pro AV and broadcast · New Orleans
LDI 2027New Orleans exhibitor guide: booth costs, dates and deadlines
A dark hall that rewards light: LDI 2027 booths in New Orleans
- Event dates
- October 15–21, 2027
- Exhibit hall
- October 19–21, 2027
- Venue
- Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans
4.9 client rating10,000+ booths built3,000+ exhibitors servedSince 2015
Quick answers
LDI 2027 in 30 seconds
The short version for LDI exhibitors. Every figure here has its source further down the LDI page.
- When is LDI 2027?
- October 15–21, 2027, at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans.
- When does the LDI exhibit hall open?
- October 19–21, 2027.
- How big is LDI?
- 350+ exhibitors (2026 edition).
- What is the all-in cost of a 10×20 booth at LDI?
- $7,500 – $15,000 for a Purple rental in New Orleans: design, graphics, lighting, install and dismantle. Booth space and show services are billed by the show.
Official LDI 2027 links: LDI 2027 exhibitor listLDI 2027 booth space
The lookNew Orleans 2027
Lights out. Beams on.
LDI, October 15–21, 2027, moves to the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, expo October 19–21. LDI 2026 lists 350+ exhibitors of lighting, video and rigging, shown in a dimmed hall to the designers who light concerts, theater and theme parks.
Everything about LDI 2027 in one place
LDI 2027 fact sheet
| Official name | LDI 2027 (Live Design International) |
|---|---|
| Event dates | October 15–21, 2027 |
| Exhibit hall dates | October 19–21, 2027 source |
| Venue | Ernest N. Morial Convention Center 900 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70130 |
| Organizer | Questex |
| Size (2026) | 350+ exhibitors source |
| Who attends | Lighting designers, production managers, rental and staging companies, concert, theater, theme park, cruise and house of worship technicians |
| Nearest airport | Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) |
| Hotels | LDI's 2027 New Orleans housing block is not confirmed yet |
| Official website | ldishow.com |
Official LDI resources
LDI 2027 calendar
LDI 2027 dates and deadlines
In order: the dates the LDI organizer has published, each linked to the page that states it. We highlight the next one.
01 Purple at LDI 2027
A dark hall that rewards light: LDI 2027 booths in New Orleans
LDI is a dark show: the hall lights drop and every fixture, LED wall and laser has to carry the booth. For 2027 the show moves from Las Vegas to the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, and we build rigs, LED walls and ground-supported structures to LDI's height rules.
- Oct 15–21 · New Orleans
- Expo Oct 19–21
- 350+ exhibitors in 2026
What makes LDI different, and how we build for it
LDI, Live Design International, is the live entertainment technology show run by Questex: lighting fixtures, LED video, rigging, audio, staging, control and effects, sold to the designers and production companies who build concerts, theater, theme parks and cruise shows. Around the expo sit the LDInnovation Conference, the LDInstitute with its RIGZ! rigging symposium and Stage Managers Academy, the Young Career Professionals Program and Foster The Future, and the LDI Awards. The hall runs dark, so the fixtures are the booth. For 2027 Questex moves LDI from December in Las Vegas to October in New Orleans, after exhibitors and attendees named timing as their biggest barrier.
Designers who spec fixtures for tours and productions. They want to see the beam, the color and the output in the dark, run the console themselves and compare against what they used last season.
Owners who buy inventory by the truckload. They want road cases, weight, power draw, service support and price for fifty units, and a seat away from the light show to talk numbers.
Theme park, cruise, theater and house of worship teams. They look at rigging, control networks and safety, and need an engineer who can answer an installation question.
Your team in New Orleans
Two shops and one project manager for LDI
We fabricate in our own Fishkill, NY shop and our Las Vegas hub, then ship to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, where our own project manager leads the install with vetted local labor. Turnaround is a predictable 30 to 45 days, with pre-show QA and secure storage for your LDI booth.
When your team gets to New Orleans, the booth is lit and stocked. You just show up.
New at LDI 2027
- New Orleans and October
LDI leaves its December slot in Las Vegas for October 15–21, 2027 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, expo October 19–21. Freight, labor and housing move to New Orleans, and the build schedule moves up by about six weeks against a December show. source
Inside LDI 2027
LDI rules that shape your booth
Inline booths were limited to 10 ft, with 4 ft in the front 5 ft and no aerial rigging or hanging signs, and pop-up tents were banned (2026 rules). We build inline towers on bases instead of rigging.
Islands could build to 20 ft, solid walls to 16 ft, and approved hanging signs and aerial rigs to 30 ft, set back 10 ft from neighbors (2026 rules). We file the rig with the booth drawings.
