2026); $250 per corner |
Figures carry the year and source shown on each show's own page.
Travel to CGA Conference & Expo 2027
Getting to CGA Conference & Expo 2027: airport and hotels
Fly in
Tampa International Airport (TPA)
Stay
Five downtown hotels; headquarters Tampa Marriott Water Street at $325 a night; booking link sent with paid registration
Travel facts from cgaconference.com.
CGA Conference & Expo by the numbers
CGA Conference & Expo year by year
How CGA Conference & Expo 2027 compares with other construction and equipment shows
The construction and equipment shows closest to CGA Conference & Expo on the calendar, with the latest size each organizer has published. Each show name opens our construction and equipment exhibitor guide for that show.
| Show | Dates | City | Latest published size |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASCE2027American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) | March 1–5, 2027 | Philadelphia, PA | ASCE2028 announced for Seattle exhibitors |
| MCAA Annual ConventionMechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) | March 7–11, 2027 | San Diego, CA | not confirmed yet (2026) |
| ABC ConventionAssociated Builders and Contractors (ABC) | March 9–11, 2027 | Aurora, CO | not confirmed yet (2026) |
| ACCA Conference & ExpoAir Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) | March 10–12, 2027 | National Harbor, MD | 100+ exhibitors (2027) |
| ACI Concrete Convention (Spring)American Concrete Institute (ACI) | March 21–24, 2027 | Las Vegas, NV | 50+ exhibitors (2026) |
| Hard Hat ExpoLee Trade Shows | March 24–25, 2027 | Syracuse, NY | 135+ exhibitors (2026) |
| AGC Annual ConventionAssociated General Contractors of America (AGC) | April 6–8, 2027 | Phoenix, AZ | 90+ exhibitors (2026) |
| CGA Conference & ExpoCommon Ground Alliance (CGA) | April 12–15, 2027 | Tampa, FL | The Broadmoor, April 24–27, 2028 exhibitors |
| IFCEEADSC | May 11–14, 2027 | Grapevine, TX | 59% contractors, 15% engineers, 11% consultants attendees (2024) |
| CFMA Annual Conference & ExhibitionConstruction Financial Management Association (CFMA) | May 22–26, 2027 | Nashville, TN | – |
CGA Conference & Expo exhibitor questions
CGA Conference & Expo 2027 exhibitor questions
When is the CGA Conference & Expo 2027?
April 12–15, 2027, at the Tampa Convention Center, per CGA. Outdoor demonstrations run April 12 and 13 and the Expo Hall opens April 13 at 3:50 p.m. with its Grand Opening and Reception.
How much is a booth at the CGA Conference & Expo 2027?
A 10×10 costs $3,000 for CGA members and $4,000 for non-members, $30 and $40 per square foot. A 10×20 is $6,000 or $8,000 and a 20×20 is $12,000 or $16,000, per CGA. Premium 10×10 locations add $200.
What is Damage Prevention LIVE!?
An outdoor demonstration area next to the Tampa Convention Center where exhibitors run equipment, tools and technology under field conditions. Spaces cost $1,100 for 10×10, $1,500 for 10×20 and $2,500 for 10×40, and weather and safety guidelines apply.
What are the CGA Expo Hall hours in 2027?
Tuesday, April 13 from 3:50 to 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 14 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and Thursday, April 15 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., per CGA's exhibitor schedule.
When is move-in for the CGA Expo?
Indoor move-in runs Monday, April 12 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday, April 13 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Damage Prevention LIVE! moves in Sunday, April 11 from 1 to 5 p.m. and Monday from 7 to 11 a.m.
What comes with a CGA booth?
Pipe and drape, a booth identification sign and one exhibitor badge per 100 square feet, per CGA. Up to two more exhibitor registrations cost $925 for members or $1,850 for non-members; further badges are at the full conference rate.
Who attends the CGA Conference & Expo?
About 1,400 damage prevention professionals from CGA's 15 stakeholder groups: excavators, locators, 811 centers, utilities, pipeline operators, engineers, public works and regulators. CGA reports that 70% are owners, executives or managers.
Can suppliers attend CGA without a booth?
Not as regular attendees: CGA limits registration to qualified industry professionals, and business partners and suppliers may attend only as exhibitors, sponsors or confirmed speakers. No one under 18 may enter the Expo Hall.
What are Tide Talks at CGA 2027?
New for 2027, Tide Talks are 20-minute thought-leadership sessions on the Expo floor, heard through silent headsets. CGA sells them at $1,000 per session, with limited availability, for non-sales content such as research or policy insight.
Can we book a meeting room at the CGA Expo?
CGA sells private meeting rooms averaging 400 square feet at $1,000, on the Expo Hall level and the upper level, through the same exhibitor sales map as booths. The Tampa Convention Center's waterfront rooms open directly into the hall.
Where should CGA exhibitors stay in Tampa?
The headquarters hotel is the Tampa Marriott Water Street at $325 a night, with the JW Marriott, Embassy Suites (skybridge to the center), Hilton Tampa Downtown and Westin Waterside in the block. Booking links arrive with a paid registration.
Where is the CGA Conference & Expo in 2028?
The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, April 24–27, 2028, per CGA's future dates. The conference returns to Tampa April 9–12, 2029.
Is the CGA Expo worth it compared with The Utility Expo?
For damage prevention products it is the more focused room: CGA gathers the locators, 811 centers and utilities that set and follow damage prevention practice. The Utility Expo in Louisville is a much larger equipment show for utility construction crews.
Before you sign for CGA Conference & Expo
Ask any CGA Conference & Expo exhibit builder these five questions:
- Can you build one design that works both indoors and on the Damage Prevention LIVE! lot?
- How will you ballast tents and signs for an outdoor lot on the Tampa waterfront?
- Will you order electrical, rigging and internet directly from the Tampa Convention Center?
- Can you build a cut-section display that ships flat and sets up during the Monday move-in?
- Will you store the booth and ship it to The Broadmoor for 2028?
What CGA Conference & Expo exhibitors ask us
Expo hours are short. Does a custom booth pay off? The hours are short but full: they run as receptions and meals with 1,400 attendees in a focused field. A booth that tells its story in one minute works harder here than a large one.
Our product is a truck. Do we need an indoor booth too? The outdoor lot runs Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning only and moves out before the Expo Hall opens. An indoor booth keeps you in front of buyers for the other two days.
We are a software company. Will excavators care? Excavators, locators and 811 centers all touch the ticket. Show the same locate from the field and from the screen, and each stakeholder sees their part.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your CGA Conference & Expo booth
What happens next
- Within one business day we write back to ask about your products, your goals for CGA Conference & Expo and your footprint.
- You get a concept rendering and a fixed proposal for CGA Conference & Expo, usually within a week. All fees listed upfront, in full, on paper, before CGA Conference & Expo.
- The build takes 30–45 days; we ship to the advance warehouse and install before the hall opens at the Tampa Convention Center.