pharma and biotech · San Diego
SLAS 2027Booth costs, dates and deadlines: the San Diego exhibitor guide
Robots running, plates moving: SLAS2027 booths for San Diego's automation hall
- Event dates
- January 30–February 3, 2027
- Exhibit hall
- February 1–3, 2027 (Mon 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Tue 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Wed 9 a.m.–1 p.m.)
- Venue
- San Diego Convention Center, San Diego
4.9 star client rating3,000+ exhibitors10,000+ booths builtSince 2015
Quick answers
SLAS 2027 in 30 seconds
The short version for SLAS exhibitors. Sources for each SLAS figure are further down the page.
- When is SLAS 2027?
- January 30–February 3, 2027, at San Diego Convention Center, San Diego.
- When is the SLAS exhibit hall open?
- February 1–3, 2027, Mon 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Tue 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Wed 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
- How big is SLAS?
- 7,600+ registrations attendees, 419 exhibitors (2026 edition).
- What does SLAS booth space cost?
- $47 per sq ft plus $375 per corner, 2027 rate, paid to the organizer.
- What does a 10×20 booth cost all-in at SLAS?
- $7,500 – $15,000, all-in, for a Purple rental with design, graphics, lighting, install and dismantle. Space and show services are billed separately by SLAS.
- For SLAS, what is the next exhibitor deadline?
- Unsold Solutions Spotlight and tutorial slots open beyond the two-slot limit: November 2, 2026.
Official SLAS 2027 links: SLAS 2027 hotelsSLAS 2027 scheduleSLAS 2027 booth space
Everything about SLAS 2027 in one place
SLAS 2027 fact sheet
| Official name | SLAS2027 International Conference & Exhibition (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening) |
|---|---|
| Event dates | January 30–February 3, 2027 |
| Exhibit hall dates | February 1–3, 2027 (Mon 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Tue 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Wed 9 a.m.–1 p.m.) source |
| Venue | San Diego Convention Center 111 W Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101 |
| Organizer | Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) |
| Size (2026) | 7,600+ registrations attendees · 419 exhibitors source |
| Who attends | Lab automation engineers, screening and discovery scientists, lab managers and R&D leaders; 46 countries and 84% North American in 2026 |
| Booth space | $47 per sq ft plus $375 per corner, 2027 rate source |
| Next deadline | Unsold Solutions Spotlight and tutorial slots open beyond the two-slot limit: November 2, 2026 source |
| Nearest airport | San Diego International Airport (SAN) About 15 minutes from the convention center and all official hotels, per SLAS |
| Hotels | SLAS partner hotels booked through SLAS's own links, headquartered at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina Official hotel page → |
| Official website | slas.org |
Official SLAS resources
SLAS 2027 calendar
SLAS 2027 dates and deadlines
Every date the organizer has published for SLAS, in order, with a link to the page that states it. The next one is highlighted.
- Unsold Solutions Spotlight and tutorial slots open beyond the two-slot limitExhibitors source
- SLAS2027 New Product Award applications dueExhibitors launching products source
- First partner-hotel group-rate deadline (DoubleTree Mission Valley); others run to January 4Exhibitors and attendees source
- First SLAS2027 Product Launch email to attendeesExhibitors with the Product Launch Enhancement source
- Set-up opens at 1 p.m. for booths of 900 square feet and largerExhibitors source
- Last day for extra exhibitor badges at the lower rate ($425 booth personnel, $1,155 full conference)Exhibitors source
- Set-up for 600 sq ft booths from 8 a.m.; all exhibitors from 1 p.m.Exhibitors source
- SLAS2027 conference opens; final set-up dayAttendees and exhibitors source
- Exhibition opens, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.Attendees and exhibitors source
- Exhibition closes at 1 p.m.; dismantle until 9 p.m.Exhibitors source
- Dismantle ends at 2 p.m.Exhibitors source
01 Purple at SLAS 2027
Robots running, plates moving: SLAS2027 booths for San Diego's automation hall
We build SLAS booths where a liquid handler or robotic arm runs a real protocol in front of screening scientists, with a quiet corner for the integration question that follows. At the San Diego Convention Center we work to SLAS's size-based set-up days and the Freeman service kit.
- Expo Feb 1–3 · San Diego
- 419 exhibitors in 2026
- $47 per sq ft (2027)
What makes SLAS different, and how we build for it
SLAS calls its meeting the largest North American exhibition dedicated to laboratory automation, and the floor proves it: 419 exhibitors in 2026, more than 90 product launches and a hall that fills to capacity.In San Diego the program spreads beyond Exhibit Hall ABC. NexusXp: The Connected Lab moves to the Main Stage, the Sails Pavilion gathers registration, posters and partneringONE meetings, and the Solutions Spotlight Theater and Exhibition Theater put short talks on the floor. The New Product Award picks up to three winners, start-ups show on Innovation AveNEW, and Priority Points earned at SLAS2027 set the booth selection order for SLAS2028 in Boston.
