CBC 2027 · April 5–7, 2027 · Henry B. González Convention Center, San Antonio
CBC 2027 booth design & build in San Antonio
Custom and rental exhibits for brewhouse, packaging, ingredient and service brands at BrewExpo America. We plan the floor around your tank or line, build the tasting counter and handle freight, drayage and installation with our San Antonio crew.
Stainless steel brewing tanks and packaged beer cases in a brewery
Purple at CBC 2027
What makes CBC different, and how we build for it
The Craft Brewers Conference is the Brewers Association's own event, and BrewExpo America is its trade show floor: where brewhouse, cellar, packaging and ingredient suppliers meet the people who run the kettles. In 2027 CiderCon co-locates in San Antonio through the American Cider Association, so cidermakers walk the same aisles, and the show closes with Bart Watson's State of the Industry keynote and the World Beer Cup awards ceremony on April 7. Buyers plan their route in My Show Planner and the CBC App before they land, so your booth needs a reason to be on it: a machine they can inspect, a sample they can taste, or a number they can take back to the brewery.
Access to the working detail of the equipment, a component or cutaway at eye level, and a specialist who can talk fittings, CIP and throughput without standing in the traffic lane.
A scope board that separates the displayed unit from installation, utilities and service, and a table away from the aisle to discuss financing, lead times and the full project.
Labeled samples and packaging comparisons they can taste or handle, with clear application notes for beer, cider and other beverage categories.
Purple in San Antonio
Local crew, national shop
Supporting events at the Henry B. González Convention Center, our San Antonio team manages transport, local logistics and installation so your booth is ready the moment doors open.
Predictable 30–45-day turnarounds, secure storage and pre-show QA. Your booth ships from our production shop in Fishkill, NY or our Las Vegas hub, and our project manager is on the floor for install and dismantle.
Booth options for CBC 2027
Pick a footprint. We’ll price it as a rental, a custom build, or a hybrid.
BrewExpo America is an equipment floor: tanks, canning lines and keg washers set the scale, so a 10×10 with a pop-up disappears next to a brewhouse island. Purple clients here usually run a 10×20 with one hero unit and a tasting counter, or a 20×20 island that frames a full line under a hanging sign.
One fermenter, keg washer or compact filler on a reinforced floor, a hop or malt sample rail and a stool for a conversation.
See 10×10 rental booths →
A hero machine on its useful viewing side, a labeled ingredient or packaging sample wall and a small table for scope and pricing talks.
See 10×20 rental booths →
A canning or bottling line with an open approach on three sides, a tasting counter with back-of-house storage and a hanging sign under the 35-foot ceiling.
See 20×20 rental booths →
A full brewhouse or packaging sequence from input to finished can, a demo station with power and water routed cleanly, and a closed meeting room for owner conversations.
See 20×30 rental booths →All-in 2026 ranges for design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle; booth space, drayage and show services are separate. A custom-built booth runs roughly $100 to $250 per square foot depending on finish level. A rental of the same footprint usually lands at 35 to 50 percent of the purchase price for one show. Get an exact number for CBC with the booth cost calculator or read the 2026 booth cost guide.
Send the show, your booth size and what the space needs to do. We return a fixed proposal, usually within two business days.
Built by Purple
Booths we have designed, built and installed
Case study · Machu Picchu Foods
Machu Picchu Foods at food and beverage trade show
A layered, walk-through environment inspired by the landmark itself, turning curiosity into sampling conversations.
Read the Machu Picchu Foods 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 client reviews
Designing for brewing and beverage suppliers at CBC
Four things we get right for CBC exhibitors
Map the equipment envelope first
We start from your shipping dimensions, weights, access panels and the activity you plan to run. Staff and visitor positions are drawn around that envelope so the technician has room to point at a fitting and the visitor has somewhere to stand that is not inside the machine's reach.
Show the working detail up close
A polished tank draws the eye, but the sale happens at the valve, the seam or the sensor. We put one cutaway, component or short loop of approved footage on a screen beside the relevant part, so the detail a full machine cannot demonstrate in the hall is still visible.
