energy and utilities · Portland
RCon 2027Portland exhibitor guide: booth costs, dates and deadlines
Haulers, landfills and MRF buyers: RCon 2027 booths in Portland
- Event dates
- September 21–24, 2027
- Exhibit hall
- Not confirmed yet
- Venue
- Portland, ORVenue not confirmed yet
4.9 client rating3,000+ exhibitors10,000+ booths builtSince 2015
Quick answers
RCon 2027 in 30 seconds
The quick version for exhibitors. Each RCon figure is sourced further down the page.
- When is RCon 2027?
- September 21–24, 2027, at Portland, OR (venue not confirmed yet).
- When is the hall open at RCon?
- Not confirmed yet for 2027. In 2026 the St. Louis hall opened September 29 to October 1: a Tuesday evening reception, then 11 a.m.–5 p.m. and 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
- How big is RCon?
- 1,500+ attendees, 200+ organizations exhibitors (2026 edition).
- How much is booth space at RCon?
- $39 per sq ft, 2026, paid to the organizer.
- What does a 10×20 booth cost all-in at RCon?
- A Purple rental runs $7,500 – $15,000 with design, graphics, lighting, install and dismantle included. Space and show services are billed by RCon.
Official RCon 2027 links: RCon 2027 floor planRCon 2027 booth space
Everything about RCon 2027 in one place
RCon 2027 fact sheet
| Official name | RCon 2027, powered by SWANA (Solid Waste Association of North America) |
|---|---|
| Event dates | September 21–24, 2027 |
| Exhibit hall dates | Not confirmed yet In 2026 the St. Louis hall opened September 29 to October 1: a Tuesday evening reception, then 11 a.m.–5 p.m. and 11 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Venue | Portland, OR |
| Organizer | Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) |
| Size (2026) | 1,500+ attendees · 200+ organizations exhibitors source |
| Who attends | Public and private solid waste, recycling and resource management professionals: biogas, landfill, MRF, transfer station and waste-to-energy decision-makers |
| Booth space | $39 per sq ft, 2026 source |
| Nearest airport | Portland International Airport (PDX) |
| Hotels | SWANA's RCon 2027 hotel block; not confirmed yet |
| Official website | swana.org |
Official RCon resources
01 Purple at RCon 2027
Haulers, landfills and MRF buyers: RCon 2027 booths in Portland
We build RCon booths that let a municipal solid waste director compare a compactor, a routing screen and a landfill gas monitor in one visit. For Portland we plan freight, crew and the vehicle load-in slots that Shepard Event Services scheduled for RCon exhibitors in 2026.
- Sep 21–24 · Portland, OR
- 2026 hall sold out, 200+ orgs
- $39 per sq ft in 2026
What makes RCon different, and how we build for it
RCon is SWANA's annual event, launched in Columbus in 2025 with nearly 1,700 attendees and a blended format of SWANA Training, roundtables, keynotes and Rapid Insight Sessions.The exhibit hall is built into the schedule: in St. Louis in 2026 it gave exhibitors nine hours with no other primary activity, ran 20-minute Rapid Insight Sessions in the New Way Theatre, and added live demonstrations, SWANA Central and a pickleball tournament on the floor. The 2026 hall sold out with more than 200 organizations, and the Circularity Forum of the National Recycling Coalition met alongside for the first time. For 2027 SWANA takes RCon to Portland, a city it chose for its food waste diversion work.
They run collection, transfer stations and landfills on public budgets and want lifecycle cost, uptime, local service and references from other cities before a bid goes out.
Operators compare leachate, gas collection and monitoring equipment, ask about compliance data and want to see the sensor or wellhead hardware up close.
They look at sorting, baling and contamination tools, compare routing and scalehouse software, and want to know how a system pays back on their tonnage.
