energy and utilities · Chicago
WEFTEC 2027Exhibitor guide: booth costs, dates and deadlines in Chicago
Pumps, blowers and plant operators: WEFTEC 2027 booths in Chicago
- Event dates
- September 25–29, 2027
- Exhibit hall
- Not confirmed yet
- Venue
- McCormick Place, Chicago
4.9 star client rating3,000+ exhibitors10,000+ booths builtSince 2015
Quick answers
WEFTEC 2027 in 30 seconds
The short version for WEFTEC exhibitors. Every figure has its source further down the page.
- When is WEFTEC 2027?
- September 25–29, 2027, at McCormick Place, Chicago.
- When is the exhibit hall open?
- Not confirmed yet for 2027. In 2026 (New Orleans) the exhibit hall was open September 28–30: Monday and Tuesday 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Wednesday 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., after move-in from September 23.
- How big is WEFTEC?
- 23,000+ expected attendees, about 1,000 exhibitors (2026 edition).
- How much is a 10×20 booth at WEFTEC, all-in?
- $7,500 – $15,000 for a Purple rental at WEFTEC with design, graphics, lighting, install and dismantle. Space and show services are billed by WEFTEC.
Official WEFTEC 2027 links: WEFTEC 2027 exhibitor listWEFTEC 2027 registrationWEFTEC 2027 booth space
Everything about WEFTEC 2027 in one place
WEFTEC 2027 fact sheet
| Official name | WEFTEC 2027, the Water Environment Federation's technical exhibition and conference, in Chicago |
|---|---|
| Event dates | September 25–29, 2027 |
| Exhibit hall dates | Not confirmed yet In 2026 (New Orleans) the exhibit hall was open September 28–30: Monday and Tuesday 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Wednesday 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., after move-in from September 23 |
| Venue | McCormick Place 2301 S King Dr, Chicago, IL 60616 |
| Organizer | Water Environment Federation (WEF) |
| Size (2026) | 23,000+ expected attendees · about 1,000 exhibitors source |
| Who attends | Utility operators and managers, design engineers, consultants, regulators and researchers; 70% of professional attendees influence purchasing, per WEF |
| Nearest airport | Chicago Midway (MDW) and O'Hare International (ORD) |
| Hotels | WEF's official WEFTEC hotel block; 2027 housing not confirmed yet |
| Official website | weftec.org |
Official WEFTEC resources
01 Purple at WEFTEC 2027
Pumps, blowers and plant operators: WEFTEC 2027 booths in Chicago
We build WEFTEC booths where an operator can stand at a working skid, read the duty point and talk retrofit with your engineer. At McCormick Place your own staff may assemble, but every crate still rides the dock on Teamster material handling, so we plan freight by weight.
- Sep 25–29, 2027 · McCormick
- 950+ exhibitors, per WEF
- Moves from New Orleans
What makes WEFTEC different, and how we build for it
WEFTEC is where wastewater utilities come to see hardware before it goes into a specification.The Water Environment Federation pairs 125+ technical sessions carrying CEU and PDH credit with a floor organized into neighborhoods: the Innovation Showcase run with BlueTech Research and Imagine H2O, the Discovery Zone for startups, the Circular Water Economy Pavilion, the Water-AI Nexus and the International Pavilion and Global Hub. The Operations Challenge puts operator teams to work on the floor, and in 2027 the whole show moves from New Orleans to McCormick Place. Your booth has to answer an engineer's duty-point question and an operator's maintenance question in the same aisle.
A machine they can walk around, with access panels open and the service points marked, plus a person who has maintained one in a real plant.
Performance curves, footprint and power data beside the equipment, and a seated table where a specification question can run longer than five minutes.
Clear evidence from installed projects, a pathway into the Global Hub country pavilions, and printed or digital material they can carry to their agency.
Your team in Chicago
Two shops behind your WEFTEC booth
We build in our own production shop in Fishkill, NY, and our Las Vegas hub, ship to McCormick Place, and install with our own project manager on the floor and vetted local labor. A predictable 30–45-day turnaround, secure storage and a pre-show QA before WEFTEC.
Your team arrives at WEFTEC to a lit, stocked booth. You just show up.
