NACDS Total Store Expo 2027 · August 14–16, 2027 · San Diego Convention Center, San Diego
NACDS Total Store Expo 2027 booths in San Diego built for buyer meetings
Your booth hosts back-to-back Meet the Market appointments: enclosed tables for category reviews, planogram-depth shelving and locked sample storage. The San Diego Convention Center is a union floor, so we file the contractor paperwork and install with our own project manager and vetted local labor.
- Aug 14–16 · San Diego
- Space prices rise March 1
- San Diego Convention Center
Every last fee listed upfront, in full, on paper. 3,000+ exhibitors · 10,000+ booths built · 4.9★ client rating · Since 2015
Store aisles stocked with packaged consumer goods
01 Purple at NACDS Total Store Expo 2027
What makes NACDS Total Store Expo different, and how we build for it
Total Store Expo is a meeting show. NACDS builds it around Meet the Market, which pre-schedules thousands of appointments between suppliers and retail buyers, and the NACDS Market Exchange, where exhibitor profiles are shared with attending retailers. Around the floor sit Insight Sessions, the Product Showcase, NACDS-TV and the NACDS Foundation Reception & Dinner. Every supplier must hold booth space to attend, so the floor is full of senior teams running back-to-back category reviews. A booth here is judged by how well it hosts a 30-minute conversation with a category manager, not by how many people it pulls from the aisle.
A seated table with the line review in front of them: new items on shelf as they would appear in store, pricing and promotion plans, and samples they can take back to the office.
A quiet, private space for a short strategic conversation with your senior team about the partnership, retail media and the year ahead.
Clear shelf and endcap concepts, front-of-store and pharmacy-adjacent placements, and data on how the line performs in their channel.
Your team in San Diego
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 San Diego 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 walks into a lit, stocked booth. You just show up.
02 Booths & pricing for NACDS Total Store Expo 2027
Popular booth sizes at NACDS Total Store Expo
NACDS sells everything from 10×10 inlines to 50×50 islands, plus single and double Private Meeting Space, and almost every TSE booth is built around tables. For two or three simultaneous buyer meetings we recommend a 20×20 or 20×30 island; a 10×20 with one enclosed table suits an emerging brand.
A planogram-style shelf wall, an enclosed meeting table for four and a counter for walk-up conversations between appointments.
Shown: Piccolo Bambino, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
Two meeting tables on the Meet the Market calendar, each with a wall screen for shopper data, flank a center bay where the gondola-depth shelf set stands beside the host desk and locked sample storage.
Shown: ergoPouch, a Purple inline booth
See 10×30 rental booths →
Two semi-private meeting rooms, an endcap or in-aisle display concept and a central product wall under a hanging sign.
Shown: Hanul, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
Several closed meeting rooms on a reservation schedule, a mock store aisle, a hospitality bar and storage for samples and staff.
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, where the space rate does not include it
- Electrical service, internet and rigging
- Booth cleaning and any union labor the venue requires
Rates to plan with for NACDS Total Store Expo:
- Booth space, 10×10 inline $6,600 member early-bird, 2027 rate source
- Booth space, 20×20 island $32,000 early-bird, $32,500 from March 1, 2027 source
- Private Meeting Space $14,500 early-bird, $14,700 standard, 2027 rate source
- Drayage About $176 per cwt, 200 lb minimum, 2026–2027 planning rate
We estimate every one of these on your proposal, so the total is on paper before you sign.
Prices are all-in 2026 rental ranges for design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle; custom builds are quoted per project. Get an exact number for NACDS Total Store 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 · French Avenue
French Avenue at a fragrance and beauty trade show
A premium fragrance environment built around discovery, with a flow designed for real conversations and product sampling.
Different category, same job: French Avenue's booth was planned around seated conversations and sampling, which is exactly how a TSE category review runs.
Read the French Avenue case study All case studies →“Purple Exhibits made us look good. The booth was one of the nicest displays in our section of the convention center and generated a lot of positive comments from both customers and industry peers. Their attention to detail, professionalism, and willingness to go above and beyond made a huge difference.”
Kimberly Owens, Brand Manager, Owens Products · more client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for consumer health, beauty and everyday goods suppliers at NACDS Total Store Expo
Four things we get right for NACDS Total Store Expo exhibitors
1Design around the appointment calendar
Count your Meet the Market slots and the number of buyers who come to each one, then size the rooms. We plan tables for four to six, sound-dampened walls, a screen per room and a host desk so the next buyer waits in comfort, not in the aisle.
2Show product the way shelves do
Category managers think in planograms. We build real gondola-depth shelving and endcap mockups with price channel strips, so your line review happens in front of the set you are pitching, with new items lit and labeled.
Bring retail media into the room
Retailers sell media alongside shelf space. A wall screen in each meeting room lets your team pull up shopper data, campaign results and digital content without passing a laptop around the table, and we wire it before you arrive.
Keep samples organized and secure
Buyers leave with samples and sell sheets. We build locking storage into the furniture, sort kits by retailer before the show and keep a restock zone out of sight, so the booth stays clean on the second and third day.
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 Fine Group Industries.