Your team in Portland
Two shops, one project manager, every hall
For RCon, we build in our own shop in Fishkill, NY, and at our Las Vegas hub, ship to Portland, and put our own project manager on the floor with vetted local labor for the install. Predictable 30–45-day turnarounds, secure storage and pre-show QA.
When your team gets to Portland, the booth is lit and stocked. You just show up.
New at RCon 2027
- Portland, chosen for food waste diversion
SWANA moves RCon from St. Louis to Portland, Oregon for September 21–24, 2027, citing the city's ambitious waste diversion strategies, especially on food waste. Organics, composting and digestion vendors get a host city whose own programs match their pitch, and West Coast freight replaces a Midwest haul. source
Inside RCon 2027
Rules that shape your RCon booth
SWANA's 2026 rules had Shepard Event Services contact every exhibitor displaying a vehicle to schedule designated load-in and load-out times. We plan the booth build around that slot so the truck goes in first and leaves without crossing other booths.
In 2026 each booth earned two complimentary full conference passes per 100 sq ft, up to ten, with extra staff at $725 for SWANA members or $875 for others. We size the counter, storage and seating to the team your footprint covers.
For 2026, SWANA required the full balance on April 20, 2026 and offered a 50% refund of the total cost only for cancellations received by that date, and none after. We time production after your payment date so nothing is built for a booth at risk.
RCon 2026 did not require booth carpet, and the aisles were laid in blue carpet. We still floor equipment booths with interlocking tiles or a printed vinyl in your colors, so the booth reads as one space against the blue aisles.
Programs worth planning for
Twenty-minute talks on the exhibit floor in the New Way Theatre in 2026, drawing attendees into the hall between booth visits.
SWANA's technical training runs inside RCon alongside roundtables and keynotes, which brings certified operators and managers to the event for credentials as well as the hall.
Site tours of local waste and resource management projects; SWANA says Portland was chosen for its food waste diversion work, which makes the 2027 tours relevant to organics vendors.
Sponsorship opportunities beyond the booth, sold first come, first served through SWANA's RCon team; the 2026 options are listed on the sponsor experiences page.
RCon is SWANA's annual event for public and private solid waste managers; choose it over WasteExpo when your buyers are municipal directors and landfill operators who come for training and tours as much as for the hall. Line up RCon against every energy and utilities show we build for →
Who exhibits at RCon 2026
Companies on the RCon 2026 floor plan. See the full list
- Bandit Industries Inc
- Bigbelly Solar, LLC
- BOMAG Americas
- Burns & McDonnell
- CATERPILLAR
- Carlson Software
- Fire Rover
- HDR ENGINEERING, INC.
- K-PAC Compactors
- LoCI Controls
- Machinex
- Morrow Energy, LLC
- New Way Trucks
- Qnergy
- Rehrig Pacific Company
- Rotochopper, Inc.
- Routeware
- Samsara
- SCS Engineers/Field Services
- Sennebogen LLC
energy and utilities at RCon
The industry behind RCon, in pictures
02 Booths & pricing for RCon 2027
Popular booth sizes at RCon
RCon sells space by the square foot, $39 for 100 to 300 sq ft and $37 from 400 sq ft in 2026, with a $350 fee per corner, and vehicle exhibitors get their own load-in times. Software and engineering firms do well in a 10×20; we recommend a 20×20 or larger when a truck body, compactor or loader comes along.
A routing, fleet camera or scalehouse software booth: two demo screens at standing height, a short counter and a graphic showing the routes or sites you already run.
Above: 1 Source BPO, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
Engineering and landfill services: a gas wellhead or leachate pump on a plinth at one end, project maps in the middle and a small table for a city engineer at the other.
Shown: Meghna Colour Chem, a Purple inline booth
See 10×30 rental booths →
One collection truck body, compactor or cart system with clear walk-around space, a canopy or header sign and a demo screen for telematics.
Above: taril, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
A full equipment line or a truck plus software zone, a meeting area for municipal buyers and storage for four days of staff and brochures.
