IFT FIRST 2027 · July 11–14, 2027 · McCormick Place, Chicago
IFT FIRST 2027 booth design & build in Chicago
Custom and rental exhibits for ingredient, food and food-technology brands, built around the sample, the data and the specialist. Working tasting counters, utility drops ordered, and McCormick Place drayage handled by our on-site team.
- July 11–14, 2027
- McCormick Place
Every last fee listed upfront, in full, on paper. 3,000+ exhibitors · 10,000+ booths built · 4.9★ client rating · Since 2015
A chef tastes a dish in a professional kitchen with steam rising
01 Purple at IFT FIRST 2027
What makes IFT FIRST different, and how we build for it
IFT FIRST is the Institute of Food Technologists' annual food science event, and since 2026 the education runs inside the expo hall, so the Scientific & Technical Forums, the Hot Topics Studio stage and The Pitch! Finale presented by the Seeding The Future Foundation all pull traffic past the booths. The IFT FIRST Food Expo draws 1,000+ exhibitors and 15,500+ participants from 80+ countries, and the people at your counter are R&D scientists, product developers and plant operations leads, not consumers. They want to taste an application, read the data behind it and ask a formulation question. A booth that puts the sample, the evidence and the specialist within three steps of each other wins the lead.
A tasting counter with consistent sample codes, the technical sheet beside the exact sample, and a specialist who can answer a texture, stability or clean-label question on the spot.
Equipment or process demos at real scale, throughput and utility figures in plain view, and a seated table to walk through a pilot-line or sourcing brief.
A brand story that reads from the aisle, a short meeting space away from the queue, and a lead record that captures the application and the next step.
Your team in Chicago
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 McCormick Place, 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 IFT FIRST 2027
Pick a footprint. We price it as a rental, a custom build, or a hybrid.
IFT FIRST floors are anchored by large ingredient-house islands with tasting bars, so an inline booth needs a visible sample counter and a clear application headline. Exhibitors here usually land between a 10×20 with a tasting counter and a 20×30 island with two application stations and a meeting table.
One application story, a compact tasting counter with under-counter cold storage and a stool for a technical conversation.
Shown: Ecotact, a Purple inline booth
See 10×10 rental booths →
A tasting counter with prep space behind it, a sample library by application and a small table for formulation talks.
Shown: Al Sharq, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
Two application stations, a shared prep and storage core, a hanging sign and an open meeting table for buyers and R&D.
Shown: Bachoco USA, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
A working innovation studio: live equipment or pilot demo, several tasting stations, a private project table and back-of-house refrigeration.
Shown: Lakeside Foods, 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 IFT FIRST 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 · 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
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for food, ingredient and food-technology brands at IFT FIRST
Four things we get right for IFT FIRST exhibitors
1Build the tasting counter as a workstation
Design the tasting counter from the workflow out: where product arrives, where cold storage sits, how serving supplies are replenished and who resets the surface. We build prep space behind the counter, a queue lane in front and a sightline from the aisle so the demo never turns into a crowded workbench.
2Layer the science for a technical crowd
One application story reads from 30 feet, a concise explanation sits at the sample, and the supporting data lives one step behind it. We keep sample codes and labels consistent across the counter, the tablet and the follow-up sheet so a specialist can join at the right depth.
Start equipment demos from real dimensions
We start from the real instrument or pilot-line dimensions, access points, power and water, then decide what runs live and what a component, model or video tells better. Equipment supports, cable routing and utility drops are drawn into the booth before the graphics.
Give the development brief a seat
A seated table with a notebook, a sample tray and room for two colleagues keeps the development brief off the aisle. We give technical and commercial staff a place to confer without blocking the sample station, and the lead form records the application and formulation stage, not just a badge scan.
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 Hypr.
Start my IFT FIRST concept05 McCormick Place · Chicago
Logistics for IFT FIRST 2027, handled
McCormick Place is a union building with one exception: since the 2010 MPEA reforms your own full-time staff can assemble a booth of any size with their own tools, while material handling from the dock stays Teamster work billed by weight. Our planning number is about $210 per hundredweight with a 200-pound minimum, so we build IFT FIRST booths on aluminum frames, crate everything and send one consolidated shipment from our Midwest carrier to the advance warehouse. We read the IFT exhibitor kit, order the show contractor services, file the sampling and utility forms, and our on-site team installs, resets and dismantles. Your team sleeps at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place or the Marriott Marquis, both connected by skywalk.
Hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines for this building are in our McCormick Place exhibitor guide.
What Purple handles
- IFT exhibitor kit, show contractor orders and target move-in dates
- Sampling, hand-wash and utility forms for the tasting counter
- Electrical, water and drain drops placed to the demo plan
- Graphics printed in house and proofed against your packaging
- Freight to the advance warehouse and McCormick Place drayage paperwork
- Installation, daily resets and dismantle with our on-site team
Timeline, counted back from move-in
- Late April 2027Design sign-off; island and hanging-sign drawings submitted where the footprint requires it.
- May 2027Production in Fishkill, NY; tasting counter mocked up and tested with your real sample trays.
- Mid-June 2027Booth ships crated in one consolidated load to the McCormick Place advance warehouse.
- Early July 2027Targeted move-in; our on-site team installs, connects utilities and runs the pre-show walkthrough.
- July 11–14, 2027Show days; a Purple project manager is on call for resets and every service issue.
- Mid-July 2027Dismantle the evening the expo closes; samples and equipment packed to your return plan, booth to storage or the next show.
IFT FIRST exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before IFT FIRST
How much does an IFT FIRST booth cost?
A complete 10×20 rental with a tasting counter lands between $7,500 and $15,000, and a 20×20 custom island between $50,000 and $120,000, covering design, structure, graphics and Chicago installation. Refrigeration, sinks and live equipment move the number; send us your sample plan and we return a fixed quote.
Can you install a tasting booth at McCormick Place?
Yes. McCormick Place is our home floor. We design counters with cold storage and hand-wash provisions built in, order the utility drops and the show contractor services, and our on-site team installs, levels and tests every station before your first sample is poured.
Can we rent a booth for IFT FIRST?
Yes. Rental structures with your graphics, custom tasting counters on a rental frame, or a fully custom build are all options. Most first-time IFT FIRST exhibitors start with a 10×20 rental, upgrade the counter and reuse the graphics at the next food show.
When do we need to decide?
Design sign-off by late April 2027 gives a 30 to 45 day build and a mid-June ship date to the advance warehouse. Later is possible; the trade-off is finish choices and freight surcharges, which run 25 to 35 percent on late or off-target shipments at McCormick Place.
Do you handle the show contractor orders and drayage?
We do. We book your material handling, order electrical, water and drain drops, schedule the target move-in, and keep you copied on every deadline. Freight is addressed with building, hall and booth number so it lands at the right McCormick Place dock the first time.
Before you sign with anyone
Five questions to ask any exhibit builder for IFT FIRST:
- 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 IFT FIRST 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.