NACS Show 2027Exhibitor guide: booth costs, dates and deadlines
- Show dates
- October 5–8, 2027
- Venue
- Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta
- Exhibitors 2026
- 1,090
4.9 client rating3,000+ exhibitors10,000+ booths builtSince 2015
Quick answers
NACS Show 2027 in 30 seconds
The short version for exhibitors. Every figure has its source further down the page.
- When is NACS Show 2027?
- October 5–8, 2027, at Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta.
- How big is NACS Show?
- 25,572 attendees, 1,090 exhibitors (2026 edition).
- What does booth space cost?
- $41 per sq ft, NACS or PEI member rate, 10×10 minimum, 2027, paid to the organizer.
- What does a 10×20 booth cost all-in?
- $7,500 – $15,000 for a Purple rental with design, graphics, lighting, install and dismantle. Space and show services are billed by the show.
- What is the next exhibitor deadline?
- Last day to earn priority points for 2027 booth selection, including 10 for joining or renewing membership: October 31, 2026.
Everything about NACS Show 2027 in one place
NACS Show 2027 fact sheet
| Official name | NACS Show 2027, the convention and expo of NACS, the National Association of Convenience Stores |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 5–8, 2027 |
| Exhibit hall open | Expo open October 6–8, 2027; conference from October 5 |
| Venue | Georgia World Congress Center 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30313 |
| Organizer | NACS, the National Association of Convenience Stores, with PEI (Petroleum Equipment Institute) |
| Size (2026) | 25,572 attendees · 1,090 exhibitors source |
| Who attends | Convenience and fuel retail buyers: senior management, category and merchandising managers, store operations and facilities leaders |
| Booth space | $41 per sq ft, NACS or PEI member rate, 10×10 minimum, 2027 source |
| Next deadline | Last day to earn priority points for 2027 booth selection, including 10 for joining or renewing membership: October 31, 2026 source |
| Nearest airport | Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) 10 miles from Downtown Atlanta: 15 minutes by car or 23 by MARTA, per Discover Atlanta |
| Hotels | Connections Housing, the only official NACS housing partner Official hotel page → |
| Official website | nacsshow.com |
Official NACS Show resources
NACS Show 2027 calendar
NACS Show 2027 dates and deadlines
The dates the organizer has published, in order, each linked to the page that states it. The next one is highlighted.
- Last day to earn priority points for 2027 booth selection, including 10 for joining or renewing membershipNACS supplier members source
- Membership renewal deadline to keep access to the January to May 2027 member booth applicationsNACS supplier members source
- Company description and listing for the printed onsite Guide dueEvery exhibitor source
- NACS Show 2027 conference opens at the Georgia World Congress CenterAttendees and exhibitors source
- Expo opensExhibitors and buyers source
- Final Expo and conference dayExhibitors and buyers source
01 Purple at NACS Show 2027
Built at store scale: NACS Show 2027 booths in Atlanta for convenience buyers
Convenience buyers judge a product by where it would sit in their store, so we build your booth as a working slice of one: cooler door, counter rack or foodservice station. At the Georgia World Congress Center we book your targeted move-in slot and install under Georgia's right-to-work rules.
- Expo Oct 6–8 · GWCC Atlanta
- 25,572 attendees in 2026
- $41/sq ft member rate 2027
What makes NACS Show different, and how we build for it
The NACS Show is the week the convenience and fuel retailing channel shops for next year: of 25,136 attendees in 2025, 7,046 were buyers.The expo is split into five product areas, from In-Store Merchandise to Fuel Equipment & Services, and space is assigned by Priority Points, so NACS and PEI members choose first, non-members join in June and unplaced members go to a waitlist. Retailers preview launches in the Cool New Products Preview Room before the floor opens, first-time suppliers share the New Exhibitor Area, and invited waitlisted members show products in the Convenience Catalyst showcase. For 2027 the show returns to the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta.
Marketing, merchandising and category roles made up 27% of 2025 buyers. They want each SKU shown at shelf or cooler-door scale, with suggested retail, margin per unit, case pack and the distributor that carries it.
Senior management was 32% of 2025 buyers, and NACS lists chains such as Wawa, Sheetz and QuikTrip among the retailers attending. They want a seat, a decision-maker across the table and a rollout or promotion plan they can approve.