New at WEFTEC 2027
- WEFTEC moves to McCormick Place in Chicago
After the 2026 show at New Orleans, WEFTEC 2027 runs September 25–29 at McCormick Place. Exhibitors who shipped to the Morial Convention Center need new freight routing, Chicago labor rules (own-staff assembly, Teamster material handling) and a new hotel plan. source
Inside WEFTEC 2027
WEFTEC rules that shape your booth
Inline and corner booths stop at 8 feet with side walls at 4 feet in the front half, perimeter booths at 10 feet, and islands, 20×20 minimum, at 20 feet; peninsulas are not sold (2026 rules). We draw every wall and skid to these lines.
Hanging signs are allowed only on islands of 600 square feet or more, up to 20 feet to the top, and only Freeman rigged in 2026, with points over 250 pounds needing authorization. We design light fabric signs that fit those limits.
WEFTEC booths are raw: every exhibitor provides or rents flooring, except in the Innovation Showcase and Discovery Zone (2026 FAQ). We supply carpet, raised floor or steel plates sized to the weight of your equipment.
WEF prohibits lasers, UV lighting and flashing, rotating or pulsating lights, masks any light that simulates UV, and keeps all lighting inside the booth (2026 rules). That matters for disinfection makers; we show UV systems unpowered with clear graphics.
Vehicle displays need WEF approval and are limited to island booths, with fuel at 1/8 tank or less, sealed caps, disconnected batteries and engines off during show hours (2026 rules). We plan the vehicle's path and floor protection with the contractor.
Programs worth planning for
Presented by WEF, BlueTech Research and Imagine H2O, with presentations on new water technologies and real installations; showcase booths are exempt from WEFTEC's own-flooring rule.
Inside the Innovation Neighborhood, a launch area for startups and first-time exhibitors to meet utilities, investors and technology leaders.
Country and regional pavilions plus a stage for panels; in 2026 it held 54 companies, with U.S. Commercial Service staff matching international buyers to U.S. exhibitors.
WEF's wastewater operations competition, held on the exhibit floor; the 2026 edition was the 39th, with 60 operator teams from 26 Member Associations.
WEFTEC is the wastewater and water-quality anchor of the U.S. water calendar; choose it over AWWA ACE when your buyers run collection systems and treatment plants rather than drinking-water distribution. Compare WEFTEC with the other energy and utilities shows we build for →
Who exhibits at WEFTEC 2026
Companies on the WEFTEC 2026 exhibitor list (New Orleans). See the full list
- Xylem
- Grundfos
- Black & Veatch Corporation
- Jacobs
- Arcadis
- Schneider Electric
- Gorman-Rupp Pumps
- KSB, Inc.
- Smith & Loveless Inc
- Vaughan Company
- WesTech Engineering LLC
- World Water Works, Inc.
- Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions
- Blue-White
- Autodesk
- ABB
- 3M
- WSP USA Inc.
- MSA Safety
- A.W. Chesterton Company
energy and utilities at WEFTEC
The industry behind WEFTEC, in pictures
02 Booths & pricing for WEFTEC 2027
Popular booth sizes at WEFTEC
WEFTEC sells inline, corner, perimeter, island and shared-island space, and every exhibitor outside the Innovation Showcase and Discovery Zone brings its own flooring. Islands start at 20×20 and hanging signs need 600 square feet. Instrument and software firms do well in a 10×20; once a skid ships, we move you to an island of 20×20 or more.
A lit back wall with one treatment-train diagram, a sensor or analyzer on a plinth at eye level and a standing counter for spec sheets, kept under WEFTEC's 8-foot inline limit.
Shown: a Purple inline booth for Wisepower Enterprise
See 10×20 rental booths →
Three bays: the instrument or small pump in the center, a dashboard screen with plant data on one side and a table for a design engineer on the other.
Shown: Voltronic Power, a Purple island exhibit
See 10×30 rental booths →
WEFTEC's smallest island: a blower or pump skid on a rated base, displays up to the 20-foot island limit and a meeting table behind the equipment.
Above: TM Robot, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
Islands of 600 square feet or more may hang a sign up to 20 feet high; room for two skids, a membrane cutaway, an enclosed meeting room and crated spare-part storage.
