SECO 2027Booth costs, dates and deadlines: the Atlanta exhibitor guide
Where Southeast optometry tries before it buys: SECO 2027 booths in Atlanta
- Event dates
- March 3–7, 2027
- Exhibit hall
- March 5–6, 2027 (Fri 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Sat 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m.)
- Venue
- Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta
4.9 star rating from clients3,000+ exhibitors10,000+ booths builtSince 2015
Quick answers
SECO 2027 in 30 seconds
The short version for SECO exhibitors. Sources for each SECO figure are further down the page.
- When is SECO 2027?
- March 3–7, 2027, at Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta.
- When does the SECO exhibit hall open?
- March 5–6, 2027, Fri 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Sat 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
- What is the all-in cost of a 10×20 booth at SECO?
- $7,500 – $15,000 for a Purple rental in Atlanta: design, graphics, lighting, install and dismantle. SECO bills space and show services separately.
- What is the next exhibitor deadline?
- SECO 2027 attendee registration officially opens (exhibitor registration is already open): November 1, 2026.
Official SECO 2027 links: SECO 2027 floor planSECO 2027 registrationSECO 2027 hotelsSECO 2027 booth space
The lookAtlanta 2027
Southern light. Clinical eye.
SECO 2027 runs March 3–7 at the Georgia World Congress Center, with the exhibit hall open March 5–6. Optometrists arrive from five days of courses, up to 40 CE hours, ready to try a device and a frame.
Everything about SECO 2027 in one place
SECO 2027 fact sheet
| Official name | SECO 2027 (SECO International Congress) |
|---|---|
| Event dates | March 3–7, 2027 |
| Exhibit hall dates | March 5–6, 2027 (Fri 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Sat 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m.) source |
| Venue | Georgia World Congress Center 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30313 |
| Organizer | SECO International |
| Who attends | Optometrists, opticians, ophthalmic technicians, paraoptometrics, practice administrators, residents and students |
| Next deadline | SECO 2027 attendee registration officially opens (exhibitor registration is already open): November 1, 2026 source |
| Nearest airport | Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) About 15 to 20 minutes from downtown, per Purple's GWCC venue guide |
| Hotels | EventSphere, SECO's only official housing provider; Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park is headquarters Official hotel page → |
| Official website | attendseco.com |
Official SECO resources
SECO 2027 calendar
SECO 2027 dates and deadlines
The SECO dates the organizer has published, in order, each linked to the page that states it. The next one is highlighted.
- SECO 2027 attendee registration officially opens (exhibitor registration is already open)Attendees and booth staff source
- Poster abstract submissions closeResearchers, residents and students source
- Last day to request a SECO manual wheelchairAttendees source
- SECO 2027 Congress opensAll source
- Optometry's Marketplace opens, 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m.All source
- Exhibit hall 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m.; Saturday night event at the Georgia AquariumAll source
- Final day of SECO 2027All source
01 Purple at SECO 2027
Where Southeast optometry tries before it buys: SECO 2027 booths in Atlanta
SECO's exhibit hall sells to optometrists fresh from five days of courses, so a booth there needs a device a doctor can try, a frame wall and a seat to talk numbers. At the Georgia World Congress Center, Building A, Georgia's right-to-work rules let your own staff set up.
- Hall Mar 5–6 · GWCC Atlanta
- Up to 40 CE hours for ODs
- Founded 1923, 13 states
What makes SECO different, and how we build for it
SECO is an education congress run by the profession: SECO International, founded in 1923 and based in Atlanta, builds five days of courses for its 13 member states, and in 2027 an optometrist can earn up to 40 CE hours.The exhibit floor, Optometry's Marketplace, opens only on Friday and Saturday, March 5 and 6, and it is built to turn classroom topics into purchases. The Surgical and Aesthetics Skills Education Pavilion, run with the American Society of Optometric Surgeons, gives free hands-on time with lasers and aesthetics devices; The View gathers luxury eyewear lines; the Buzz Lounge keeps doctors on the floor. The Saturday night event moves to the Georgia Aquarium.
They leave laser, dry-eye and aesthetics courses wanting device time; a working demo, clinical outcomes on screen and a financing conversation keep them in the booth.