Shown: a Purple large-format exhibit for Waaree
See 20×30 rental booths →In Purple's RCon price
- Your design and 3D rendering, revised until it is right for RCon
- The structure, printed graphics, counters and storage your RCon plan specifies
- Booth lighting, with power distributed inside the booth
- Installation and dismantle, with our project manager on the floor
- Each service order and deadline in the RCon exhibitor kit, tracked for you
Paid to RCon and its contractor
- Exhibit space (paid to Solid Waste Association of North America)
- Material handling / drayage, if the RCon space rate leaves it out
- Electrical service, internet access and rigging
- Booth cleaning, and union labor where Portland requires it
Rates to plan with for RCon:
- Booth space, 100–300 sq ft $39 per sq ft, 2026 source
- Booth space, 400+ sq ft $37 per sq ft, 2026 source
- Corner fee $350 per corner, 2026 source
- Extra staff registration $725 SWANA member, $875 non-member, 2026 source
Your proposal estimates all of these, so the total for RCon is on paper before you sign anything.
These are all-in 2026 rental ranges (design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle). A custom build is quoted per project. Run your RCon numbers in the booth cost calculator and the 2026 booth cost guide.
Tell us your RCon booth size and what the space has to do. You hear back within one business day, and a rendering with a fixed RCon proposal usually follows within a week. No charge.
The RCon booth is lit and stocked before your team arrives. You just show up.
03 Built by Purple
Designed, built and installed by Purple
Case study · KLEEMANN
KLEEMANN at an industrial technology exhibition
Digital simulations, real product showcases and a floor plan that guided visitors from first step to last, in an interactive booth for a global elevator manufacturer.
KLEEMANN combined real equipment with digital simulations to guide visitors; RCon exhibitors pair a compactor or wellhead with routing or monitoring software in the same way.
Read the KLEEMANN case study All case studies →“They handle everything end to end so clients can really just show up and not worry about anything. Doesn’t get any better than that.”
Tess Bockes, Exit King Realty · what other clients say
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for solid waste collection, landfill, recycling, composting and waste technology companies at RCon
Four things we get right for RCon exhibitors
1Plan around vehicle load-in
In 2026 SWANA had Shepard Event Services schedule separate load-in and load-out times for every exhibitor displaying a vehicle. We build the booth to go in around the truck, with graphics and flooring staged so the vehicle lands first and nothing blocks its path out.
2Use the nine unopposed hours
RCon 2026 gave the hall nine hours with no other primary activity, across a Tuesday reception and two daytime sessions. We design for crowd peaks: a front zone that handles a dozen people at once, with demos on a short loop so staff can reset between waves.
3Show the public-sector proof
Municipal buyers at RCon want to know which cities already run your system. We give that a wall: a map of installed sites, tonnage handled and a named public reference, so a director sees peers before reading specifications.
4Fit the Portland diversion story
SWANA picked Portland for 2027 because of its food waste diversion strategies. Composting, organics collection and digestion vendors should lead with that theme; we print a headline panel for Portland that can be swapped for the next RCon in Raleigh.
Concept rendering
You get a rendering like this with your proposal
Layout, graphics, lighting and product positions are all in the 3D view, revised until right, before a single panel is cut for RCon. Shown: a Purple concept for Waaree Solar Americas.
Start my RCon concept05 Portland, OR
Logistics for RCon 2027, handled
SWANA has announced Portland, Oregon for RCon 2027 on September 21–24 but has not named the building, so freight planning starts from the 2026 pattern: load-in on the two days before the hall opens, vehicle exhibitors scheduled separately by Shepard Event Services, and load-out on the final afternoon and next morning. Carpet was optional in 2026, with blue carpet in the aisles. We read the 2027 exhibitor kit when SWANA releases it, book the advance warehouse and vehicle slots, and our project manager leads vetted Portland labor from move-in to load-out.