Roofed or multi-story islands needed prior written approval from show management and the fire marshal, and multi-story peninsulas were banned (2026 rules). We submit the Booth Approval Form early.
Anything above the 8 ft drape and any wall facing a neighbor needed a finished back with no logo or identification (2026 rules). We finish every rear surface in black so it disappears in the dark hall.
Programs worth planning for
LDI's conference of 30- to 60-minute sessions on entertainment design and technology over four days; we time booth demos around the session breaks.
Hands-on training, including the RIGZ! rigging symposium and the Stage Managers Academy, which brings riggers and production staff to the show before the expo opens.
A career fair, coaching and sessions for early-career technicians, with Foster The Future scholarships and mentorship; a good fit for exhibitors hiring techs.
LDI's industry awards, listed with the show programs on ldishow.com; an award mark belongs on the product's plinth in the booth.
LDI is the U.S. trade show for live entertainment lighting, video and rigging; choose it over the NAMM Show when your buyers are designers, rental houses and production companies rather than music retailers. Every pro AV and broadcast show we build for, side by side →
Who exhibits at LDI 2026
Companies on the LDI 2026 exhibitor list, 350+ exhibitors in all. See the full list
- Robe Lighting
- CHAUVET Professional, ChamSys and Lyntec
- Clay Paky s.r.l.
- GLP German Light Products Inc. (GLP German Lighting Products, Inc.)
- ROE Visual Co. Ltd.
- Barco
- Absen Inc.
- INFiLED
- ADJ
- Astera LED Technology GmbH
- Rosco
- Rose Brand
- City Theatrical
- Riedel Communications Inc.
- Clear-Com LLC
- Pangolin Laser Systems
- Obsidian Control Systems
- Neutrik Americas
- Hazebase America
- PixMob
pro AV and broadcast at LDI
The industry behind LDI, in pictures
02 Booths & pricing for LDI 2027
Popular booth sizes at LDI
LDI sells inline booths, peninsulas and islands; in 2026 islands could reach 20 ft with hanging signs and aerial rigs to 30 ft, while inline booths had to stay ground-supported. A fixture maker is best served by an island of 20×20 or more that needs a truss rig, and a 10×20 with ground-supported towers for a control or effects line.
Ground-supported truss towers holding a few fixtures, a console demo station and a short LED panel, within the 10 ft inline limit and 4 ft front zone.
Shown: a Purple inline booth for Easy Shopper
See 10×20 rental booths →
Multiple product lines, a small meeting nook
Shown: a Purple inline booth for ergoPouch
See 10×30 rental booths →
An island with an overhead truss rig on approved rigging points, a fixture wall that runs looks on a cue stack and a dark corner for beam demos.
Shown: a Purple large-format exhibit for Amazon Prime Video
See 20×20 rental booths →
Demo stations plus private meetings
Pictured: Prime Video, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×30 rental booths →In Purple's LDI price
- Design work and a 3D rendering, with revisions until the LDI layout is right
- Structure, printed graphics, counters and storage as specified
- Lighting and power distribution inside your LDI booth
- Setup and teardown, with our project manager on the LDI floor
- Tracking of every show-service order and deadline
Paid to LDI and its contractor
- Exhibit space (paid to Questex)
- Material handling (drayage) at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, where the space rate does not include it
- Electrical, internet and rigging orders for LDI
- Booth cleaning, and union labor where the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center requires it
Rates to plan with for LDI:
- Booth build 10×20 rental $7,500–$15,000; custom 20×20 $50,000–$120,000, Purple's 2026 planning range source
Every one of these is estimated on your proposal, so you see the full LDI total on paper before you sign.
Ranges shown are all-in 2026 rental prices for design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle at LDI; custom builds get their own quote. For an exact LDI figure, try the booth cost calculator; the 2026 booth cost guide has the ranges.
Share the booth size you have at LDI and what you need the space to do. You hear back within one business day, and a rendering with a fixed LDI proposal usually follows within a week. No charge.
Your people arrive at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to a lit, stocked booth. You just show up.
03 Built by Purple
Built by our team: booths to compare for LDI
Case study · Amazon
Amazon at ESSENCE Festival of Culture, New Orleans
For Amazon’s first ESSENCE Festival activation, a walk-through environment that welcomed hundreds of thousands of attendees across Prime Video, Amazon Live and Alexa.
Our Prime Video activations for Amazon were built around screens, light and a crowd's first reaction; an LDI booth lives or dies on the same moment, in a hall that runs dark.