Store operations and facilities made up 29% of 2025 buyers. They test equipment and food programs against a real c-store counter: footprint, hold times, labor per shift, cleaning, and the power and water each unit needs.
Your team in Atlanta
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 Georgia World Congress 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.
Inside NACS Show 2027
Rules that shape your booth
NACS requires every inline booth outside the New Exhibitor Area to follow the IAEE Line-of-Sight style; only New Exhibitor Area 10×10s may use Cubic Content (2026 terms). We set coolers and towers at the back wall and keep the aisle side low.
Hanging signs go over island and peninsula booths only, top out at 25 feet and set back 10 feet from neighbors; in 2026 NACS and Freeman approved drawings by August 14 and Freeman hung every sign. We draw, weigh and submit yours early.
Exhibitors may sample only products they manufacture or distribute, inside their own booth; comparison sampling is banned and all food and drink service stops when the floor closes each day. We size counters, hidden prep and bus-tub storage around that daily rhythm.
No exhibitor may sell, sample or openly possess cannabis or kratom products; labels and empty packaging may be displayed, and newer nicotine products need an FDA authorization or a qualifying pending application. We build sealed empty-pack displays and keep health claims off your graphics.
NACS strips every priority point earned for the show from exhibitors who pack up early or leave the booth unstaffed, and deducts a point per display-height citation (2026 rules). We schedule dismantle labor for after the final close and build to the published heights.
Programs worth planning for
A members-only section for new exhibitors with its own entrance and 10×10 booths only; in 2026 that booth cost $3,900 and opened an hour before the main floor on the first two expo days. New Exhibitor Area selection opens in mid-January 2027.
A room of new products that retailers, wholesalers and distributors browse before the expo opens; scanning an item adds it, with your booth number and sales contact, to the buyer's product list. Booked in the Exhibitor Portal.
Invitation-only display of 50 new products inside the Preview Room for waitlisted NACS supplier members, $2,500 in 2026; participants get buyer leads and five priority points toward the next year's booth selection.
Semi-permanent meeting rooms on the exhibit floor for NACS Show exhibitors only, with upgraded furniture for Hunter Club members; 2026 four-day rates ran from $2,300 for six chairs to $9,500 for 36.
Among U.S. food and beverage shows, the NACS Show is the convenience-channel specialist: choose it over the Sweets & Snacks Expo when your buyers run c-stores and fuel stations and you sell beverages, foodservice programs or store equipment as well as snacks. Compare every food and beverage show we build for →
02 Booths & pricing for NACS Show 2027
Popular booth sizes at NACS Show
NACS sells space from a 10×10 minimum, caps first-time exhibitors by membership level and limits the New Exhibitor Area to one 10×10. Exhibitors hold a booth size for three straight years before growing, so pick a footprint you can keep: we recommend a 10×20 inline for a snack or beverage line and a 20×20 island for foodservice equipment.
A short store run for one brand: a cooler door against the back wall, a low gondola endcap, a counter rack at the aisle and a two-seat table for category managers.
Shown: Ducon, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
Cooler doors and a low endcap tagged with margin and case pack take two bays, the third holds a sampling counter with prep hidden behind it, and the chain buyer gets a two-seat table.
Shown: BarnTech, a Purple inline booth
See 10×30 rental booths →
At 400 sq ft, an island, so NACS allows an overhead sign, with room for a working coffee, roller grill or bakery counter and a meeting corner.
Shown: Bachoco USA, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
A full forecourt-to-checkout walk: fuel or tech displays at the entry, a foodservice line, a closed meeting room for chain buyers and restock storage.
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 NACS Show:
- Booth space $41 per sq ft, NACS or PEI member rate, 10×10 minimum, 2027 source
- Supplier membership $1,450 per year, NACS supplier membership, 2027 source
- New Exhibitor Area $3,900 for a 10×10, 2026 member price source
- Drayage About $150 per cwt, 2026–2027 GWCC planning figure
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 NACS Show 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.
Your team walks into a lit, stocked booth. You just show up.
