industrial machinery · Indianapolis
Work Truck Week 2027Indianapolis booth costs, dates and deadlines: exhibitor guide
Work Truck Week 2027 booths in Indianapolis, built around a sealed, parked truck
- Event dates
- March 9–12, 2027
- Exhibit hall
- March 10–12, 2027
- Venue
- Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis
4.9 client rating10,000+ booths built3,000+ exhibitors servedSince 2015
Quick answers
Work Truck Week 2027 in 30 seconds
The short version for Work Truck Week exhibitors. Every figure here has its source further down the Work Truck Week page.
- When is Work Truck Week 2027?
- March 9–12, 2027, at Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis.
- When is the Work Truck Week exhibit hall open?
- March 10–12, 2027.
- How big is Work Truck Week?
- 15,646 attendees, 547 exhibitors (2026 edition).
- What is the all-in cost of a 10×20 booth at Work Truck Week?
- $7,500 – $15,000 for a Purple rental in Indianapolis: design, graphics, lighting, install and dismantle. Space and show services are billed by Work Truck Week.
- At Work Truck Week, what is the next exhibitor deadline?
- Hanging sign and ceiling-supported structure approval due; advance warehouse starts taking hanging sign containers: February 5, 2027.
Everything about Work Truck Week 2027 in one place
Work Truck Week 2027 fact sheet
| Official name | Work Truck Week 2027, NTEA's commercial vehicle event with the Work Truck Show |
|---|---|
| Event dates | March 9–12, 2027 |
| Exhibit hall dates | March 10–12, 2027 source |
| Venue | Indiana Convention Center 100 S Capitol Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46225 |
| Organizer | NTEA, The Work Truck Association |
| Size (2026) | 15,646 attendees · 547 exhibitors source |
| Who attends | Truck body builders, upfitters, distributors, dealers, chassis engineers and fleet managers |
| Next deadline | Hanging sign and ceiling-supported structure approval due; advance warehouse starts taking hanging sign containers: February 5, 2027 source |
| Nearest airport | Indianapolis International Airport (IND) About 15 to 20 minutes from downtown, per Purple's venue guide |
| Hotels | NTEA's Work Truck Week housing, opening in fall 2026; the 2027 provider is not confirmed yet |
| Official website | worktruckweek.com |
Official Work Truck Week resources
Work Truck Week 2027 calendar
Work Truck Week 2027 dates and deadlines
These are the dates the organizer has published for Work Truck Week, listed in order and linked to the pages that state them. The next date is highlighted.
- Hanging sign and ceiling-supported structure approval due; advance warehouse starts taking hanging sign containersIsland and split island exhibitors source
- Last day for hanging sign containers at the advance warehouse without surchargesExhibitors with hanging signs source
- Ceiling-supported structures, LED walls and signs installed by 5 p.m.Exhibitors with hanging signs source
- Future Truck Summit and education open; all exhibits delivered and installed by 3 p.m.Attendees and exhibitors source
- Work Truck Show exhibits and Ride & Drive openAttendees and exhibitors source
- Work Truck Show closes; dismantle beginsExhibitors source
- All exhibits removed from the Indiana Convention Center by 5 p.m.Exhibitors source
01 Purple at Work Truck Week 2027
Work Truck Week 2027 booths in Indianapolis, built around a sealed, parked truck
We design Work Truck Week booths so an upfitter can climb into your body or open every compartment of a chassis that sits sealed, battery cables taped, for three days. At the Indiana Convention Center every crate has to be in place by 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 9, and we plan backward from that hour.
- Mar 9–12 · Indiana Conv. Ctr
- 547 exhibitors in 2026
- Set by 3 p.m. Tue, March 9
What makes Work Truck Week different, and how we build for it
Work Truck Week is the one week the whole commercial vehicle chain meets in Indianapolis: chassis OEMs, body builders, upfitters, distributors and the fleets that buy from all of them.NTEA runs the Work Truck Show floor from March 10 to 12, opens the week with the new Future Truck Summit, built with NAFA Fleet Management Association to replace the Green Truck Summit, and lets attendees drive new work trucks and vans at the Ride & Drive. Mountaineer Ed Viesturs gives the 2027 keynote. Most booths here hold a real truck or body, parked, sealed and inspected, so the design job is giving buyers a way into the vehicle, not around it.
