SOF Week 2027 · May 3–6, 2027 · Tampa Convention Center, Tampa
SOF Week 2027 booth design & build in Tampa
Custom and rental exhibits for comms, optics, UAS, mobility and ISR suppliers, built so an operator can handle the hardware and a delegation has a table to sit at. Secured fixtures, guided demo screens and Tampa Convention Center paperwork handled by our on-site team.
- May 3–6, 2027
- Tampa Convention Center
Every last fee listed upfront, in full, on paper. 3,000+ exhibitors · 10,000+ booths built · 4.9★ client rating · Since 2015
Two women engineers discussing a project in a technical laboratory
01 Purple at SOF Week 2027
What makes SOF Week different, and how we build for it
SOF Week is run by USSOCOM with the Global SOF Foundation as co-sponsor through 2029, so the people in the aisles are program offices, operators and the international SOF delegations that buy alongside them. The program puts Keynotes and Plenaries, Leadership and Policy Panels and Industry Demonstrations beside the exhibition, and the Community Corridor, Accelerator Alley, the SOF Week Outpost and the GSOF Membership Lounge pull traffic between Tampa Convention Center and JW Marriott Water Street. Accelerator Alley brought 44 new-to-market companies onto Level 1 in 2026. A booth here has to say in one line what you supply, put the hardware where an operator can handle it, and give a delegation a table to sit at.
A one-line statement of what you supply, the product at handling height with a scale reference, and a specialist who can answer a technical question on the spot.
Hardware they can pick up, a demonstration they can follow on a guided screen, and a representative who is visible and not behind a counter.
A hosted table behind the display for a group of four to six, a named host at the reception point, and organized material to take away.
Your team in Tampa
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 Tampa 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 lands to a lit, stocked booth. You just show up.
02 Booths & pricing for SOF Week 2027
Pick a footprint. We price it as a rental, a custom build, or a hybrid.
SOF Week is a campus of 10×10 and 10×20 inlines from suppliers and start-ups around large islands from the primes and vehicle makers, with Accelerator Alley companies on 8×6 tables. Purple clients here usually take a 10×20 with a secured hardware wall and a standing conversation point, or a 20×20 island with a demonstration station and a curtained meeting table for delegations.
One locked hardware fixture for optics, radios or a small UAS, a single guided screen and a standing point where the representative stays visible.
Shown: Ziemann Holvrieka, a Purple inline booth
See 10×10 rental booths →
A secured hardware wall with scale references, a demonstration counter for a software or ISR walkthrough and a two-seat table for follow-up.
Shown: Avertic by Engtex, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
A mounted vehicle or UAS display under a hanging sign, two guided demo stations and a curtained meeting table for a delegation of six.
Shown: Trillium, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
Several product groups each with its own evidence point, a small briefing theater, a hosted reception point and a closed meeting room with storage.
Shown: dmi digital illustrate inc., 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
- Electrical service, internet and rigging
- Booth cleaning and any union labor the venue requires
We estimate every one of these on your proposal, so the total is on paper before you sign.
All-in 2026 ranges for design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle. A custom-built booth runs roughly $100 to $250 per square foot depending on finish level. A rental of the same footprint usually lands at 35 to 50 percent of the purchase price for one show. Get an exact number for SOF Week 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 · Shapoorji Pallonji
Shapoorji Pallonji at engineering and infrastructure exhibition
A structured, powerful booth for a global engineering group founded in 1865, built to communicate scale, trust and engineering excellence.
Read the Shapoorji Pallonji 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 · more client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for defense and special operations technology suppliers at SOF Week
Four things we get right for SOF Week exhibitors
1Secure the hardware, show the scale
Optics, radios, UAS and small components go on locked fixtures at handling height with a scale reference beside them, so an operator can pick a piece up and a program officer can see where it fits. Larger items get a model or a mounted view, and every label states exactly what you supply.
2Guide the demonstration, not the interface
Software and ISR demos run on guided screens placed so your representative and the visitor follow the same view together. We keep the main message on the product's role in the mission, leave dense interface detail off the architecture, and give each demo a clear starting point and a lead capture.