03 Built by Purple
Booths we have designed, built and installed
Case study · Machu Picchu Foods
Machu Picchu Foods at a food and beverage trade show
A layered, walk-through environment inspired by the landmark itself, turning curiosity into sampling conversations.
Machu Picchu Foods' walk-through booth drew buyers in to taste; at the NACS Show a store-scale cooler door or counter does that job for convenience buyers.
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 convenience store food, beverage, foodservice and equipment suppliers at NACS Show
Four things we get right for NACS Show exhibitors
1Scale it to a c-store shelf
In the In-Store Merchandise aisles a buyer is picturing a planogram, not a showroom. We build real cooler doors, endcaps and counter racks at store dimensions, tag each SKU with suggested retail, and print margin, case pack and distributor beside it so the item can be slotted into a set before the buyer moves on.
2Stand out on your area's color
In 2026 NACS color-coded each product area by aisle carpet and inline drape: blue for In-Store Merchandise, plum for Foodservice, red for Fuel Equipment & Services. Floor covering is the exhibitor's to supply, so we choose flooring and graphic colors that contrast with your area's aisle rather than blend into it.
3Build the sample line to NACS rules
NACS lets you sample only what you make or distribute, inside your own booth, and serving stops when the floor closes. Carts are barred during show hours except for kitchenware going to NACS dishwashing stations, so we hide prep, bus tubs and restock behind the counter where staff can reach them.
4Catch buyers from the Preview Room
Attendees logged more than 9,000 scans of the 342 products in the 2026 Cool New Products Preview Room, and each scan adds your booth number to the buyer's shopping list. We repeat the scanned item at your aisle edge with the same packshot and a bold new-item callout, so it is found within seconds.
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 Umalaxmi Organics Pvt. Ltd.
Start my NACS Show concept05 Georgia World Congress Center · Atlanta
Logistics for NACS Show 2027, handled
Under Georgia's right-to-work law, your full-time employees may build the booth at the Georgia World Congress Center; material handling, rigging and utilities still run through the general contractor. NACS gives each booth a targeted freight move-in date by floor location, confirmed in August 2027, after the Exhibitor Service Kit opens in June. We hold that slot, route crates through the advance warehouse, order floor covering, power and refrigeration, and file hanging-sign drawings. Freeman, the 2026 contractor, priced material handling per pound; at the GWCC we budget about $150 per hundredweight until the 2027 tariff is out. MARTA stops at the campus entrance, and the Omni Hotel at CNN Center faces it.
Hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines for this building are in our Georgia World Congress Center exhibitor guide.
Hall guide
NACS lays out its expo by product area, not by company size, and posts the 2027 floor plan in January 2027. Here is how those areas and the Georgia World Congress Center's buildings shape your booth.
The area NACS pitches to retailers for high-margin, high-impulse confections, snacks and beverages, the products their customers are actively looking for.
Our advice: Your neighbors sell the same impulse categories, so lead with the one new SKU or flavor you want stocked and let the rest of the line sit behind it as a supporting shelf.
Where retailers taste and test new culinary trends and equipment for their menus; exhibitors serving food wash dishes only at NACS-built stations, never in public restrooms.
Our advice: We plan power, water and refrigeration from your equipment list and keep a hidden prep and bus-tub zone so samples stay clean between dish runs.
Members-only section for first-time exhibitors, each in a single 10×10; 173 companies exhibited there in 2026 and every section sold out.
Our advice: Cubic Content style frees the whole 10×10 rather than just the back wall, so a lit merchandiser tower can stand at the aisle.
The campus's three buildings hold 1.4 million sq ft of exhibit space; since 2020 the 140,000 sq ft Exhibit Hall BC connector has joined B and C into over 1 million contiguous sq ft.
Our advice: Dock access and freight elevators differ between buildings, so once your booth number is set we route crates to the dock nearest your space.
What Purple handles
- Booth location shortlist ready for your Priority Group's 48-hour window
- Hanging-sign drawings submitted for NACS approval
- Cooler doors, endcaps and counter racks built in Fishkill, NY
- Floor covering, power and refrigeration orders from the Exhibitor Service Kit
- Targeted move-in booking and advance-warehouse freight to the GWCC
- Our own project manager on the floor until teardown after the October 8 close
Timeline, counted back from move-in
Membership renewed for 2027 member booth selection: December 31, 2026. NACS asks members to renew by year end to keep access to booth applications in the January to May 2027 member selection, and renewals by October 31 add 10 priority points; renew before October 31, send us your product area, and we shortlist booths for your Priority Group.