A system they can watch complete a run, with deck layout, scheduling software and the integration points to their existing robots explained by an applications engineer.
Assay data, throughput and imaging results on a screen, plus consumables and plate formats they can match against their current workflow.
Total cost, service coverage and timelines. In SLAS's 2026 survey, 46% of attendees approve or are involved in purchases and 38% more specify or influence them, and many want a seated meeting rather than an aisle pitch.
Your team in San Diego
From our two shops to the SLAS floor
For SLAS, we build in our own shop in Fishkill, NY, and at our Las Vegas hub, ship to the San Diego Convention Center, and put our own project manager on the floor with vetted local labor for the install. Every SLAS build runs a predictable 30 to 45 days and gets a pre-show QA, with secure storage after.
Your team walks into a lit, stocked booth. You just show up.
Inside SLAS 2027
SLAS rules that shape your booth
SLAS defines islands as booths open on all four sides with a minimum of 20×20, while linear booths get an 8-foot back drape and 3-foot side drapes (2027 terms). We design inline backwalls to that 8-foot line and islands for four-sided viewing.
Booths of 900 square feet and up install from 1 p.m. Thursday, January 28; 600 and up from 8 a.m. Friday; all others from 1 p.m. Friday. We book instrument deliveries and calibration for the slot your booth size allows.
Meeting rooms need an approved SLAS request form, are for exhibitors only, and may not host product demonstrations, educational sessions or groups over 20 during exhibition hours. We keep live runs on the booth floor and fit the suite for talks.
Space requires 50% at signing and full payment by September 9, 2026, and after March 2, 2026 a cancelling exhibitor owes 100% of the space charges. We plan the booth to the space you hold rather than a size you might drop.
SLAS names its partner links as the only official booking channels and warns that unaffiliated housing companies offer lower rates for reservations that may not exist. We plan staff rooms through those links before the late-December group deadlines.
Programs worth planning for
For products launched since the last conference and commercially available within 90 days of SLAS2027; a panel picks up to 10 finalists for on-site interviews and up to three winners. Applications are due December 7, 2026.
A $350 add-on with two partnering licenses, pre-conference appointment setting, private Partnering Pods for one-hour meetings and the Partnering Lounge in the Sails Pavilion.
Free kiosks plus travel and lodging for two for start-ups six months to eight years old with under $10 million raised; 15 companies are announced for SLAS2027, and selected companies may not buy a floor booth.
Points for corporate partnership, 5 per 10×10 booth and 1 per $1,000 of sponsorship, earned January 1 to December 31, 2027, set the booth selection order for SLAS2028 in Boston.
SLAS is North America's largest lab automation exhibition, with 419 exhibitors in 2026; choose it over Pittcon when you sell liquid handling, robotics or screening tools to drug discovery labs rather than analytical instruments to chemists. Compare every pharma and biotech show we build for →
pharma and biotech at SLAS
The industry behind SLAS, in pictures
02 Booths & pricing for SLAS 2027
Popular booth sizes at SLAS
SLAS sells space by the square foot in 10×10 units, and SLAS lists the companies taking 400 square feet or more. Islands start at 20×20. We recommend a 10×20 for one running instrument, a 20×20 island for an integrated workcell, and a separate meeting suite when sales talks need privacy.
One benchtop liquid handler or plate reader on a rated counter, a 55-inch screen for run data and storage for consumables and demo plates.
Pictured: Optinova, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
A running instrument at one end, an imaging or software station in the middle and a standing table for integration questions, which suits a company with three products.
See 10×30 rental booths →
The smallest SLAS island: an enclosed workcell or robot arm on a plinth with sight lines from four aisles, plus a hanging sign and a two-seat meeting nook.
Above: iCAD, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
Two linked workcells running a full protocol, a small theater for application talks and a closed room, sized for the 400-square-foot exhibitor list SLAS publishes.
