SPIE Optics + Photonics 2027 · August 29–September 2, 2027 · San Diego Convention Center, San Diego
SPIE Optics + Photonics 2027 booths in San Diego that prove the spec live
Your booth lets optical engineers see the beam, the lens and the measured result before they read the datasheet: dark demo zones, stable tables and specs at eye level. On the San Diego Convention Center's union floor, we crate your optics to the advance warehouse and run the install ourselves.
- Aug 29–Sep 2 · San Diego
- 45 conferences in 2026
- Free exhibition entry
Every last fee listed upfront, in full, on paper. 3,000+ exhibitors · 10,000+ booths built · 4.9★ client rating · Since 2015
Fiber optic strands carrying blue and green light
01 Purple at SPIE Optics + Photonics 2027
What makes SPIE Optics + Photonics different, and how we build for it
SPIE Optics + Photonics is a research meeting with a trade floor attached. The program runs across the Nanoscience + Engineering Applications, Optical Engineering + Applications and Organic Photonics + Electronics symposia, and SPIE adds a fourth symposium in 2027 on space and ground telescopes, UV, x-ray and gamma-ray astronomy and exoplanet detection. Plenary sessions and the SPIE Job Fair pull authors and students onto the exhibition, which is free to visit. Your booth talks to people who read datasheets for fun, so it has to show performance, not slogans.
A working demo or a measured result they can see, clear specifications on wavelength, power and tolerances, and an engineer in the booth who can answer at the same level.
Components, instruments and test equipment they can compare for a grant or a lab build, with pricing and lead times discussed at a quiet table.
A clear picture of what your company makes and whether you are hiring, often on their way to or from the SPIE Job Fair.
Your team in San Diego
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 San Diego 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 SPIE Optics + Photonics 2027
Popular booth sizes at SPIE Optics + Photonics
SPIE sells exhibit space as 6 ft tables, kiosks, mini booths and 10×10 booth spaces, so the floor is a dense run of component, laser and instrument suppliers where a 10×10 must read in two seconds. We recommend a 10×20 with a demo counter for component makers, and a 20×20 island for system builders.
Two demo stations, for example a laser source and a metrology instrument, a product wall by wavelength or application and a small meeting table.
Shown: ANAJ Czech, a.s., a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
A partial enclosure for the laser or camera demo in the center bay, sample cases and spec panels on one side, and a quiet table on the other where a lab manager prices a build.
Shown: Genetec, a Purple inline booth
See 10×30 rental booths →
An island with a darkened demo enclosure, an optical table on isolation mounts, a hanging sign and a closed meeting corner.
Shown: SMOXH, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
Separate zones for systems, components and research customers, a presentation screen for application talks and storage for spare optics.
Shown: SHC Heavy Industry, 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 SPIE Optics + Photonics:
- Drayage About $176 per cwt, 200 lb minimum, 2026–2027 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 SPIE Optics + Photonics 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 had engineers to convince with working products and live simulations, which is what an SPIE visitor expects from your demo.
Read the KLEEMANN case study All case studies →“If you’re looking for a trade show booth expert who shows up and gets the job done right, Purple Exhibits is the real deal.”
Magdalena Kulisz, Service Manager, Miss Immigrant USA · more client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for optics, laser and photonics suppliers at SPIE Optics + Photonics
Four things we get right for SPIE Optics + Photonics exhibitors
1Control the light around demos
A laser line, a hyperspectral camera or a display panel loses impact under bright hall lighting. We build partial enclosures, matte dark interiors and dimmable fixtures so your demo reads clearly, and keep beam paths inside the enclosure with the safety labeling your team specifies.
2Keep the optics still
Interferometers and alignment demos do not like a busy aisle. We set demo tables on their own frames, separate them from walls people lean on, and leave room for your isolation mounts so the result your engineer shows is the result you get in the lab.
Put specifications at eye level
Photonics buyers compare wavelength, power, numerical aperture and tolerances before they talk. We design clean spec panels and product cases grouped by application, with QR links to datasheets, so a visitor can qualify your product before the conversation starts.
Plan for power and fragile freight
Lasers, sources and test instruments need clean, dedicated circuits and cases that survive drayage. We list every draw for the electrical order, hide cabling in the furniture and ship optics in foam-lined crates that your team opens, not the forklift.
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 Peace World.
Start my SPIE Optics + Photonics concept05 San Diego Convention Center · San Diego
Logistics for SPIE Optics + Photonics 2027, handled
The San Diego Convention Center runs a union floor, so installation and dismantle are union work under the show's contractor agreements, and freight moves through the show's material handling contractor. The SPIE exhibition filled the Sails Pavilion in 2026, the 90,000 sq ft space under the building's sail-shaped roof. The Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina and Manchester Grand Hyatt are the closest towers. We read the SPIE exhibitor kit, file the service orders, ship crated optics to the advance warehouse and run installation with our own project manager and vetted local labor.
Hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines for this building are in our San Diego Convention Center exhibitor guide.
Hall guide
SPIE assigns the exhibition space for each edition. These are the halls this building uses; in 2026 the SPIE exhibition filled the Sails Pavilion on the upper level.
A 90,000 square foot space under the building's sail-shaped roof, home to the 2026 SPIE exhibition, with a 27-foot ceiling to the lighting encasement.
Our advice: Daylight comes through the fabric roof, so laser and display demos need partial enclosures and matte interiors to read clearly during exhibition hours.
525,701 square feet of contiguous exhibit space on one floor, with direct drive-on access from eight loading dock points, the building's main floor for large trade shows.
Our advice: If SPIE places the exhibition downstairs, ceiling height and rigging change; we redraw the hanging sign and enclosure plan to the hall you are assigned.
Numerous breakout rooms across the complex host the symposia sessions, plenaries, association meetings and tabletop formats.
Our advice: Hand-carry demos for a talk travel separately from booth freight; we label and route both so nothing ends up in the wrong room.
What Purple handles
- SPIE exhibitor kit, service orders and deadlines
- Demo enclosures, dark zones and stable demo tables
- Electrical plan for lasers, sources and instruments
- Crated freight to the advance warehouse and drayage paperwork
- A dedicated project manager on the floor for union install and dismantle
Timeline, counted back from move-in
We need design sign-off by mid-June 2027.
- June 2027Design sign-off, demo layout and electrical needs agreed with your engineering team.
- July 2027Production in Fishkill, NY; demo enclosures and product cases fitted to your real hardware.
- Early August 2027Booth and crated equipment ship to the advance warehouse for San Diego.
- Move-in days before openingOur project manager and vetted local labor install, power is tested and your demos are set and checked.
- August 29–September 2, 2027Event week; your Purple project manager is on the floor for the whole run.
- After the close on September 2Dismantle, optics repacked 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 sheetSPIE Optics + Photonics exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before SPIE Optics + Photonics
How much does a booth at SPIE Optics + Photonics 2027 cost?
For a component maker with a sample case, a 10×10 rental from $3,500 is often enough; a 10×20 rental runs $7,500 to $15,000, and a custom 20×20 island runs $50,000 to $120,000. At SPIE the number moves with demo enclosures, optical tables and the power your instruments draw. Exhibit space and show services are billed separately by SPIE and its contractors.
When do we need to decide on our SPIE booth?
We need design sign-off by mid-June 2027. That leaves a 30–45 day build in Fishkill during July, time to fit enclosures to your real hardware and an early August ship date to the advance warehouse for the August 29 start. We start drawings as soon as SPIE assigns your space.
Can we rent a booth for SPIE Optics + Photonics, and what does a rental include?
Yes. A rental includes the structure, printed graphics, lighting, a demo counter, freight, installation and dismantle. Many photonics exhibitors rent the walls and add a custom demo enclosure or product case that they keep and reuse at other engineering shows, which spreads the cost of the part that does the selling.
Can we set up our own booth at the San Diego Convention Center?
The building is a union floor, and installation and dismantle are union work under the official contractor's labor agreements. Your engineers can still unpack, align and test the optics themselves. We handle the structure, enclosures, furniture and power with credentialed labor, then hand the booth over ready for your team to set the demos.
What booth types does SPIE sell for the exhibition?
SPIE sells 6 ft tables, kiosks, mini booths and 10×10 booth spaces that combine into larger footprints. A table or kiosk suits a component maker with a sample case and a laptop; we build compact backlit graphics and lockable cases for those, and full structures for 10×10 and larger spaces.
What does drayage cost at SPIE in San Diego, and who pays it?
The exhibitor pays drayage, the contractor's charge for moving freight from the dock or warehouse to your booth, billed by weight. Our planning figure at the San Diego Convention Center is about $176 per hundredweight with a 200 pound minimum (2026–2027). Crated optics are heavy, so we weigh the plan and put the estimate on your proposal.
Which hall is the SPIE Optics + Photonics exhibition in?
In 2026 the exhibition ran in the Sails Pavilion, the 90,000 square foot upper-level space under the fabric roof, with its own rigging points. SPIE publishes the 2027 floor plan with your space assignment, and we design lighting, enclosures and any hanging sign to the hall you are given.
We are exhibiting from outside the US. Can you help?
Yes. SPIE draws optics companies from around the world, and we handle the US side for you: booth design and build, freight from your US entry point to the advance warehouse, installation with our project manager, and storage after the show. Your customs broker clears the goods; we take it from there.
Can we reuse the booth at other shows?
We build demo enclosures and product walls as modules, so the same kit works at Sensors Converge in Santa Clara, AWE USA in Long Beach or the IEEE International Microwave Symposium. Between shows we store it in our shop, check every crate and update graphics when your product line changes.
Before you sign with anyone
Five questions to ask any exhibit builder for SPIE Optics + Photonics:
- 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 SPIE Optics + Photonics 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.