Open doors, open compartments and a step up into the body, plus spec sheets for mounting, weight distribution and chassis compatibility they can carry back to the shop.
Total cost of ownership, uptime and telematics in plain numbers, and a seat away from the aisle where a spec for next year's order can be talked through.
Lead times, territory and margin conversations, and a clear view of which chassis your component fits so they can quote it the week they get home.
Your team in Indianapolis
From our two shops to the Work Truck Week floor
Production happens in our own shop in Fishkill, NY, and at our Las Vegas hub, and we ship to the Indiana Convention Center and install with vetted local labor, led by our own project manager on the floor. A predictable 30–45-day turnaround, secure storage and a pre-show QA before Work Truck Week.
At Work Truck Week, your team walks into a booth that is lit and stocked. You just show up.
Inside Work Truck Week 2027
Rules that shape your Work Truck Week booth
Display vehicles may hold no more than a quarter tank or 5 gallons, with caps locked or taped and battery connections removed and taped from move-in to move-out (2027 rules). We prep each truck at the dock and light it from the booth instead.
An electric display vehicle needs its powertrain made non-operational by an override switch, or its battery disconnected, plus a 10-pound ABC extinguisher in the space and the vehicle locked each night. We fit the extinguisher into the booth design.
Every item must be delivered and fully installed by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 9, 2027, when aisle carpet goes down; crates for booths over 300 square feet are labeled by 2 p.m. We schedule the install to finish with a margin.
Inline and perimeter booths may rise to 12 feet, but no branding or lit graphics may sit in the rear portion above 8 feet, and anything over 4 feet within 10 feet of a neighbor stays 5 feet off the aisle. We draw inline walls to that envelope.
Removing any part of an exhibit before the Friday, March 12 close costs 12 priority points, and everything must be out by 5 p.m. Saturday, March 13 (2027 rules). We hold dismantle until the close and book trucks for the evening.
Programs worth planning for
A full-day conference on Tuesday, March 9, 2027, launched by NTEA with NAFA Fleet Management Association to replace the Green Truck Summit, covering software, hardware and advanced vehicle technology for fleets.
On March 10 and 11, 2027, attendees drive or ride in new work trucks, vans and electric chassis. In 2026 it brought together 15 companies and 15 vehicles.
A pre-carpeted area of the Work Truck Show with its own 2027 rules addendum: no motorized vehicles, receptions with alcohol from 3 p.m., and a Thursday, March 11 close.
Work Truck Week is the national meeting of the truck body and upfit chain; choose it over The Utility Expo when you sell chassis, bodies or upfit components to builders, dealers and fleets rather than equipment to utility contractors. Compare every industrial machinery show we build for →
industrial machinery at Work Truck Week
The industry behind Work Truck Week, in pictures
02 Booths & pricing for Work Truck Week 2027
Popular booth sizes at Work Truck Week
Work Truck Week booths run from inline runs with a component wall to islands holding two or three complete trucks. For a body or upfit line we recommend a 20×20 island with one vehicle and a spec counter; component makers do well in a 10×20 with a cutaway, and chassis makers take 30×40 and larger.
A lift gate, hydraulic pump or toolbox on a lit plinth with a cutaway, a 12-foot back wall kept clear of logos in its rear portion above 8 feet, and a counter for spec talk.
Above: IMS, a Purple inline booth
See 10×20 rental booths →
Three bays in one inline run: a mounted component on a plinth, a screen showing the install on a chassis, and a standing table set back five feet from the aisle.
Shown: a Purple inline booth for ABC Compressors
See 10×30 rental booths →
One upfitted truck or van, doors and compartments open, a hanging sign between 14 and 25 feet, and a spec counter on the side the buyers walk in from.
Shown: SMOXH, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×20 rental booths →
Two or three complete vehicles on an island up to 24 feet high, a closed fleet meeting room and a storage closet for literature and spare keys.