Pictured: Olon / Fidia Pharma Group, a Purple large-format exhibit
See 20×30 rental booths →In Purple's SLAS price
- Your design and 3D rendering, revised until it is right for SLAS
- Structure, printed graphics, counters and storage, as specified for SLAS
- Lighting and power distribution inside the booth
- Installation and dismantle in San Diego, run by our project manager on the floor
- Show-service orders and deadlines for SLAS, tracked on your behalf
Billed by SLAS and its contractor
- Exhibit space (paid to Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening)
- Material handling (drayage) at the San Diego Convention Center, where the space rate does not include it
- Electrical service, internet and rigging at the San Diego Convention Center
- Booth cleaning, and union labor where the San Diego Convention Center requires it
Rates to plan with for SLAS:
- Booth space $47 per sq ft plus $375 per corner, 2027 rate source
- Meeting suites Sails Pavilion $10,000–$18,000; Mezzanine 15×15 $16,000, 2027 source
- partneringONE package $350 for two partnering licenses, 2027 source
- Drayage About $176 per cwt, 200 lb minimum, 2026–27 planning figure
We put an estimate for each line on your proposal; the total is on paper before you sign.
All-in 2026 rental ranges: design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle are included, and custom SLAS builds are quoted per project. The booth cost calculator gives an exact number for your SLAS booth; the 2026 booth cost guide has the 2026 ranges.
Share the booth size you have at SLAS and what you need the space to do. Expect a reply within one business day and, usually within a week, a rendering and a fixed proposal for SLAS. No charge.
In San Diego, your team walks into a booth that is already lit and stocked. You just show up.
03 Built by Purple
Built by our team: booths to compare for SLAS
Case study · Pixee Medical
Pixee Medical at a medical technology congress
A focused, demo-first booth for augmented-reality surgical guidance, built so every visitor could try the technology while traffic kept moving.
Pixee Medical put a hands-on demo at the center of a small footprint; SLAS screening scientists likewise want to watch a liquid handler finish a run before they talk price.
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 · what other clients say
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for lab automation, liquid handling, robotics, imaging and lab software companies at SLAS
Four things we get right for SLAS exhibitors
1Make the run visible from the aisle
SLAS buyers came to see new products, 84% of surveyed attendees said in 2026. We raise the deck of your liquid handler or workcell on a plinth, light it from above and put a live run-status screen beside it, so the protocol reads from the aisle in Exhibit Hall ABC.
2Set up by footprint, not by choice
SLAS lets booths of 900 square feet and up start set-up on Thursday, January 28, booths of 600 and up Friday morning, and everyone else Friday afternoon. We schedule your freight, rigging and instrument calibration to the slot your square footage earns.
3Meeting rooms are not demo rooms
SLAS meeting suites, from $10,000 Sails Pavilion rooms to the $16,000 Mezzanine suite overlooking the hall, are not for product demonstrations or groups over 20 during exhibition hours. We keep every demo on your booth floor and design the suite as a quiet sales room.
4Launch with the New Product Award
More than 90 products launched at SLAS2026, and the 2027 New Product Award takes applications until December 7, 2026. If you enter, we give the launch its own lit plinth and a graphic panel ready to carry the finalist mark during the on-site interviews.
Concept rendering
Your SLAS 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 SLAS. Shown: a Purple concept for Olon.
Start my SLAS conceptFloor at a glance
Where you could be at SLAS 2027
SLAS2027 spreads across the San Diego Convention Center: the exhibition in Exhibit Hall ABC, posters and partnering in the Sails Pavilion, and meeting suites on the Mezzanine above the floor.
Exhibit Hall ABC, ground level
The exhibition floor, entered from the main building entrance; SLAS sells wayfinding columns by the escalators in Halls B and C and column wraps beside booths.
Our advice Booths near the B and C escalators get first sight of arriving attendees, so we keep the hanging sign and run screen facing that flow.
Sails Pavilion
New for 2027: registration, the SLAS booth, partneringONE, poster presentations and activations under one roof, with a Tuesday evening reception and a Wednesday beverage break.
Our advice Sails Pavilion meeting suites from $10,000 sit beside the posters; we furnish them for four to ten people and brand the door.
Mezzanine Level
Custom-built 15×15 meeting suites overlooking the exhibition, open Sunday to Wednesday, and exhibitor meeting rooms; there is no lobby access from the Mezzanine.
Our advice Clients reach the Mezzanine by the escalators, so we add directional graphics at your booth that send them upstairs.
05 San Diego Convention Center · San Diego
Logistics for SLAS 2027, handled
SLAS2027 fills Exhibit Hall ABC of the San Diego Convention Center, with the main hall entrance on the ground level and meeting suites on the Mezzanine. Freeman is SLAS's Official Service Contractor and runs a First Time Exhibitor Service with SLAS. Set-up is staggered by size from Thursday, January 28, and dismantle runs February 3 from 1 to 9 p.m. and February 4 until 2 p.m. Exhibit labor in this building is union under the show's contractor agreements, and every crate pays drayage by the hundredweight. We order Freeman labor, electrical and rigging, ship crates to the advance warehouse, and our project manager oversees the build.