What Purple handles
- Booth layouts built around trucks and compactors
- Vehicle load-in coordination with the contractor
- Demo stations for routing and fleet software
- Installed-sites maps for municipal buyers
- Swappable city headline panels for each RCon
- Storage between WasteExpo and RCon
RCon timeline, counted back from move-in
For RCon, we need design sign-off by early July 2027.
- Now to spring 2027Request space from SWANA, first come, first served; send us equipment, vehicle and screen requirements.
- Early July 2027Design sign-off about 10 weeks before the show: layout around any vehicle, graphics and demo stations approved.
- July to August 2027Production in Fishkill, NY over 30 to 45 days; Portland headline panels printed and test-fitted.
- About three weeks before September 21, 2027Booth crates ship to the advance warehouse named in the 2027 kit; vehicle load-in times scheduled with the contractor.
- Move-in days before September 21, 2027Our project manager and vetted local labor install, place vehicles in their slots and test screens before the opening reception.
- September 21–24, 2027Show days with our project manager on call; load-out after the hall closes, then storage or shipment to your next waste show.
Purple's planning timeline for RCon. The official RCon move-in, freight target and order dates come from your exhibitor kit and assigned schedule; when you book, we confirm them against your booth.
Printable RCon budget & deadline sheetTravel to RCon 2027
Getting to RCon 2027: airport and hotels
Fly in
Portland International Airport (PDX)
Stay
SWANA's RCon 2027 hotel block; not confirmed yet
Travel facts from swana.org.
RCon by the numbers
RCon year by year
How RCon 2027 compares with other energy and utilities shows
The energy and utilities shows closest to RCon on the calendar, with the latest size each organizer has published. Open any name for our exhibitor guide to that show.
| Show | Dates | City | Latest published size |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMAGEIMAGE (AAPG | August 30–September 2, 2027 | Houston, TX | – |
| Clean CurrentsNational Hydropower Association (NHA) | August 30–September 3, 2027 | Atlanta, GA | – |
| AFPM SummitAmerican Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) | August 30 – September 2, 2027 | Grapevine, TX | 50% of 2025 attendees from operating companies |
| ACP RECHARGEAmerican Clean Power Association (ACP) | September 13–15, 2027 | Austin, TX | 600 attendees · 15 exhibitors (2026) |
| Gastechdmg events | September 14–17, 2027 | Houston, TX | – |
| RConSolid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) | September 21–24, 2027 | Portland, OR | 1,500+ attendees · 200+ organizations exhibitors (2026) |
| WEFTECWater Environment Federation (WEF) | September 25–29, 2027 | Chicago, IL | 23,000+ expected attendees · about 1,000 exhibitors (2026) |
| The Battery ShowInforma Markets (Manufacturing by Informa) | October 11–14, 2027 | Detroit, MI | – |
| Geothermal Rising ConferenceGeothermal Rising | October 24–27, 2027 | Reno, NV | 1,500+ attendees anticipated for 2027 |
| Hydrogen AmericasSustainable Energy Council | October 26–27, 2027 | Houston, TX | – |
RCon exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before RCon
When is RCon 2027?
RCon 2027 runs September 21–24, 2027 in Portland, Oregon, per SWANA, with registration opening in spring 2027. SWANA has not posted the 2027 floor schedule, so it is not confirmed yet; St. Louis 2026 opened its hall with a Tuesday evening reception, then two daytime sessions.
Where is RCon 2027 held?
SWANA has set RCon 2027 for Portland, Oregon; the venue is not confirmed yet. SWANA cites Portland's ambitious waste diversion strategies, especially on food waste. The 2026 edition was at America's Center in St. Louis, and 2028 goes to Raleigh, North Carolina.
How much does a booth at RCon cost?
In 2026 RCon space cost $39 per square foot for 100 to 300 sq ft and $37 per square foot from 400 sq ft, plus $350 per corner, so a 10×20 was $7,800 in space. Our build comes on top: a 10×20 rental typically runs $7,500 to $15,000.
