SURFEX 2027Exhibitor guide for Indianapolis: booth costs, key dates, deadlines

SURFEX 2027 runs November 3–5, 2027, its first edition. Exhibitor load-in begins October 31, and SESA's exhibitor terms set the full event window, including load-in and load-out, as October 31 to November 7, 2027. Daily show hours are not confirmed yet.

At the Indiana Convention Center, 100 South Capitol Avenue in downtown Indianapolis. An enclosed skywalk ties the building to twelve hotels, the JW Marriott among them; the airport (IND) is a 15 to 20 minute drive.

The Stone Equipment & Supply Association (SESA), which its 2027 exhibitor terms list in Minneapolis, organizes and hosts the show. SURFEX is SESA's own show, built fabricator-first, and SESA members get priority placement and exclusive member pricing.

SESA members drawn in the Year 1 lottery choose booths in the order their names were drawn; after that, booths go on a first-registered, first-reserved basis. Associate Members receive discounted pricing, and non-members can exhibit at the General Admission rate.

SESA has not published SURFEX space rates; pricing depends on membership level and comes with the reservation. The 2027 service estimates are public: $1.42 per pound for material handling and $195 an hour for blended labor. Our 10×20 rental runs $7,500 to $15,000, and a working-machine island costs more.

Pipe and drape plus a listing in the exhibitor directory and the event app. Tables, chairs, electrical and every other service are extra, ordered through the Exhibitor Services Kit, with electrical ordered directly from the Indiana Convention Center.

SURFEX expects them, under rules: dust suppression such as water feeds, HEPA vacuums or enclosures, PPE, shields and barriers, and trained operators in full control. Inherently loud equipment such as saws, CNCs and polishers needs prior approval and may be limited to set demo hours or sound-controlled zones.

80 decibels, measured at the aisle directly in front of your booth or at the adjoining booth line, and show management can take readings at any time. A first breach brings a warning, a second a required change, and a third can mean equipment powered down.

The Expo Group's 2027 estimates list stone A-frames with slabs at $355.50 an hour with a one-hour minimum, machinery handling from $0.50 per pound for up to 5,000 pounds, and a 5,000-pound forklift at $355.50 an hour. Late-to-warehouse freight costs $1.78 per pound.

Exhibit fees are refunded 50% through October 31, 2026, 25% from November 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027, and not at all from May 1, 2027. Booth transfers need written notice at least 60 days before the event, and a transfer fee can apply.

SESA expects 2,500+ fabricators at the first edition: countertop shop owners, production teams, installers, safety leads, estimators, sales teams and office staff. Education runs in tracks for fabrication and installation, safety and compliance, technology and production, materials, and business and workforce.

You can hand-carry materials, but the building uses union labor for installation, dismantling and drayage, and dock access is restricted to Teamsters crews. Only approved contractors may move heavy equipment at SURFEX, so our project manager directs local union labor for the build.

For suppliers whose buyer is the fabrication shop, it is the only U.S. show built entirely around that buyer, from a supplier association whose members already sell to it. As a first edition it carries no attendance history, so we plan booths that also travel to TISE and Coverings.