Shown: Amazon, a Purple large-format exhibit
See 20×30 rental booths →In Purple's WEFTEC price
- Design and a 3D rendering for WEFTEC, revised until it is right
- Structure, graphics printed for WEFTEC, counters and storage as specified
- Lighting and in-booth power distribution for WEFTEC
- Install and dismantle at WEFTEC, led by our project manager on the floor
- Tracking of every show-service order and deadline
Billed by the organizer and the show contractor
- Booth space, paid to Water Environment Federation
- Material handling / drayage, if the WEFTEC space rate leaves it out
- Electrical, internet and rigging orders for WEFTEC
- Booth cleaning, and union labor where McCormick Place requires it
Rates to plan with for WEFTEC:
- Material handling $1.25 per lb before mid-September, $1.57 after, 2026 rate source
- Machinery handling $0.55 per lb up to 5,000 lb, 2026 rate source
- Display labor $133 per hour straight time, 2026 rate source
- McCormick Place drayage About $210 per cwt, Purple's 2026–2027 planning figure source
We estimate every one of these on your proposal, so the total is on paper before you sign.
The prices above are all-in 2026 rental ranges covering design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle; custom builds for WEFTEC are quoted per project. Get an exact number for WEFTEC with the booth cost calculator or the 2026 booth cost guide.
Share the booth size you have at WEFTEC 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 WEFTEC. No charge.
The WEFTEC booth is lit and stocked before your team arrives. You just show up.
03 Built by Purple
Purple booths we designed, built and installed
Case study · KLEEMANN
KLEEMANN at an 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.
KLEEMANN put real elevator hardware and live simulations side by side to lead visitors through a booth; WEFTEC pump and blower makers need that same machine-plus-data layout.
Read the KLEEMANN 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 Purple client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for wastewater treatment, pump, blower, membrane, instrumentation and digital water companies at WEFTEC
Four things we get right for WEFTEC exhibitors
1Show the duty point, not the brochure
WEFTEC engineers ask for flow, head and power before they ask for a price. We mount the performance curve and the motor data right beside the open pump or blower, at the height where a person reading it is also looking at the machine.
2Flooring is your line item
WEF requires every exhibitor outside the Innovation Showcase and Discovery Zone to supply booth flooring, and the 2026 sample budget priced a basic 10×10 carpet at $265. We spec a raised or reinforced floor under heavy skids and run cable for live dashboards beneath it.
3Light for the inspection, not the show
WEFTEC rules ban lasers, UV and flashing or rotating lights, and lighting must stay inside the booth. We use steady, even white light that lets an operator see weld seams, impeller wear and gasket faces without a flashlight.
4Weight decides the freight plan
In 2026 WEF's sample budget listed machinery handling at $0.55 per pound up to 5,000 pounds, separate from general material handling. We weigh every skid, crate it on skids a forklift can lift, and keep literature and graphics in a lighter consolidated shipment.
Concept rendering
Your proposal for WEFTEC includes a rendering like this one
Layout, graphics, lighting and product positions are all in the 3D view, revised until right, before a single panel is cut for WEFTEC. This one is a Purple concept for Shihlin Electric.
Start my WEFTEC conceptFloor at a glance
Where you could be at WEFTEC 2027
WEF has not named the McCormick Place building for WEFTEC 2027. These are the halls the campus offers, and each one changes the dock, the freight route and the nearest hotel.
North Building
About 700,000 square feet, opened in 1986; trucks unload at its north-side docks, and big shows tend to fill it first.
Our advice If WEFTEC lands here, we label freight to the north docks and keep skids crated for a forklift pick at the booth.
South Building
About 840,000 square feet on two levels, opened 1997, home to IMTS and PACK EXPO, with two-level docks.
Our advice Two levels means two dock heights; we confirm your hall's level before we plan how a heavy skid reaches the booth.
West Building
About 470,000 square feet, opened 2007, linked by bridge to the South Building and by enclosed walkway to the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place.
Our advice Closest walk to the on-campus hotel; we put your early arrivals there so early exhibitor-only entry is easy.
Lakeside Center
The former East Building, 583,000 square feet, home of the 4,249-seat Arie Crown Theater and its lakefront glass wall.
Our advice Used for keynotes and receptions; a client event here is a walk from the main halls, so we plan signage along the route.
05 McCormick Place · Chicago
Logistics for WEFTEC 2027, handled
McCormick Place is four connected buildings, and the building WEFTEC 2027 uses sets the dock, the freight route and the closest hotel; WEF has not published the 2027 hall yet. Since the 2010 reforms your full-time employees may put up their own booth, whatever its size, using their own tools, yet Teamsters still move every crate from dock to space and bill it by weight; hand-carry stops at one person and about 30 pounds. Freeman was WEFTEC's official service contractor in 2026 and handled all rigging. We file the exhibitor-appointed contractor paperwork, ship to the advance warehouse on time to avoid late surcharges, and our project manager leads setup and teardown with vetted local crews.