Read the Amazon 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 Purple client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for lighting, LED video, rigging, audio, staging and special effects makers at LDI
Four things we get right for LDI exhibitors
1Design for the dark
LDI dims the hall during show hours, so booth lighting is the only lighting. We plan general wash for staff and product tables, then let your fixtures play the show, and order overhead light or extra power where the dark would hide your counter.
2Rig to the height rules
In 2026, islands topped out at 20 ft, solid walls at 16 ft, and hanging signs and aerial rigs at 30 ft with approval, set back 10 ft from neighbors. Inline booths could not rig at all. We draw the rig and file approvals with the booth drawings.
3Haze and lasers on the schedule
In 2026 LDI set a lights-out window for fog and haze testing on the last move-in day and publishes laser safety requirements. We plan your effects and laser demos to those windows and paperwork so the rig is cleared to run.
4Road cases are the backdrop
Rental buyers judge build quality by the case. We design booths that use your road cases as counters and plinths, ship the fixtures in their own cases, and keep the hall's dark aisles clear of crates.
Concept rendering
Your proposal for LDI includes a rendering like this one
See the LDI booth in 3D first: layout, graphics, lighting and where products sit, revised until it is right and before any panel is cut. Above: a Purple concept for sensei.
Start my LDI concept05 Ernest N. Morial Convention Center · New Orleans
Logistics for LDI 2027, handled
LDI 2027 moves to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. In 2026 GES supplied carpet, electrical and labor, move-in ran four days before the expo, and LDI reserved a lights-out window on the final move-in day for fog and haze testing; the 2027 manual will set the New Orleans schedule. Hanging signs and aerial rigging needed advance approval and had to ship to the advance warehouse. We prepare rigging plots and booth drawings early, ship your fixtures in their own cases with our booth freight, and our project manager runs the install with the labor LDI and the Morial Convention Center require.
What Purple handles
- Truss rigs and ground-supported towers to LDI's height rules
- Rigging plots and booth drawings for LDI approval
- LED walls, staging and road-case counters
- Haze, laser and lights-out scheduling
- Our project manager runs the New Orleans install with the labor the show requires
LDI timeline, counted back from move-in
For LDI, we need design sign-off by early August 2027.
- June 2027Booth contract and floor position set; rig concept and fixture list agreed.
- Early August 2027Design sign-off: truss plot, LED wall, hanging sign and booth drawings ready for LDI approval.
- August to September 2027Production in our Fishkill and Las Vegas shops; rig pre-built and programmed with your fixtures.
- Late September 2027Freight and hanging signs to the advance warehouse on the 2027 schedule.
- Days before October 19, 2027Install in New Orleans, rig focus and programming, haze tests in the lights-out window.
- October 19–21, 2027Expo days; dismantle after close and fixtures packed to your return plan.
Purple's planning timeline for LDI. We confirm the official move-in, freight target and order deadlines for the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center against your booth when you book; they come from your exhibitor kit and assigned schedule.
Printable LDI budget & deadline sheetTravel to LDI 2027
Getting to LDI 2027: airport and hotels
Fly in
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
Stay
LDI's 2027 New Orleans housing block is not confirmed yet
Find the venue
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
900 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70130
Travel facts from ldishow.com.
LDI by the numbers
LDI year by year
How LDI 2027 compares with other pro AV and broadcast shows
The pro AV and broadcast shows closest to LDI on the calendar, with the latest size each organizer has published. Each name other than LDI opens our exhibitor guide for that show.
| Show | Dates | City | Latest published size |
|---|---|---|---|
| The NAMM ShowNAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) | January 26–30, 2027 | Anaheim, CA | 60,000+ attendees · 1,650+ exhibitors (2026) |
| HPA Tech RetreatHollywood Professional Association (HPA) | February 14–18, 2027 | La Quinta, CA | 58 Innovation Zone companies (2022) |
| USITTUnited States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) | March 17–20, 2027 | Baltimore, MD | – |
| NAB ShowNational Association of Broadcasters (NAB) | April 4–7, 2027 | Las Vegas, NV | 40K+ attendees · 1,100+ exhibitors (2026) |
| CinemaConCinema United | April 12–15, 2027 | Las Vegas, NV | – |
| Display WeekSociety for Information Display (SID) | June 6–11, 2027 | San Jose, CA | 6,828 attendees · 245 exhibitors (2025) |
| InfoCommAVIXA (Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association) | June 12–18, 2027 | Orlando, FL | 28,132 attendees · 807 exhibitors (2026) |
| NAB Show New YorkNational Association of Broadcasters (NAB) | September 29–30, 2027 | New York, NY | ~6,700 attendees · ~250 exhibitors (2026) |
| LDIQuestex | October 15–21, 2027 | New Orleans, LA | 350+ exhibitors (2026) |
LDI exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before LDI
What are the LDI 2027 dates?