Build the tasting counter to work
Sampling at BrewExpo America needs a prep and replenishment area, cold storage out of sight and a separate technical table so a tasting queue does not swallow the equipment conversation. We design the counter with the pours, the dump sink and the restock inside the furniture.
Route utilities into the design
Electrical is exclusive to the Henry B., and water and drain for a live demo go through the show's designated providers. We order them to your equipment specification, hide the service routes where practical while keeping access, and price display-only and live-run configurations separately so the estimate matches the show you plan.
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 Nghi Son Foods Group.
Start my CBC conceptHenry B. González Convention Center · San Antonio
Logistics for CBC 2027, handled
The Henry B. González Convention Center is a right-to-work building, so our own crew installs any size booth with our own tools. Material handling still runs through the show's designated contractor at about $95 per hundredweight, and electrical, rigging, internet and cleaning are exclusive to the center, so we order them early. Freight goes to the loading docks on the HemisFair side, not the River Walk, and the San Antonio Fire Department needs plan drawings and flame-certified fabrics for covered or two-story exhibits. The 1,003-room Grand Hyatt connects directly to the center. We read the BrewExpo America exhibitor kit, book your targets, ship to the advance warehouse and put our San Antonio crew on the floor for move-in.
Hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines for this building are in our Henry B. González Convention Center exhibitor guide.
What Purple handles
- Exhibitor kit, service orders and target dates
- Floor loading and rigging plans for tanks and lines
- Power, water and drain orders for live demos
- Freight to the advance warehouse and drayage paperwork
- Tasting counter with storage and restock built in
- Installation, dismantle and return shipping with our San Antonio crew
Timeline, counted back from move-in
- Late January 2027Design sign-off, machine list and demo plan fixed, drawings filed for any covered or multilevel structure.
- February 2027Production in our shop; graphics proofed against your cans, labels and brand colors.
- Mid-March 2027Booth, counters and product fixtures ship to the advance warehouse; your equipment freight is scheduled to the same target.
- Early April 2027Move-in; Purple's San Antonio crew installs, sets utilities and runs the pre-show checklist before the 1 p.m. opening on April 5.
- April 5–7, 2027BrewExpo America show days; a Purple project manager is on call for the whole run, including the World Beer Cup evening.
- April 7, 2027Dismantle after the 3 p.m. close, equipment crated to your return plan, booth to storage or the next show.
CBC exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before CBC
How much does a 20×20 at CBC cost?
A 20×20 island runs $16,000 to $40,000 as a rental with your graphics and $50,000 to $120,000 custom, covering design, structure, graphics and installation. A 10×20 inline starts at $7,500 rental. Heavy equipment moves the drayage line, so send us weights and we return a fixed quote.
Can you install our tanks and canning line at the Henry B. González Convention Center?
Yes. Texas is right-to-work, so our own crew sets your equipment with our own tools. We plan floor loading and lifting from your specifications, order rigging through the center where a hanging sign needs it, and have every unit leveled and connected before you walk in.
Can we rent a booth for CBC?
Yes. Rental structures with your graphics, custom tasting counters and hybrids of the two are all available. First-time BrewExpo America exhibitors usually rent the walls and counter and spend the difference on the equipment they bring and the samples they pour.
When do we need to decide?
Design sign-off by late January gives a comfortable 30 to 45-day build, a mid-March ship to the advance warehouse and an easy early-April move-in. Later is possible; the trade-off is finish choices, demo utilities and freight cost on the machine itself.
Do you handle the contractor orders and drayage?
We file every form that concerns the booth, order material handling, electrical, water and internet through the designated providers, schedule your equipment freight to the target and keep you copied on each deadline so nothing depends on a form you never saw.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your CBC booth
What happens next
- We reply within one business day with questions about your products, goals and footprint.
- You get a concept rendering and a fixed proposal, usually within a week.
- We build in 30–45 days, ship to the advance warehouse and install before the hall opens.