SLAS exhibitors can find this building's hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines in our San Diego Convention Center exhibitor guide.
What Purple handles
- Plinths rated for liquid handlers, robots and workcells
- Freeman labor, electrical, rigging and advance-warehouse freight
- Set-up planned to SLAS's size-based schedule
- New Product Award launch graphics and lighting
- Meeting suite furnishing and graphics
- Storage until Bio-IT World or SLAS2028 in Boston
Your SLAS timeline, from move-in back
SLAS2027 New Product Award application deadline: December 7, 2026. If you launch at SLAS2027, enter by this date; send us the product files so the launch plinth and graphics are ready for the finalist interviews.
For SLAS, we need design sign-off by mid-November 2026.
- Now to mid-November 2026Confirm booth size with SLAS; send us instrument footprints, weights, power, air and network needs.
- Mid-November 2026Design sign-off: plinths, run-status screens, meeting nook and hanging sign drawings for islands.
- Late November to December 2026Production in Fishkill, NY within 30 to 45 days; plinths load-tested with your instrument weights.
- Early January 2027Crates ship to the Freeman advance warehouse; electrical, rigging and labor orders placed.
- January 28–30, 2027Set-up by booth size; our project manager builds the booth and your engineers calibrate instruments.
- February 1–4, 2027Exhibition February 1–3, then dismantle to 2 p.m. on February 4 and freight to storage or your next show.
Planning timeline from Purple. Move-in, freight target and order deadlines are set by the SLAS exhibitor kit and your assigned schedule; we confirm them for your booth once you book.
Printable SLAS budget & deadline sheetTravel to SLAS 2027
Getting to SLAS 2027: airport and hotels
Fly in
San Diego International Airport (SAN)
About 15 minutes from the convention center and all official hotels, per SLAS
Stay
SLAS partner hotels booked through SLAS's own links, headquartered at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
Travel facts from slas.org.
SLAS by the numbers
SLAS year by year
How SLAS 2027 compares with other pharma and biotech shows
The pharma and biotech shows closest to SLAS on the calendar, with the latest size each organizer has published. Each show name opens our pharma and biotech exhibitor guide for that show.
| Show | Dates | City | Latest published size |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIO Partnering @ JPM WeekBiotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) | January 11–14, 2027 | San Francisco, CA | – |
| Biotech ShowcaseDemy-Colton and Informa Connect | January 11–13, 2027 | San Francisco, CA | 3,200+ attendees cited for the 2027 event |
| SLASSociety for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) | January 30–February 3, 2027 | San Diego, CA | 7,600+ registrations attendees · 419 exhibitors (2026) |
| BIO Investment & Growth SummitBiotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) | February 16–17, 2027 | Miami Beach, FL | – |
| Biophysical Society Annual MeetingBiophysical Society (BPS) | February 20–24, 2027 | Philadelphia, PA | 4,500+ attendees (2026) |
| IFPACIFPAC (conference management by InfoScience Services | February 28–March 3, 2027 | North Bethesda, MD | 51 listed exhibitors (2026) |
| AGBT General MeetingThe Genome Partnership | March 1–4, 2027 | Orlando, FL | About 1,050 attendees expected (2027) |
| SCOPE SummitCambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI) | March 1–4, 2027 | Orlando, FL | 5,000+ attendees · 350+ exhibitors (2026) |
| HDA DMCHealthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) | March 7–10, 2027 | Palm Desert, CA | 600+ attendees (2026) |
| World Vaccine Congress WashingtonTerrapinn | March 8–11, 2027 | Washington, DC | 3,000+ attendees planned for the 2027 congress |
SLAS exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before SLAS
When is SLAS 2027?
SLAS2027 runs January 30 to February 3, 2027, and the exhibition is open the last three days, Monday, February 1 to Wednesday, February 3. Short courses fill the opening weekend before the hall opens. The next edition, SLAS2028, follows February 5–9, 2028 in Boston.
Where is SLAS 2027 held?
SLAS2027 is at the San Diego Convention Center on the downtown waterfront. The exhibition fills Exhibit Hall ABC on the ground level, registration, posters and partneringONE move into the Sails Pavilion for 2027, and custom-built meeting suites sit on the Mezzanine overlooking the hall.
What are the SLAS 2027 exhibition hours?
The SLAS2027 exhibition is open Monday, February 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday, February 2 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday, February 3 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday ends with a networking reception in the hall, and dismantle starts at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
How much does a booth at SLAS 2027 cost?