LDI 2027 runs October 15–21, 2027 in New Orleans, with the expo on October 19–21. Opening times for the 2027 floor are not confirmed yet; during 2026 the floor opened at 10 a.m., closing at 6 p.m. and at 3 p.m. on the last day.
Where is LDI 2027 held?
The Morial Convention Center hosts it, its first LDI in New Orleans. Questex announced the move in June 2026; the December 2–8, 2026 edition runs at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Why did LDI move to New Orleans in October?
Questex said exhibitors and attendees told it timing was one of the biggest barriers to doing business at a December show. The October dates are meant to fit teams' budgets and planning cycles better.
How many exhibitors are at LDI?
LDI 2026 listed 350+ exhibitors, 215+ speakers, 125+ sessions and 75+ training courses. Figures for the first New Orleans edition are not confirmed yet.
Who organizes LDI?
Questex, the events and media company that also publishes Live Design, runs LDI; Jessi Cybulski is show director and Marian Sandberg the brand leader. In 2026 GES was the main service vendor for carpet, electrical and labor.
Who attends LDI?
Lighting and video designers, production managers, rental and staging companies, and technicians from concerts, theater, theme parks, cruise lines and houses of worship. In 2026 cruise lines and IATSE locals also exhibited.
How much does a booth at LDI 2027 cost?
LDI sells space through its booth store and prospectus. On our side, a 10×20 rental runs $7,500 to $15,000 and a custom 20×20 island $50,000 to $120,000; a truss rig, LED wall and programming time move an LDI budget most.
How tall can an LDI booth be?
Under the 2026 rules, inline booths were capped at 10 ft with 4 ft in the front 5 ft, peninsulas at 16 ft, and islands at 20 ft (16 ft for solid walls). Hanging signs and aerial rigs could reach 30 ft over islands of 400 sq ft or more, with approval.
Can we rig lights over our LDI booth?
Hanging signs and aerial rigs need advance approval and were allowed over peninsulas and islands in 2026, never over inline booths, which had to be fully ground-supported. All rigged items shipped to the contractor's advance warehouse.
Can we use haze, fog or lasers at LDI?
LDI is a dark show built for light. In 2026 it set a lights-out period on the last move-in day for fog and haze testing and published laser safety requirements for exhibitors. We schedule your effects to those rules.
When is move-in for LDI 2027?
The New Orleans move-in schedule is not confirmed yet. For the 2026 show, move-in took the four days before the expo, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and move-out ended two days after the close.
What programs run alongside the LDI expo?
The LDInnovation Conference, the hands-on LDInstitute with the RIGZ! rigging symposium and the Stage Managers Academy, the Young Career Professionals Program with Foster The Future scholarships, and the LDI Awards.
Is LDI or the NAMM Show better for live sound brands?
LDI reaches production companies, designers and rental houses buying for tours and venues; NAMM reaches music retailers and artists. Live sound brands with a touring or install focus often treat LDI as the core show.
Where should LDI exhibitors stay in New Orleans?
LDI's 2027 New Orleans housing block is not confirmed yet, so book through the official LDI link once it is posted for rooms near the Morial Convention Center. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) is the airport for the trip.
Before you sign for LDI
Five things to ask every builder quoting LDI:
- Are all fees on paper, including what the contractor at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center bills?
- Who builds the LDI booth: your own shop or a subcontractor?
- Will your project manager be on the floor at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center for install and dismantle?
- What does the rental include, and what is billed by LDI?
- Once LDI closes, where does the booth go and what does storage cost?
Common situations
Already own a booth? Bring it: we refresh the graphics, repair what is worn, ship it, install it at LDI and store it until the next show. You keep the structure you paid for and bring it to LDI.
Exhibiting from outside the US? We are your team on the ground at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center: freight to the advance warehouse, show-service orders, installation and storage, with one project manager on your emails in your time zone.
Short on time? A LDI rental carrying your graphics can be ready in two to three weeks. On the first call, we tell you what is realistic for LDI.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your LDI booth
What happens next
- We reply within one business day with questions about your products, goals and LDI footprint.
- Your LDI concept rendering and fixed proposal usually arrive within a week. Each LDI fee listed upfront and in full, on paper.
- In 30–45 days we build it, ship it to the advance warehouse and install it before the hall opens.