We need design sign-off by late July 2027.
- January to May 2027Member booth selection by Priority Group, each with a 48-hour window; we send three to five booth options and start concepts once your product area is set.
- Late July 2027Design sign-off, equipment list locked and hanging-sign drawings prepared for NACS approval.
- August to early September 2027Production in Fishkill, NY, over 30 to 45 days; targeted move-in date set and show-service orders placed.
- About 3 weeks before move-inBooth, fixtures and product crates ship to the advance warehouse; perishable product timed to arrive after install.
- Days before October 6, 2027Targeted move-in; our project manager and vetted local labor install, light the coolers and lay the floor covering before the show-ready deadline.
- October 6–8, 2027Expo days with our project manager on call; dismantle begins only after the final close on October 8.
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 sheetTravel to NACS Show 2027
Getting to NACS Show 2027: airport, hotels and parking
Fly in
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
10 miles from Downtown Atlanta: 15 minutes by car or 23 by MARTA, per Discover Atlanta
Park
Over 5,600 spaces in two surface lots and four decks on the GWCC campus, per the venue's 2024 planning guide
Find the venue
Georgia World Congress Center
285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30313
Travel facts from nacsshow.com.
NACS Show by the numbers
NACS Show year by year
How NACS Show 2027 compares with other food and beverage shows
The food and beverage shows closest to NACS Show on the calendar, with the latest size each organizer has published. Each name opens our exhibitor guide for that show.
| Show | Dates | City | Latest published size |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFT FIRSTInstitute of Food Technologists (IFT) | July 11–14, 2027 | Chicago, IL | – |
| Texas Restaurant ShowTexas Restaurant Association | July 11–12, 2027 | San Antonio, TX | – |
| IAFPInternational Association for Food Protection (IAFP) | July 17–21, 2027 | Kansas City, MO | – |
| Summer Fancy Food ShowSpecialty Food Association | July 25–27, 2027 | New York, NY | – |
| California Restaurant ShowRestaurant Events | September 12–14, 2027 | Anaheim, CA | 7,000+ attendees · 275 companies (2026) |
| Newtopia NowNew Hope Network | September 14–16, 2027 | Rosemont, IL | 435+ brands (2026) |
| NACS ShowNACS | October 5–8, 2027 | Atlanta, GA | 25,572 attendees · 1,090 exhibitors (2026) |
| Global Produce & Floral ShowInternational Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) | October 20–22, 2027 | Atlanta, GA | 3,500+ buyers · Nearly 1,100 exhibitors (2025) |
| Food Production Solutions ShowMesse Frankfurt Inc. and the Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA) | October 26–28, 2027 | Chicago, IL | 300+ exhibitors advertised for EATS 2025 |
| PLMA Private Label ShowPrivate Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) | November 15–16, 2027 | Rosemont, IL | 14,000+ attendees · 1,900+ exhibitors (2025) |
NACS Show exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before NACS Show
How much does a booth at the NACS Show 2027 cost?
For a snack, candy or beverage line, a 10×20 inline is the usual starting point: $7,500 to $15,000 as a rental with your graphics, or $15,000 to $45,000 custom. NACS bills space separately at $41 per square foot for members, so $8,200 for that 10×20. Lit cooler doors, working foodservice equipment and an overhead sign on an island move the price most.
When does booth selection open for the NACS Show 2027?
NACS Hunter Club members pick in early December 2026 and PEI Priority Club members from mid-December. Other NACS and PEI members choose by Priority Group from mid-January to May 2027, each with a 48-hour application window, and selection opens to everyone in June. NACS says most of the show historically sells out before every member is placed, so we prepare your shortlist early.
Do we need to be a NACS member to exhibit?
No, but non-members wait until June 2027, when selection opens to all applicants after members have chosen. NACS supplier membership is $1,450 a year for 2027. Renew by October 31, 2026 for 10 extra priority points and by December 31 at the latest to keep access to the member booth applications, then stay current through October 31, 2027 for the $41 member rate.