Practice management systems, billing services and staffing tools are compared side by side over two days, so a seated demo and a clear price sheet matter more than a big graphic.
Frame lines, lens options and dispensing tools for the optical; they shop The View and the frame booths and want to handle product and leave with a sample order form.
Your team in Atlanta
Two shops behind your SECO booth
For SECO, we build in our own shop in Fishkill, NY, and at our Las Vegas hub, ship to the Georgia World Congress Center, and put our own project manager on the floor with vetted local labor for the install. Expect a 30–45-day build for SECO, secure storage and a pre-show QA.
Your team arrives at SECO to a lit, stocked booth. You just show up.
Inside SECO 2027
SECO rules that shape your booth
SECO allots five exhibit-hall-only badges per 100 sq ft of booth space and charges $10 for each extra; badges upgraded to education count toward the allotment. We size the number of demo stations to the staff your footprint allows.
Of the five Congress days, only Friday and Saturday, March 5 and 6, open Optometry's Marketplace, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and to 4 p.m. respectively. We schedule demos around the 9 to 11 a.m. special sessions on those mornings.
SECO states that companies supporting educational sessions and meal functions must report payments under the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, so attendee name, address and NPI are shared with the sponsor. We keep sponsored-session signage separate from booth demos.
EventSphere is the only housing provider for SECO 2027, and SECO warns of fraudulent companies offering rooms. We plan your team's arrival around the official block and keep staff hotels near Building A.
Programs worth planning for
Research, case and innovation posters shown inside Optometry's Marketplace; abstracts close November 30, 2026, SECO selects 100+, and each accepted poster earns a free Congress Package registration.
A free hands-on pavilion in the exhibit hall, developed with the American Society of Optometric Surgeons, covering laser procedures, cryosurgery, Botox, anesthesia and suturing.
SECO's curated luxury eyewear pavilion in Optometry's Marketplace, showcasing fashion and luxury frame lines from around the world.
Select OD courses are submitted to COPE/ARBO for accreditation, alongside AOA OD CE Hours, AOA PARA hours and ABO/NCLE courses for opticians, up to 40 hours for ODs in 2027.
SECO is the Southeast's optometry congress, with a two-day exhibit hall built around education; choose it over Vision Expo when you sell devices and clinical services to optometrists, and take Vision Expo for frame buyers and retailers. See how SECO compares with every eyewear and optical show we build for →
eyewear and optical at SECO
The industry behind SECO, in pictures
02 Booths & pricing for SECO 2027
Popular booth sizes at SECO
SECO sells exhibit space on its a2z floor plan and publishes no rate card, and badges come at five hall-only passes per 100 sq ft. Equipment and lens companies usually take a 10×20 or 10×30 inline for one or two working devices; we recommend a 20×20 island once you run a laser or imaging demo and need a private consult corner.
One working device on a lit plinth at seated height, a screen showing the clinical output, and a counter where a doctor and a rep review pricing.
Pictured: MedaCure, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
Two demo stations, for example imaging and dry-eye treatment, separated by a center counter with product samples, plus seats for a short consult away from the aisle.
Above: Optinova, a Purple inline booth
See 10×30 rental booths →
An island with four open sides: a laser or aesthetics device in a screened demo area, a frame or lens wall, a private consult table and a header that reads across the Building A hall.
Pictured: Pixee, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
Separate zones for clinical devices, practice software and eyewear, a small theater for scheduled presentations and a meeting room for group-practice buyers.
Pictured: AMRAD Medical, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×30 rental booths →In Purple's SECO price
- Your design and 3D rendering, revised until it is right for SECO
- Structure, printed graphics, counters and storage as specified
- Lighting plus power distribution within the booth at SECO
- Setup and teardown, with our project manager on the SECO floor
- Each service order and deadline in the SECO exhibitor kit, tracked for you
What SECO and its contractor bill
- Exhibit space (paid to SECO International)
- Material handling (drayage) at the Georgia World Congress Center, where the space rate does not include it
- Electrical, internet and rigging orders for SECO
- Booth cleaning and any union labor the Georgia World Congress Center requires
Rates to plan with for SECO:
- Extra exhibitor badges $10 each beyond five hall-only badges per 100 sq ft, 2027 source
- Drayage (Purple venue guide) About $150 per cwt, 200 lb minimum, Purple's 2026–27 GWCC planning figure source
- Headquarters hotel Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park from $270 a night, SECO 2027 block source
We estimate each of these on your SECO proposal, so the total is on paper before you sign.