What comes with an RCon booth?
In 2026 each inline space included white drape, eight feet high at the back and three at the sides, with a company ID sign on the back drape, plus two full conference passes per 100 sq ft up to ten. Extra staff registered at $725 for SWANA members or $875 for others, and carpet was optional.
How many people attend RCon?
More than 1,500 waste and resource management professionals attended RCon 2026 in St. Louis, and nearly 1,700 attended the first RCon in Columbus in 2025, per SWANA. SWANA says nearly 70% of attendees are purchasing decision-makers.
Who exhibits at RCon?
The 2026 floor plan listed collection and fleet names such as New Way Trucks, Rehrig Pacific and Samsara, landfill and heavy equipment makers like Caterpillar, BOMAG and Sennebogen, landfill gas and engineering firms including SCS Engineers and HDR, and routing software such as Routeware.
Can we display a garbage truck at RCon?
Vehicles were part of the 2026 hall: SWANA had Shepard Event Services contact every vehicle exhibitor to set designated load-in and load-out times. We plan the booth around the truck's footprint and turning path, and we book those slots as soon as the 2027 kit opens.
When are RCon exhibit hall hours?
Portland hall times are not confirmed yet. St. Louis ran the floor Tuesday 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for the opening reception, Wednesday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., nine hours with no competing primary activity, and load-in ran the Monday and Tuesday before.
What are RCon's payment and cancellation terms?
For 2026, SWANA took a 50% deposit with applications before April 20, 2026 and the balance on that date, and refunded 50% of the total for cancellations by April 20; after that, no refunds. The 2027 terms are not confirmed yet, so we schedule production after your payment date.
How do I get a booth at RCon 2027?
SWANA sells exhibit and sponsorship opportunities first come, first served; contact the RCon team at SWANA, whose exhibit sales lead handles booth inquiries. The 2026 hall sold out, so early applications get the best locations.
Is RCon open to the public?
RCon is a paid professional event for public and private solid waste, recycling and resource management staff, with discounted rates for SWANA members. Exhibit questions go to SWANA's RCon team at swana.org.
What programs run at RCon besides the exhibit hall?
RCon 2026 combined SWANA Training, Experiential Learning Tours, keynotes, Roundtable Discussions and Rapid Insight Sessions in the New Way Theatre, with SWANA's award recipients recognized at an evening event. The 2025 edition offered more than 100 learning opportunities.
Can we reuse the booth at other waste shows?
An RCon booth carries straight over to WasteExpo in Las Vegas in May, BIOGAS AMERICAS in Louisville and WEFTEC in Chicago the same month as RCon. Modular frames and a swappable city panel keep refresh costs to graphics.
Is RCon worth exhibiting at?
For companies selling to municipal solid waste departments and landfill operators, RCon is SWANA's one national floor, with buyers SWANA says spend up to $5 million a year on equipment and services. The 2026 hall sold out.
Before you sign for RCon
Five things to ask every builder quoting RCon:
- Does the proposal list every fee, including the show contractor's bills?
- Who actually builds it for RCon: your shop or a subcontractor?
- Does your project manager stay on the floor through install and dismantle in Portland?
- For RCon, what is in the rental and what is billed by the show?
- Where does the booth go after RCon, 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. The structure you paid for stays in use.
Exhibiting from outside the US? We are your team on the ground at Portland: 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 rental with your graphics can be ready for RCon in two to three weeks. You will know on the first call what is realistic for your RCon date.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your RCon booth
What happens next
- We reply within one business day with questions about your products, goals and RCon footprint.
- You get a concept rendering and a fixed proposal for RCon, usually within a week. Every last fee for RCon, listed upfront and in full on paper.
- We build in 30 to 45 days, ship to the advance warehouse and have the booth installed before RCon opens.