Can we rent a booth for the NACS Show, and what comes with it?
An inline NACS booth comes with little more than drape, 8 feet behind and 3 feet at the sides, plus a 7-by-44-inch ID sign, and the floor covering NACS requires is yours to bring. Our rental fills the space: printed walls, lighting, flooring, a cooler-door or counter merchandiser, plus freight, install and dismantle on one fixed proposal, with graphics that carry into a custom build later.
Can we set up our own booth at the Georgia World Congress Center?
Yes. Under Georgia's right-to-work law, your full-time employees can assemble and dismantle the booth with their own hands. Outside installers register with NACS as exhibitor-appointed contractors, and suspended rigging stays with the official contractor, Freeman in 2026. Our project manager can lead the install with vetted Atlanta labor or supervise your team on the floor.
Can we hand out samples or sell product at the NACS Show?
You may sample products your company makes or distributes, inside your own booth, and serving must stop when the floor closes each day; sampling competitors' products for comparison is banned. Retail sales are not allowed, though you can write orders for future delivery. Cannabis and kratom products may appear only as labels and empty packaging. We size the counter and prep space to fit.
What does drayage cost at the NACS Show 2027, and who pays it?
The general contractor invoices your company for every crate it carries from the dock or advance warehouse onto your booth space. In 2026 Freeman billed NACS Show material handling by actual weight, with no minimums or overtime charges. For the Georgia World Congress Center we budget about $150 per hundredweight until the 2027 tariff arrives with the June Exhibitor Service Kit, and that estimate sits on your proposal.
Which product area will our NACS Show booth be in?
NACS places you in one of five areas: In-Store Merchandise, Foodservice, Fuel Equipment & Services, Facility Operations or Technology, and at least 60% of what you display must belong to it. Switching areas takes written approval and a three-year commitment. The floor plan goes live in January 2027, and we walk through it with you to pick three to five locations.
Can we reuse our NACS Show booth at other shows?
A modular NACS booth travels well: the cooler-door wall, counters and lighting can go on to the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Indianapolis, the NAMA Show in New Orleans or SNAXPO in Charlotte. Between shows we store the kit and reprint graphics for each audience, and we keep your NACS footprint steady, since exhibitors must hold a booth size for three years before growing.
When is the NACS Show 2027?
The 2027 NACS Show runs Tuesday, October 5 to Friday, October 8, 2027: the conference opens on the 5th and the Expo is open Wednesday, October 6 through Friday, October 8. Exhibitor dates come earlier: priority points for 2027 booth selection stop counting on October 31, 2026 and listing details for the onsite Guide are due July 31, 2027.
Where is the NACS Show 2027 held?
In downtown Atlanta, at the Georgia World Congress Center (street address 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW), which also hosted the October 2023 show. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) sits 10 miles from Downtown, per Discover Atlanta, and the NACS exhibitor checklist sets May 2027 for booking hotels through Connections Housing, its only official housing partner.
How many people attend the NACS Show?
NACS counted 25,572 attendees from 74 countries and territories at the 2026 show in Las Vegas, where 1,090 exhibitors filled a 442,600-net-square-foot Expo. The record stands at 26,124 attendees for the 2024 Las Vegas show; the 2025 Chicago edition drew 25,136, and the 2023 show at the Georgia World Congress Center drew 24,084.
Is the NACS Show open to the public?
NACS registers attendees by trade role: buyers from convenience retailers, fuel marketers and convenience distributors, and everyone else as a non-exhibiting supplier at the full-conference rate. Companies that make their own products cannot register as buyers. Under the 2026 registration rules, non-member buyers proved their status with a business license or company URL, and NACS sold no expo-only pass.
Who organizes the NACS Show?
NACS, the National Association of Convenience Stores, which has met every year since it was founded in 1961; its Annual Meeting added an Expo in 1976 and took the NACS Show name in 1993. NACS counts over 800 retailer and 1,750 supplier members from more than 45 countries, and PEI members book Expo space at the same member rate.
Before you sign with anyone
Five questions to ask any exhibit builder for NACS Show:
- 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 NACS Show 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.
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