Ranges shown are all-in 2026 rental prices for design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle at SECO; custom builds get their own quote. Run your SECO numbers in the booth cost calculator and the 2026 booth cost guide.
Share the booth size you have at SECO and what you need the space to do. A reply within one business day, then a SECO rendering and fixed proposal, usually within a week. No charge.
03 Built by Purple
Our booths, designed, built and installed, to compare for SECO
Case study · Pixee Medical
Pixee Medical at a medical technology congress
A focused booth that put the augmented-reality surgical guidance demo first, so visitors could try it while traffic kept moving.
Pixee Medical needed surgeons to put hands on an augmented-reality system without blocking the aisle; SECO device makers face that test with optometrists arriving straight from laser and dry-eye courses.
Read the Pixee Medical case study All case studies →“We were very happy with the experience and with the support provided throughout the project. The booth looked great, the coordination process was smooth, and everything was handled professionally, which made the event much easier for our team.”
Miriam Valdes, Communications Manager, INdermal · client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for diagnostic equipment, lens, contact lens, eyewear, pharmaceutical and practice-technology companies serving optometry at SECO
Four things we get right for SECO exhibitors
1Match the course catalog
SECO's 2027 special sessions cover cataract and refractive surgery, OD-MD retina cases and ocular surface disease with aesthetics. Doctors walk into Optometry's Marketplace with those topics fresh, so we put the matching device or product at the front of the booth with a panel that names the clinical use.
2Two days, so schedule the demos
The hall is open only from 9:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 5 and 6, and the special sessions run 9 to 11 a.m. We build a visible demo-time board into the booth so doctors can plan around courses and come back at a set hour.
3Badges set the staffing
SECO gives five hall-only badges per 100 sq ft, with extras at $10 each, and an upgraded badge with education counts against the allotment. We plan the number of demo stations to the badges your footprint brings, so every station stays staffed.
4Eyewear needs its own light
Frame companies at SECO share the floor with equipment makers under the same hall lighting. We give frame walls their own high color-rendering LED runs and a mirror at each end, so acetate and metal finishes read true next to the device booths around The View.
Concept rendering
Your SECO proposal comes with a rendering like this
Layout, graphics, lighting and product positions are all in the 3D view, revised until right, before a single panel is cut for SECO. Shown: a Purple concept for Acknit Industries Limited.
Start my SECO conceptFloor at a glance
Where you could be at SECO 2027
SECO 2027 uses Building A of the Georgia World Congress Center, with registration on Level 4 and Optometry's Marketplace holding the pavilions SECO publishes for 2027.
Building A
Part of the original 1976 GWCC complex, expanded through Phases II and III; SECO directs parking to the Red Deck, the closest deck to Building A.
Our advice We route crates to the Building A docks and keep demo devices in clearly labeled cases for a fast move-in.
Surgical and Aesthetics Skills Education Pavilion
A free hands-on pavilion in the hall, developed with the American Society of Optometric Surgeons, covering lasers, cryosurgery, Botox, anesthesia and suturing.
Our advice Device makers in these categories do well with a matching demo; doctors arrive having just practiced the technique.
The View and the Buzz Lounge
The View is SECO's curated luxury eyewear pavilion; the Buzz Lounge is the hall's drinks and networking stop.
Our advice Frame booths near The View should match its standard: true-color lighting, mirrors and a seat for the optician.
05 Georgia World Congress Center · Atlanta
Logistics for SECO 2027, handled
SECO 2027 meets in Building A of the Georgia World Congress Center, and SECO points drivers to the Red Deck as the closest parking. Under Georgia law your own full-time employees can put up the display without union cards; material handling and power are still ordered from the official contractor named in the exhibitor kit. For freight we budget roughly $150 per hundredweight, 200-pound minimum, the planning figure in Purple's GWCC guide for 2026 and 2027. Our project manager runs move-in, crates go to the advance warehouse on its window, and staff can ride MARTA to the station at the campus door.
For hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines in this building, see our Georgia World Congress Center exhibitor guide.
What Purple handles
- Demo plinths and screened areas for lasers and imaging devices
- Frame walls with true-color lighting near The View
- Exhibitor kit orders and advance-warehouse freight at the GWCC
- Installation and dismantle run by our project manager
- Demo-time boards that work around SECO's course schedule
- Same-week freight to Vision Expo 2027 in Las Vegas
Your SECO timeline, from move-in back
Poster abstract submission deadline: November 30, 2026. SECO publishes no 2027 exhibitor service deadlines yet; for the booth itself we need design sign-off in late December 2026 to build in 30 to 45 days.
We need your SECO design signed off by late December 2026.
- Late December 2026Design sign-off, about ten weeks before move-in: demo stations, frame walls, power and any island header approved.
- January 2027Production over 30 to 45 days; devices mounted and frame lighting tested before crating.
- February 2027Freight to the advance warehouse; booth staff registered in the a2z Exhibitor Hub at five badges per 100 sq ft.
- Early March 2027Move-in at the GWCC Building A docks with our project manager; demo devices powered and tested.
- March 5–6, 2027Optometry's Marketplace open Friday 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturday 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m.; we stay on call for repairs.
- March 6–7, 2027Dismantle after the Saturday close; the booth ships to storage, or by direct truck to The Venetian Expo for Vision Expo.
Purple's planning timeline for SECO. The official SECO move-in, freight target and order dates come from your exhibitor kit and assigned schedule; when you book, we confirm them against your booth.
Print the SECO budget & deadline sheetTravel to SECO 2027
Getting to SECO 2027: airport, hotels and parking
Fly in
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
About 15 to 20 minutes from downtown, per Purple's GWCC venue guide
Stay
EventSphere, SECO's only official housing provider; Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park is headquarters
Park
GWCC parking reserved online; the Red Deck is closest to Building A, per SECO 2027
Find the venue
Georgia World Congress Center
285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30313
Travel facts from attendseco.com.
SECO by the numbers
SECO year by year
How SECO 2027 compares with other eyewear and optical shows
The eyewear and optical shows closest to SECO on the calendar, with the latest size each organizer has published. Each name other than SECO opens our exhibitor guide for that show.
| Show | Dates | City | Latest published size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart of America Eye Care CongressHeart of America Eye Care Congress (HOAECC) | February 19–21, 2027 | Kansas City, MO | – |
| SECOSECO International | March 3–7, 2027 | Atlanta, GA | – |
| LOFT New YorkLoft Eyewear Events Corp. | March 4–6, 2027 | New York, NY | – |
| EYECONEYECON Show (founder and creative director Tarrence Lackran) | March 5–7, 2027 | New York, NY | – |
| Vision ExpoRX and The Vision Council (co-owners) | March 10–13, 2027 | Las Vegas, NV | 8,000+ attendees · 350+ exhibitors (2026) |
| N.E.O.S.North East Optical Show | April 17–18, 2027 | Providence, RI | – |
SECO exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before SECO
When is SECO 2027?
SECO 2027 takes place Wednesday, March 3 through Sunday, March 7, 2027 in Atlanta. Optometry's Marketplace, the exhibit hall, opens for two days only: Friday, March 5 until 5 p.m. and Saturday, March 6 until 4 p.m., both from 9:30 a.m. The rest of the week is courses, special sessions and evening events.
Where is SECO 2027 held?
The Congress meets in Building A of the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta, and SECO recommends the Red Deck as the nearest parking. The Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park, across the street from the campus, is the 2027 headquarters hotel.
What are the SECO exhibit hall hours?
Doctors can walk Optometry's Marketplace from 9:30 a.m. on both hall days: until 5 p.m. on Friday, March 5, 2027 and until 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 6. Move-in and move-out windows arrive with the exhibitor kit, and we set the install schedule to them.
How much does a booth at SECO 2027 cost?