This building's hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines for WEFTEC exhibitors are in our McCormick Place exhibitor guide.
What Purple handles
- Skid bases and supports engineered from your equipment weights
- Booth flooring sized for heavy equipment and cable runs
- Freight weighed and routed to beat WEFTEC's late-handling rate
- Height, hanging-sign and structure drawings to WEF rules
- Exhibitor-appointed contractor filing at McCormick Place
- Our project manager on site from setup to teardown
Your WEFTEC timeline, from move-in back
For WEFTEC, we need design sign-off by mid-July 2027.
- Spring 2027Booth number and footprint confirmed with WEF; we draw to your space and the published height limits.
- Mid-July 2027Design sign-off; floor-load and structure drawings for heavy skids start, ahead of WEF's approval deadlines.
- August 2027Production in our Fishkill, NY shop over 30 to 45 days; skid bases engineered from your equipment weights.
- Early September 2027Freight to the advance warehouse before the higher late material-handling rate applies; show-service orders placed.
- Days before September 25, 2027Targeted move-in at McCormick Place; 2027 move-in dates not confirmed yet. Our project manager sets and levels every skid.
- September 25–29, 2027Conference and exhibition days with our project manager on call, then dismantle and freight home or to storage.
Purple's planning timeline for WEFTEC. Official move-in, freight target and order deadlines for WEFTEC come from your exhibitor kit and assigned schedule; we confirm them against your booth when you book.
Printable WEFTEC budget & deadline sheetTravel to WEFTEC 2027
Getting to WEFTEC 2027: airport, hotels and parking
Fly in
Chicago Midway (MDW) and O'Hare International (ORD)
Stay
WEF's official WEFTEC hotel block; 2027 housing not confirmed yet
Park
On-campus parking at McCormick Place fills during large shows; the Metra Electric line stops at McCormick Place station
Travel facts from purpleexhibits.com.
WEFTEC by the numbers
WEFTEC year by year
How WEFTEC 2027 compares with other energy and utilities shows
The energy and utilities shows closest to WEFTEC on the calendar, with the latest size each organizer has published. Each name other than WEFTEC opens our exhibitor guide for that show.
| Show | Dates | City | Latest published size |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMAGEIMAGE (AAPG | August 30–September 2, 2027 | Houston, TX | – |
| Clean CurrentsNational Hydropower Association (NHA) | August 30–September 3, 2027 | Atlanta, GA | – |
| AFPM SummitAmerican Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) | August 30 – September 2, 2027 | Grapevine, TX | 50% of 2025 attendees from operating companies |
| ACP RECHARGEAmerican Clean Power Association (ACP) | September 13–15, 2027 | Austin, TX | 600 attendees · 15 exhibitors (2026) |
| Gastechdmg events | September 14–17, 2027 | Houston, TX | – |
| RConSolid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) | September 21–24, 2027 | Portland, OR | 1,500+ attendees · 200+ organizations exhibitors (2026) |
| WEFTECWater Environment Federation (WEF) | September 25–29, 2027 | Chicago, IL | 23,000+ expected attendees · about 1,000 exhibitors (2026) |
| The Battery ShowInforma Markets (Manufacturing by Informa) | October 11–14, 2027 | Detroit, MI | – |
| Geothermal Rising ConferenceGeothermal Rising | October 24–27, 2027 | Reno, NV | 1,500+ attendees anticipated for 2027 |
| Hydrogen AmericasSustainable Energy Council | October 26–27, 2027 | Houston, TX | – |
WEFTEC exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before WEFTEC
When is WEFTEC 2027?
WEFTEC 2027 runs September 25–29, 2027 at McCormick Place in Chicago. WEF has not posted the 2027 exhibition days, so hall days are not confirmed yet. In 2026 the hall opened Monday to Wednesday, September 28–30, after five move-in days from September 23.
Where is WEFTEC 2027 held?
At McCormick Place on South King Drive, just south of the Loop. It is a move from the 2026 show in New Orleans. McCormick Place has four connected buildings, and which halls WEFTEC uses in 2027 is not confirmed yet.
How many people attend WEFTEC?