Start my NACDS Total Store Expo concept05 San Diego Convention Center · San Diego
Logistics for NACDS Total Store Expo 2027, handled
The San Diego Convention Center runs a union floor, with installation and dismantle under the show's contractor agreements. NACDS runs a targeted move-in schedule, Freeman produces the exhibitor service manual (2026 rules), and every exhibitor-appointed contractor files a certificate of insurance; we plan San Diego the same way. The center sits on the waterfront next to the Gaslamp Quarter and the Marriott Marquis and Manchester Grand Hyatt towers, and San Diego International is 10 to 15 minutes away. We read the exhibitor manual, file the EAC paperwork, book your move-in slot and install with our own project manager and vetted local labor.
Hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines for this building are in our San Diego Convention Center exhibitor guide.
Hall guide
NACDS publishes the floor plan with your booth contract. These are the spaces the San Diego Convention Center offers on its downtown waterfront, and how each one shapes a TSE booth.
525,701 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, all on the same floor, the building's main floor for large trade shows, with union installation and dismantle.
Our advice: Plan meeting rooms with lids or acoustic ceilings so a category review stays quiet in a large open hall full of other supplier conversations.
A 90,000 square foot space under the building's sail-shaped roof, flexible for receptions and exhibits, with a 27-foot ceiling to the lighting encasement.
Our advice: Hosting a retailer reception here means separate rigging and décor orders; we price them on the same proposal as the booth.
184,514 square feet of terrace space overlooking San Diego Bay, with an elevated observation deck at the midpoint, open to wind and weather on the waterfront.
Our advice: Good for a supplier hospitality event; weighted signage and wind-rated displays replace the lightweight graphics you use indoors.
What Purple handles
- Exhibitor manual, contractor orders and move-in slot
- EAC certificate of insurance and union labor booking
- Meeting rooms with screens, power and furniture
- Shelving and endcap mockups stocked with your product
- Freight to the advance warehouse and return shipping
- A dedicated project manager on the floor for install and dismantle
Timeline, counted back from move-in
NACDS booth space prices increase: March 1, 2027. Contract your space before March 1 to hold the early-bird rate; send us the booth size the day you sign so design starts on time.
We need design sign-off by early June 2027.
- Early June 2027Design sign-off, meeting room count and product list locked.
- June to mid-July 2027Production in Fishkill, NY; shelving built and graphics proofed against your packaging.
- Late July 2027Booth ships to the advance warehouse in San Diego.
- Days before August 14Move-in in your assigned slot; our project manager and local labor install, stock shelves and test screens.
- August 14–16, 2027Show days and Meet the Market appointments; your Purple project manager is on the floor.
- After the closeDismantle, samples packed to your return plan and booth to storage or the next show.
Purple planning timeline. Official move-in, freight target and order deadlines come from your exhibitor kit and assigned schedule; we confirm them against your booth when you book.
Printable budget & deadline sheetNACDS Total Store Expo exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before NACDS Total Store Expo
How much does a booth at NACDS Total Store Expo 2027 cost?
Our build starts around $3,500 for a 10×10 rental, $7,500 to $15,000 for a 10×20 rental and $50,000 to $120,000 for a custom 20×20. At TSE the number moves with how many enclosed meeting rooms and shelving runs you need. NACDS bills booth space separately: a 20×20 island is $32,000 at the 2027 early-bird rate.
What is the deadline to book NACDS TSE 2027 booth space?
NACDS opened its 2027 pre-sale on September 15, 2026, and asks for the signed contract and deposit within 7 days of your appointment. Booth space prices increase on March 1, 2027. On our side, we need design sign-off by early June 2027 to build, ship to the advance warehouse and fit the rooms to your appointments.
Can we rent a booth for NACDS TSE, and what is included?
Yes. A rental includes the frame and walls, your printed graphics, meeting room partitions, lighting, freight, installation and dismantle. A 20×30 island rental runs $25,000 to $55,000. Many suppliers rent the room structure and add a custom shelf or endcap mockup, which they keep for retailer line reviews after the show.
Can we set up our own booth at the San Diego Convention Center?
The center is a union floor, and installation and dismantle are union work under the official contractor's labor agreements, so a full build needs credentialed labor. NACDS also requires a certificate of insurance from any exhibitor-appointed contractor. We file that paperwork and run the install with our project manager, while your team stocks product and prepares sample kits.
Should we buy NACDS Private Meeting Space or build rooms into our booth?
NACDS sells Private Meeting Space at $14,500 early-bird and $14,700 standard for 2027, with a double at $29,000. It suits teams that want a separate room away from product. If buyers need to see the shelf set during the conversation, we build enclosed rooms inside your island instead, and we can furnish either option.
What does drayage cost at NACDS TSE in San Diego, and who pays it?
Drayage is the show contractor's charge for moving your freight from the dock or warehouse to your booth, billed to you by weight. Our planning figure for the San Diego Convention Center is about $176 per hundredweight with a 200 pound minimum (2026–2027). We estimate your weight and put the figure on the proposal before you sign.
Can we reuse our TSE booth at other shows?
Yes. We design the meeting rooms and shelf walls as modules so they reconfigure for Cosmoprof North America in Las Vegas, the Sweets & Snacks Expo or NY NOW. Between shows we store the booth, check it for damage and refresh graphics when your packaging or new items change.
Do you handle the show contractor orders for TSE?
We order electrical, furniture, carpet, rigging and material handling, ship to the advance warehouse on the contractor's labels and book your targeted move-in slot. Every fee goes on our proposal upfront, and you are copied on each order so no deadline depends on a form you did not see.
Before you sign with anyone
Five questions to ask any exhibit builder for NACDS Total Store 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 NACDS Total Store 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.