Space at SECO is sold through the a2z floor plan and priced in your exhibit contract; SECO International posts no public rate card. On the build side, Purple's 2026 planning ranges are $7,500 to $15,000 for a rented 10×20 inline and $50,000 to $120,000 for a custom 20×20 island; live lasers, imaging devices and their power are what push a SECO budget up.
How many badges do SECO exhibitors get?
Each exhibiting company gets five exhibit-hall-only badges per 100 sq ft of booth space, and each badge beyond that costs $10. Upgrading a staffer to full education counts toward the allotment; badges are registered in the a2z Exhibitor Hub.
Who attends SECO?
SECO's courses are built for optometrists, opticians, ophthalmic technicians, paraoptometrics and practice administrators, plus residents and students. In 2027 an optometrist can earn up to 40 CE hours and an allied health professional up to 38, which keeps whole practice teams in Atlanta for the week.
Who organizes SECO?
SECO International, a not-for-profit association founded in 1923 and headquartered in Atlanta, runs the Congress. Its members practice in 13 southeastern states from Alabama to West Virginia, and it works with 13 state optometric associations and five schools of optometry.
Is SECO open to the public?
SECO is a registered professional congress, and every event requires a SECO badge. Attendee registration for 2027 officially opens November 1, 2026, and the exhibit hall is included with every attendee registration.
What is The View at SECO?
The View is SECO's luxury eyewear pavilion inside Optometry's Marketplace, a curated space for fashion and luxury eyewear lines from around the world. Frame companies outside the pavilion still benefit from the eyewear traffic it pulls onto the floor.
What is the Surgical and Aesthetics Skills Education Pavilion?
It is a free pavilion inside the exhibit hall, developed with the American Society of Optometric Surgeons, with hands-on time on lasers, cryosurgery, Botox, suturing and other procedures on Friday and Saturday. Device makers in those categories meet doctors who have just tried the technique.
Can we set up our own booth at the Georgia World Congress Center?
Your full-time staff can usually build and strike the display themselves at the GWCC, because Georgia is a right-to-work state and no union card is needed. Drayage and electrical still come from the contractor SECO appoints. We design the booth to assemble fast and add our project manager when a device-heavy build needs more hands.
Where should SECO exhibitors stay?
EventSphere is SECO's only official housing provider, and SECO warns about companies falsely offering rooms. The 2027 block includes the Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park from $270 a night, the AC Hotel Atlanta Downtown from $240 and the Atlanta Marriott Marquis from $290.
Can we reuse a SECO booth at Vision Expo?
SECO closes March 7 and Vision Expo opens in Las Vegas on March 10, 2027, after the Freeman warehouse stops taking freight on March 2. One booth can do both only if it leaves Atlanta right after the Saturday close and goes direct to The Venetian Expo, so most clients take a second set of graphics and modules from us.
Where is SECO in 2028?
SECO 2028 is set for March 1–5, 2028 and SECO 2029 for February 28 to March 4, 2029, both at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. A booth built for 2027 can return to the same building for both.
Before you sign for SECO
Ask any SECO exhibit builder these five questions:
- Is every fee on the proposal, including what the SECO show contractor bills?
- Will your own shop build it, or a subcontractor?
- Will your project manager be on the floor at the Georgia World Congress Center for install and dismantle?
- What exactly is in the rental, and what does SECO bill?
- What happens to the booth after SECO, and what does storage cost?
Common situations
Already own a booth? We refresh its graphics, repair what is worn, ship and install it for SECO, and store it between shows. You keep the structure you paid for and bring it to SECO.
Exhibiting from outside the US? For SECO, we act as your team on the ground: freight to the advance warehouse, show-service orders, installation and storage, and one project manager who answers your emails in your time zone.
Short on time? A SECO rental carrying your graphics can be ready in two to three weeks. We tell you on the first call what is realistic before SECO.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your SECO booth
What happens next
- We reply within one business day with questions about your products, goals and SECO footprint.
- Your SECO concept rendering and fixed proposal usually arrive within a week. Each SECO fee listed upfront and in full, on paper.
- Production runs 30–45 days, then we ship to the advance warehouse and install before the SECO hall opens.
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