WEF cites more than 20,000 water professionals from 100+ countries and more than 950 exhibiting companies, with 70% of professional attendees influencing purchasing decisions. For the 2026 New Orleans show, WEF said more than 23,000 professionals, exhibitors and industry leaders were expected.
Who exhibits at WEFTEC?
Makers of treatment process equipment, pumps, blowers, membranes, instrumentation, biosolids systems and digital water tools, plus engineering firms and utilities. The 2026 International Pavilion alone held 54 companies, with country pavilions from Canada, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Korea and Switzerland.
How much does a booth at WEFTEC cost?
For the booth itself, plan $16,000 to $40,000 for a 20×20 rental island or $50,000 to $120,000 custom, design through installation. WEF bills the space separately, and WEFTEC booths arrive raw, so flooring, power and handling add more: in 2026, 1,000 watts cost $264 and a 10×10 carpet $265.
What are the booth height limits at WEFTEC?
Under the 2026 rules, inline and corner booths stop at 8 feet, with side walls dropping to 4 feet in the front half; perimeter booths reach 10 feet; islands, at least 20×20, may build to 20 feet. Peninsula booths are not sold. We draw to these limits until WEF posts the 2027 rules.
Can we hang a sign over our WEFTEC booth?
Only on an island of 600 square feet or more, to a maximum of 20 feet at the top of the sign, hung directly over your space, per the 2026 rules. Freeman did all rigging in 2026, and points over 250 pounds needed special authorization, so we keep signs light and order rigging early.
What does material handling cost at WEFTEC?
WEF's 2026 sample budget listed $1.25 per pound for freight to the warehouse or show site before mid-September, $1.57 after, and machinery handling from $0.55 per pound. For McCormick Place we plan around $210 per hundredweight in 2027, and we put your estimate on the proposal.
Can we set up our own booth at McCormick Place?
Your full-time staff may build the booth themselves at McCormick Place, at any size and with their own tools; Illinois changed the rules in 2010. Freight between the loading dock and your space remains a Teamster job. WEFTEC's 2026 rules also barred self-installers from rigging, trusses and multi-level structures.
Can we rent a booth for WEFTEC?
We rent frames, counters, flooring and lighting dressed in your graphics, and a common WEFTEC setup is a rental structure around a custom skid base. A 10×20 rental runs $7,500 to $15,000; WEFTEC exhibitors usually spend the savings on getting the real machine into the booth.
Does WEFTEC have a startup or first-time exhibitor area?
WEFTEC has two: the Discovery Zone, inside the Innovation Neighborhood, for startups and first-time exhibitors, and the New Exhibitor Pavilion for companies making their WEFTEC debut. Booths in the Innovation Showcase and Discovery Zone are the only ones exempt from WEF's own-flooring rule.
We are exhibiting at WEFTEC from outside the U.S. Can you help?
We handle the U.S. side for overseas water companies: design, build, freight from our shop to the advance warehouse, installation and storage. If you join the International Pavilion and Global Hub, we fit your graphics and counter to the pavilion layout and the U.S. Commercial Service meeting area.
Can we reuse the WEFTEC booth at other water shows?
The same modules adapt to AWWA ACE in June, the WateReuse Symposium as a tabletop kit, and WWETT for service-equipment lines. We store the frame and skid bases between shows in Fishkill and swap graphics when you move from wastewater to drinking-water messaging.
Before you sign for WEFTEC
Ask any WEFTEC exhibit builder these five questions:
- Is every fee on the proposal, including what the WEFTEC show contractor bills?
- Who builds the WEFTEC booth: your own shop or a subcontractor?
- Is your project manager on the floor for install and dismantle?
- For WEFTEC, what is in the rental and what is billed by the show?
- What happens to the booth after WEFTEC, and what does storage cost?
Common situations
Already own a booth? We refresh its graphics, repair what is worn, ship and install it for WEFTEC, and store it between shows. You keep the structure you paid for and bring it to WEFTEC.
Exhibiting from outside the US? We are your team on the ground in Chicago: 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? Rentals with your graphics can be ready in two to three weeks. We tell you on the first call what is realistic before WEFTEC.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your WEFTEC booth
What happens next
- You get a reply within one business day, asking about your products, goals and footprint at WEFTEC.
- A concept rendering and a fixed proposal usually follow within a week. Each WEFTEC fee listed upfront and in full, on paper.
- We build in 30–45 days, ship to the WEFTEC advance warehouse and install before the hall opens.
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