SLAS charges $47 per square foot plus $375 per corner for 2027, so a 10×20 inline costs $9,400 in space before the exhibit. Our 10×20 rental for SLAS typically runs $7,500 to $15,000, and a custom 20×20 island $50,000 to $120,000; running instruments, plinths and rigging decide where you land.
Is it too late to book SLAS 2027 space?
Space is still sold, but applications made after September 9, 2026 must include full payment, and SLAS says the hall fills to capacity, so what is left depends on SLAS's floor plan. If you secure a booth, we need design sign-off by mid-November to build in time.
Who exhibits at SLAS?
Laboratory automation and screening suppliers: 419 companies exhibited at SLAS2026, a record, selling liquid handlers, robotics, imaging, sample management, lab software and consumables. SLAS counted more than 90 product launches that year, and 15 start-ups are announced for Innovation AveNEW at SLAS2027.
How many people attend SLAS?
SLAS2026 in Boston drew a record 7,600+ registrations from 46 countries, with an exhibition hall over 100,000 square feet. In SLAS's 2026 survey, 84% of attendees came from North America and 61% worked for commercial companies, ahead of academic labs at 12% and start-ups at 10%.
Is SLAS worth exhibiting at?
For automation and screening suppliers, SLAS is the core event: 84% of surveyed 2026 attendees came to see new products, 97% rated the exhibition positively, and 46% approve or are involved in purchases. It suits companies with a product to run live, less so pure analytical chemistry vendors.
When can we move in at SLAS 2027?
It depends on booth size. Booths of 900 square feet or larger start Thursday, January 28 at 1 p.m.; 600 square feet or larger start Friday, January 29 at 8 a.m.; all others start Friday at 1 p.m., with Saturday, January 30 for everyone. Your engineers calibrate instruments while our project manager directs the union crew.
What does drayage cost at the San Diego Convention Center?
Freeman charges drayage per hundredweight using the SLAS2027 service kit tariff. For San Diego we plan about $176 per hundredweight in 2026 and 2027, with a 200-pound minimum. Liquid handlers and workcells are heavy, so we weigh crates and list drayage separately.
Can we book a private meeting room at SLAS 2027?
Exhibitors can, after SLAS approves a Meeting Room Request Form: Sails Pavilion suites cost $10,000 to $18,000, a Mezzanine suite $16,000 and convention center rooms $1,650 per day. They are for meetings only, never product demos or educational sessions, and not for groups over 20 during exhibition hours.
Do you handle Freeman orders for SLAS?
We do. Freeman is SLAS's Official Service Contractor, and we place labor, electrical, compressed air, rigging and material handling orders from its service kit, ship to the advance warehouse and copy you on each confirmation. First-time exhibitors can also join SLAS's First Time Exhibitor Service.
How do we book a hotel for SLAS 2027?
Book through SLAS's official hotel links: the Manchester Grand Hyatt and Hilton Bayfront from $359, the Omni at $337, with group deadlines from December 27, 2026 to January 4, 2027. SLAS warns that unaffiliated housing companies offer deals with non-refundable terms or rooms that do not exist.
Can we rent a booth for SLAS, and what comes with it?
We rent SLAS booths with frames, fabric graphics, LED lighting, instrument plinths, a run-status monitor and lockable storage for plates and tips. Freight, Freeman orders, install and dismantle are priced together, and the kit moves on to Bio-IT World or Drug Discovery Chemistry with new graphics.
Before you sign for SLAS
Five things to ask every builder quoting SLAS:
- Is every fee on the proposal, including what the SLAS show contractor bills?
- Who actually builds it for SLAS: your shop or a subcontractor?
- Will your own project manager be at SLAS for install and dismantle?
- For SLAS, what is in the rental and what is billed by the show?
- What happens to the booth after SLAS, and what does storage cost?
Common situations
Already own a booth? Your existing booth gets refreshed graphics and repairs, then we ship it to San Diego, install it and store it between shows. You keep the structure you paid for and bring it to SLAS.
Exhibiting from outside the US? We are your team on the ground at the San Diego Convention Center: 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? In two to three weeks, a rental with your graphics can be ready for San Diego. On the first call, we tell you what is realistic for SLAS.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your SLAS booth
What happens next
- We reply within one business day with questions about your products, goals and SLAS footprint.
- Your SLAS concept rendering and fixed proposal usually arrive within a week. All fees listed upfront, in full, on paper, before SLAS.
- Production runs 30–45 days, then we ship to the advance warehouse and install before the SLAS hall opens.
