Licensing Expo 2027 · May 25–27, 2027 · Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas
Licensing Expo 2027 booth design & build in Las Vegas
Custom and rental exhibits for brand owners, studios, agencies and licensees: a property that reads from the aisle, a product gallery partners can handle, and meeting rooms that hold a schedule. Built in our shop, installed by Purple's Las Vegas crew at Mandalay Bay.
- May 25–27, 2027
- Mandalay Bay Convention Center
Every last fee listed upfront, in full, on paper. 3,000+ exhibitors · 10,000+ booths built · 4.9★ client rating · Since 2015
Colorful toy-store display with large plush figures and illuminated retail signage
01 Purple at Licensing Expo 2027
What makes Licensing Expo different, and how we build for it
Licensing Expo puts 5,000+ brands in front of the retailers and manufacturers who turn them into products. The 2026 edition drew 12,000+ visitors and 376+ exhibitors to Mandalay Bay, with buying teams from Target, Walmart, Macy's and Amazon walking the aisles past Hasbro, Mattel, LEGO, Pokémon and Paramount. Informa Markets runs the show with Licensing International as sponsor, and the Matchmaking platform and Event Planner set 1-to-1 meetings before anyone lands, so partners arrive at your booth with an appointment already booked. Deals opened here carry on to Brand Licensing Europe in London and Licensing Expo Shanghai. Your booth has two jobs at once: read as the property from 100 feet, and hold a scheduled meeting in comfort.
A quick read of which properties are available in their category, physical product examples to handle, and a table where terms can be discussed away from the aisle.
A recognizable arrival point for scheduled Matchmaking meetings, a host who routes each guest to the right representative, and a reset between appointments.
One unmistakable brand gesture, a screen that shows approved sizzle to the public, and a private screen for the portfolio and release calendar.
Your team in Las Vegas
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 Mandalay Bay Convention Center, 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 Licensing Expo 2027
Pick a footprint. We price it as a rental, a custom build, or a hybrid.
Licensing Expo floors are led by large studio and toy-company islands with full scenic builds, so an inline booth needs one big approved graphic to hold its own. Exhibitors here usually land between a 10×20 with a brand wall and one meeting table and a 20×30 island with two or three closed meeting rooms.
One hero property wall, a lit shelf of licensed product examples and a two-seat table for a first conversation.
Shown: Alltime, a Purple inline booth
See 10×10 rental booths →
A brand wall with a public screen, a merchandise gallery by category and a semi-private meeting table with storage.
Shown: Happy Time High / Hemplitude, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
A walk-in brand world under a hanging sign, a host desk, a product gallery and two enclosed meeting rooms with presentation screens.
Shown: Asian, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
A scenic entrance, a portfolio wall for several properties, three or four meeting rooms, a waiting lounge and a back-of-house prep room.
Shown: Amazon, a Purple large-format 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 Licensing Expo 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 · Amazon
Amazon at ESSENCE Festival of Culture, New Orleans
Amazon’s first ESSENCE Festival activation: a walk-through environment that welcomed hundreds of thousands of attendees across Prime Video, Amazon Live and Alexa.
Read the Amazon 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 brand, entertainment and licensing exhibitors at Licensing Expo
Four things we get right for Licensing Expo exhibitors
1Make the property readable from the aisle
We give the lead property one large approved image at the top of the booth and keep the rest of the portfolio at a smaller, consistent scale. When every graphic competes at the same size, buyers cannot tell which brand the booth belongs to, and the meeting starts with an explanation instead of a pitch.
2Show launched product, not concept art
We build lit shelving with real licensed merchandise grouped by category, and we label concepts separately from products already in market. Shelf depth and lighting are set so a buyer can pick a piece up without knocking over the display, and restock lives in lockable base cabinets.
Protect the meeting from the show
Meeting tables sit away from the arrival point, with screens angled so both sides see the portfolio. We add lockable storage and a reset routine so the next appointment starts with the right property materials on the table, and we size enclosures for the real group count.
Build for approvals and late artwork
Licensed graphics go through rights-holder approval, and approved changes arrive late. We separate the permanent structure from replaceable property panels and print in house, so a revised key art file can be on the wall before doors open without touching the structure.
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 Palladium Gol.
Start my Licensing Expo concept05 Mandalay Bay Convention Center · Las Vegas
Logistics for Licensing Expo 2027, handled
Mandalay Bay's exhibit floor is one level with docks along the east wall off Mandalay Bay Road, so advance-warehouse freight is on your booth fast and there are no freight elevators. The building runs on Las Vegas union rules: Teamsters Local 631 for material handling and IATSE Local 720 for rigging, and MGM keeps rigging, electrical and internet in house. We file the EAC paperwork with the show and with MGM, order MGM services at the early-bird rates, submit the Clark County fire package for any covered meeting rooms, ship to the advance warehouse and put our Las Vegas crew, twenty minutes from our local shop, on the floor for move-in. Crews stay at Luxor or Excalibur.
Hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines for this building are in our Mandalay Bay Convention Center exhibitor guide.
What Purple handles
- Exhibitor kit, show forms and MGM service orders
- EAC filings with the show and the resort
- Property graphics printed in house and swapped for late approvals
- Freight to the advance warehouse and drayage paperwork
- Enclosed meeting rooms engineered and fire-plan submitted
- Installation, dismantle and return shipping with our Las Vegas crew
Timeline, counted back from move-in
- Mid-March 2027Design sign-off, hanging-sign and enclosed-room drawings submitted, rights-holder artwork approval started.
- Late March to April 2027Production in Purple's shop; property graphics proofed against approved key art.
- Early May 2027Booth ships to the advance warehouse; MGM electrical, rigging and internet orders placed.
- The days before May 25, 2027Move-in at Mandalay Bay; Purple's Las Vegas crew installs, hangs the sign and runs the pre-show checklist.
- May 25–27, 2027Show days; a Purple project manager is on call for the whole run.
- May 27, 2027, from show closeDismantle, samples and product packed to your return plan, booth to storage or the next show.
Licensing Expo exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before Licensing Expo
How much does a 20×20 at Licensing Expo cost?
A complete 20×20 custom island with a hanging sign, product gallery and two meeting rooms runs $50,000 to $120,000, all in for design, structure, graphics and installation. A 20×20 rental island with your graphics lands between $16,000 and $40,000. Send us your footprint and property list for a fixed quote.
Can you install at Mandalay Bay Convention Center?
Yes. Our Las Vegas crew works Mandalay Bay all year, our shop is twenty minutes away, and we know the one-level floor and the east dock wall. We file the EAC forms, book Teamsters labor for freight, and order MGM rigging and electrical so your booth is standing before you land.
Can we rent a booth for Licensing Expo?
Yes. Rental structures with your approved property graphics, custom brand walls on a rental frame, and full custom builds are all available. Many first-time Licensing Expo exhibitors start with a 10×20 rental at $7,500 to $15,000 and spend the difference on lit product shelving and one good meeting table.
When do we need to decide?
Design sign-off by mid-March gives a comfortable 30 to 45 day build and an early May ship to the advance warehouse. Later is possible; the trade-off is choice of scenic finishes and freight cost. Late key art is fine, because the property panels print last.
Do you handle drayage and the show contractor orders?
Yes. We read the Licensing Expo exhibitor kit, order material handling and the show services that concern your booth, place the MGM electrical, rigging and internet orders at early-bird rates, and keep you copied on every deadline so nothing depends on a form you did not know about.
Before you sign with anyone
Five questions to ask any exhibit builder for Licensing Expo:
- 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 Licensing Expo 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.