Give delegations a place to sit
International SOF delegations and program teams arrive as groups of four to six, so we plan a hosted table behind the display with sightlines to the host position, concealed literature storage and a reception point that never blocks the product view.
Light and power on a drawing
Edlen places power from a measured plan, so we map every outlet, screen and charging point before graphics go to print. Display lighting is tuned to matte coatings and glass optics, and no colored spill lands on the hardware.
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 B&.
Start my SOF Week concept05 Tampa Convention Center · Tampa
Logistics for SOF Week 2027, handled
Tampa Convention Center is city-run and non-union, so your full-time staff may set up with hand tools and Purple works the floor as your EAC with our certificate on file. The hall is one level of concrete with docks on the east side off Channelside Drive, and marshalling usually sits within a mile. Electrical, rigging and internet are in-house exclusives with early-bird pricing that closes about three weeks out, and Edlen powers the booth from a measured drawing we produce. Level 1 and the JW Marriott spaces are carpeted and Level 3 is not, so we price flooring by assignment, file the Tampa Fire Rescue plan for covered builds, and ship from Fishkill to the advance warehouse with margin.
Hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines for this building are in our Tampa Convention Center exhibitor guide.
What Purple handles
- Exhibitor resources read, booth forms filed and contractor orders placed
- EAC paperwork and the Tampa Fire Rescue plan for covered builds
- In-house electrical, rigging and internet orders plus the Edlen power drawing
- Freight from Fishkill to the advance warehouse and the drayage paperwork
- Installation, dismantle and return shipping with our on-site team
- Storage and refresh between SOF Week and your next show
Timeline, counted back from move-in
- Late February 2027Design sign-off, hardware fixture list locked and any covered-build drawings prepared for Tampa Fire Rescue.
- March 2027Production in Fishkill, NY; graphics proofed against your product photography and product descriptions.
- Early April 2027In-house electrical, rigging and internet ordered before the early-bird closes; Edlen power drawing submitted.
- Mid-April 2027Booth ships to the Tampa advance warehouse with margin for the Florida schedule.
- May 1–3, 2027Move-in; our on-site team installs, levels the fixtures and runs the pre-show walkthrough before the May 4 opening.
- May 4–6, 2027Exhibition days with a Purple project manager on call; dismantle after the 2 PM close on May 6 and the booth returns to storage or the next show.
SOF Week exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before SOF Week
How much does a SOF Week booth cost?
A complete 10×20 rental lands between $7,500 and $15,000 and a 20×20 custom island between $50,000 and $120,000, covering design, structure, graphics and installation. Locked hardware fixtures, demo screens and a hosted meeting table move the number, so send us your footprint and product list and we return a fixed quote.
Can you install at Tampa Convention Center?
Yes. Our on-site team installs at Tampa Convention Center on a Florida circuit that pairs with Orlando, and the building is non-union, so we work as your EAC with the paperwork filed. We order in-house electrical, rigging and internet, coordinate Edlen power from our drawing and run the pre-show walkthrough before you land.
Can we rent a booth for SOF Week?
Yes. Rental structures with your graphics, custom hardware walls on a rental frame, and a full custom build are all on the table. Many suppliers and Accelerator Alley graduates at SOF Week start with a 10×10 or 10×20 rental between $3,500 and $15,000 and upgrade the display fixtures.
When do we need to decide?
Design sign-off in late February gives a 30-45 day build in Fishkill and a mid-April ship to the advance warehouse ahead of the May 4 opening. We can compress that; the trade-off is finish choice and freight cost, and the in-house electrical early-bird closes about three weeks out.
Do you handle the show contractor orders and drayage?
Yes. We read the SOF Week exhibitor resources, file every booth form, place the show contractor orders, book the marshalling target and pay drayage on Florida rates around $155 per hundredweight. You get one Purple project manager and one invoice, with every deadline copied to you.
Before you sign with anyone
Five questions to ask any exhibit builder for SOF Week:
- 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 SOF Week 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.