NFPA Conference & Expo 2027 · June 14–16, 2027 · Henry B. González Convention Center, San Antonio
NFPA Conference & Expo 2027 booths in San Antonio that prove compliance
Your booth shows engineers, contractors and code officials the hardware working, with the listing and the standard it answers on every demo. At the Henry B. González Convention Center, 35-foot ceilings take heavy pump and riser displays, and the San Antonio Fire Department reviews any covered structure.
- June 14–16 · San Antonio
- 8,600 attendees in 2025
- Technical Meeting June 17–18
Every last fee listed upfront, in full, on paper. 3,000+ exhibitors · 10,000+ booths built · 4.9★ client rating · Since 2015
Firefighters in a hose drill at an industrial site
01 Purple at NFPA Conference & Expo 2027
What makes NFPA Conference & Expo different, and how we build for it
The NFPA Conference & Expo is where the people who write, enforce and install the codes meet the companies that make the hardware. The expo floor opens with the Opening Night Reception, two Exhibitor Presentation Theaters run reserved product demos, unlimited ExpoAdvantage passes bring in exhibitors' guests, and the NFPA Member Lounge and Women in STEM luncheon keep senior people on site (2026 program). The NFPA Technical Meeting follows on June 17–18, so code votes are on everyone's mind. A booth here has to prove compliance, not just look good.
Listings, approvals and cut sheets at hand, a product they can inspect up close, and a quiet table to talk through a specification on a live project.
Hardware they can handle: sprinkler heads, valves, fittings and panels, with staff who know installation time, labor savings and how the product passes inspection.
A clear demo of how a system performs and is tested in the field, explained by someone who speaks code, not sales copy.
Your team in San Antonio
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 Henry B. González 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 NFPA Conference & Expo 2027
Popular booth sizes at NFPA Conference & Expo
NFPA sells space in 10×10, 10×20 and 20×20 footprints at $42.50 per square foot (2026 rate), and the floor mixes specialist manufacturers in inlines with larger spaces from major sprinkler, alarm and suppression brands. We recommend a 10×20 demo wall for a single product line, or a 20×20 with a live system and a meeting table.
A working demo wall, such as a live alarm panel or a cutaway valve, plus a spec counter and a standing table for engineers.
Shown: Avertic by Engtex, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
Code first, hardware second, paper third: a live alarm panel or cutaway valve labeled with the standard it answers, tethered sprinkler heads and fittings at hand height, and a seated table with drawings on screen.
Shown: Rahman Group, a Purple inline booth
See 10×30 rental booths →
An island with a live suppression or detection demo, a pump or riser display on a reinforced platform, and a meeting area under a hanging sign.
Shown: dimi, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
Separate zones for each product line, a small presentation stage, private meeting space for distributors and storage for literature and samples.
Shown: Tesla Transformers (India) Ltd., 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, 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 NFPA Conference & Expo:
- Booth space $42.50 per sq ft, 2026 rate source
- Drayage About $95 per cwt, 2026 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 NFPA Conference & 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 · KLEEMANN
KLEEMANN at a industrial technology exhibition
An interactive booth for a global elevator manufacturer: digital simulations, real product showcases and a floor plan that guided visitors from first step to last.
Different industry, same problem: KLEEMANN showed heavy, safety-critical equipment through real products and simulations, the way fire protection brands must prove a system works.
Read the KLEEMANN 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 fire protection, electrical and life safety brands at NFPA Conference & Expo
Four things we get right for NFPA Conference & Expo exhibitors
1Build the demo around the code
Visitors here think in NFPA standards. We give each demo a short panel naming the standard it answers, the listing and the test result, so an engineer or inspector can see compliance at a glance before your staff says a word.
2Plan for weight, water and power
Fire pumps, risers and valve assemblies are heavy, and a live discharge demo needs a sealed basin and drainage. We engineer the platforms, plan the forklift moves and order the right electrical service so a working system runs safely all three days.
Show the hardware at hand height
Contractors want to pick up a sprinkler head, open a panel door or turn a valve. We build product counters at working height with tethered samples and labels that stay legible when a piece is in someone’s hand.
Give engineers somewhere to sit
Specification talks take time and paper. A small table out of the aisle, with drawings on a screen and literature storage behind it, turns a quick stop into a project conversation without blocking demo traffic.
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 Egebant.
Start my NFPA Conference & Expo concept05 Henry B. González Convention Center · San Antonio
Logistics for NFPA Conference & Expo 2027, handled
The Henry B. González Convention Center is a right-to-work building: your full-time staff can build any size booth with their own tools, but material handling runs through the show's designated contractor, with about $95 per hundredweight as a planning number. Electrical, rigging and internet are exclusive to the center or its providers. The San Antonio Fire Department reviews covered and multilevel exhibits and wants flame-certified fabric. The center backs onto the River Walk, so freight routes to the loading docks on the HemisFair side. We file every form, book your freight targets and install with our own project manager and vetted local labor.
Hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines for this building are in our Henry B. González Convention Center exhibitor guide.
Hall guide
The Henry B. González Convention Center sits on the River Walk with contiguous exhibit halls, the largest ballroom in Texas and flexible overflow space. These are the spaces the building uses, and what each means for your booth.
514,000 sq ft of contiguous space across five connected halls with 35-foot ceilings, opened up by the 2016 renovation.
Our advice: Islands, hanging signs and forklifts are routine at this height, so heavy pump and riser displays on reinforced platforms fit well.
54,000 sq ft, the largest ballroom in Texas, with 652 LED lights in the ceiling, used for general sessions and galas.
Our advice: Carpeted ballroom space suits receptions and sponsor displays, so anything placed here is built light with floor protection.
An 86,500 sq ft column-free hall used for overflow exhibits and breakouts in varied formats.
Our advice: If your space lands here, we check the current configuration against your booth plan before production starts.
What Purple handles
- Exhibitor kit forms, show contractor orders and freight targets
- Engineering for heavy pump, riser and valve displays
- Fire department plan review and flame-certified materials
- Graphics printed in house with your listings and standards
- Installation, dismantle and return freight with our project manager and vetted local labor
Timeline, counted back from move-in
We need design sign-off by early April 2027.
- Early April 2027Design sign-off, demo engineering and any island or covered-structure drawings submitted.
- April to May 202730–45 day production in Fishkill, NY; demo platforms and graphics built and test-fitted.
- About 3 weeks before move-inBooth, pumps and demo equipment ship to the show contractor’s advance warehouse.
- Move-in days before June 14Our project manager and vetted local labor install, connect power and water, and run the demo checklist.
- June 14–16, 2027Conference & Expo days; a Purple project manager is on call for the whole run.
- After close on June 16Dismantle, equipment crated to your return plan, 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 sheetNFPA Conference & Expo exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before NFPA Conference & Expo
How much does a booth at the NFPA Conference & Expo 2027 cost?
For the booth itself, a 10×10 rental starts at $3,500, a 10×20 rental runs $7,500 to $15,000 and a custom 20×20 island $50,000 to $120,000. Live water or suppression demos and reinforced equipment platforms move the number. NFPA bills floor space separately, $42.50 per square foot in 2026, and the show contractor bills services.
When do we need to decide on an NFPA Conference & Expo 2027 booth?
NFPA assigns booth selection by priority points earned from past shows and space purchased, so your footprint is set well before the build. For the design, sign-off in early April 2027 leaves a 30 to 45 day build, time to test every demo, and a ship date about three weeks before move-in.
Can we rent a booth for NFPA instead of buying one?
Yes. A rental includes the structure, your graphics, a built-in demo wall, lighting, installation and dismantle, with our project manager on the floor. Many fire protection exhibitors rent the shell and own the demo rigs, so the expensive engineering travels from show to show while the booth stays flexible.
Can we set up our own booth at the Henry B. González Convention Center?
Yes. Texas is right-to-work, so your full-time staff can build a booth of any size with their own tools. Material handling still runs through the show's designated contractor, and electrical, rigging, internet and cleaning are exclusive to the center or its providers, so a forklift move for a pump goes on their order.
Does our NFPA booth need fire department approval?
If it has a covered area or a second level, yes. The San Antonio Fire Department reviews covered and multilevel exhibits and expects flame-certified fabric on anything covered. We prepare the plan package, source certified materials and keep the certificates in the booth, so an inspector at a fire safety show finds nothing to flag.
What does drayage cost at NFPA and who pays it?
You pay it, through the show's designated contractor. Our planning figure at the Henry B. González is about $95 per hundredweight (2026 rate), and the show kit carries the tariff. Pumps, risers and valve assemblies are heavy, so we weigh every crate and put the drayage estimate on the proposal before you sign.
Can we reuse our NFPA booth at other shows?
Fire and life safety brands take the same kit to ASSP Safety in New Orleans the week before, FDIC International in Indianapolis or ISC West in Las Vegas, with graphics changed for each audience. We build modular frames that switch between inline and island footprints and store the booth between shows.
What are the exhibit halls like at the Henry B. González?
The exhibit floor is Halls 1 to 4 plus the Bridge Hall: 514,000 square feet of contiguous space with 35-foot ceilings, opened up by the 2016 renovation. Islands, hanging signs and forklifts are routine at that height, which suits a riser or pump display on a reinforced platform.
Before you sign with anyone
Five questions to ask any exhibit builder for NFPA Conference & 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 NFPA Conference & 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.