Pictured: Senzani, a Purple island exhibit
See 20×30 rental booths →In Purple's Work Truck Week price
- Design work and a 3D rendering, with revisions until the Work Truck Week layout is right
- Structure, graphics printed for Work Truck Week, counters and storage as specified
- Lighting and power distribution inside your Work Truck Week booth
- Installation and dismantle in Indianapolis, run by our project manager on the floor
- Every Work Truck Week show-service order and deadline tracked for you
Billed by Work Truck Week and its contractor
- Your Work Truck Week booth space, paid to the organizer
- Material handling / drayage, if the Work Truck Week space rate leaves it out
- Electrical service, internet access and rigging
- Booth cleaning and any union labor the Indiana Convention Center requires
Rates to plan with for Work Truck Week:
- Drayage About $135 per cwt, 200 lb minimum, 2026–27 planning figure
- Off-target vehicle penalty $1,000 per vehicle or unit missing its move-in target, 2027 rules source
- Late install penalty Up to $1,000 per half hour of work outside your space after 3 p.m. March 9, 2027 source
Your proposal estimates all of these, so the total for Work Truck Week is on paper before you sign anything.
Ranges shown are all-in 2026 rental prices for design, structure, graphics, installation and dismantle at Work Truck Week; custom builds get their own quote. Get an exact number for Work Truck Week with the booth cost calculator or the 2026 booth cost guide.
Share the booth size you have at Work Truck Week and what you need the space to do. You hear back within one business day, and a rendering with a fixed Work Truck Week proposal usually follows within a week. No charge.
Your people arrive at the Indiana Convention Center to a lit, stocked booth. You just show up.
03 Built by Purple
Booths to look at before you plan Work Truck Week
Case study · KLEEMANN
KLEEMANN at an industrial technology exhibition
A global elevator manufacturer’s interactive booth: real product showcases, digital simulations and a floor plan that guided visitors from the first step to the last.
KLEEMANN put heavy elevator hardware on the floor and led visitors through it step by step; a Work Truck Week island asks for that same path through a parked truck.
Read the KLEEMANN case study All case studies →“Purple Exhibits made us look good. The booth was one of the nicest displays in our section of the convention center and generated a lot of positive comments from both customers and industry peers. Their attention to detail, professionalism, and willingness to go above and beyond made a huge difference.”
Kimberly Owens, Brand Manager, Owens Products · client reviews
Trusted by exhibitors including
04 Designing for truck chassis, body, upfit equipment and fleet technology companies at Work Truck Week
Four things we get right for Work Truck Week exhibitors
1Light the truck for inspection
Fuel-powered display trucks at Work Truck Week sit with battery cables removed and taped from move-in to move-out, so their own lights stay dark. We run concealed LED strips into compartments, cabs and bodies from the booth's own circuit, under the carpet, so a buyer can see every weld and fitting.
2Hang it from an island only
NTEA allows ceiling-supported signs and LED walls only over island and split island booths, with the top at 25 feet and the bottom at least 14 feet up. We size the sign to clear your tallest body, certify the hang points and send the Structural Integrity Form before February 5.
3Keep the 2,000-foot island open
On islands of 2,000 square feet or more, structures within 10 feet of the edge may not cover more than half of any side. We put meeting rooms and storage in the center or a corner and let the trucks themselves form the perimeter the aisle sees.
4Plan the move-in target slot
NTEA sends targeted move-in times about five months out for booths of 300 square feet or more and any booth with a vehicle. Missing the slot costs $1,000 per vehicle, so we schedule the booth build around the minute your truck rolls onto the floor.
Concept rendering
Your proposal for Work Truck Week includes a rendering like this one
Before we cut a single panel, you see the booth in 3D (layout, graphics, lighting and product positions) and we revise it until it is right. Pictured: a Purple concept for RPS.
Start my Work Truck Week conceptFloor at a glance
Where you could be at Work Truck Week 2027
NTEA has not published 2027 hall assignments, so this covers the areas its rules name and the Indiana Convention Center halls the show fills. We route freight once your booth number is set.
Work Truck Show exhibit halls
The Indiana Convention Center has 566,600 square feet of exhibit floor across 11 halls, and NTEA notes that uneven ceilings keep its 24-foot island height out of reach in some areas.
Our advice Before we draw a tall island or a two-story structure, we check the ceiling height over your actual booth number with NTEA.
New Exhibitor Pavilion
A pre-carpeted area where motorized vehicles are not allowed; it closes Thursday, March 11, and must be cleared by noon Friday, March 12, 2027.
Our advice A pavilion booth suits a tabletop or component display, and we pack it to leave a day early on its own schedule.
05 Indiana Convention Center · Indianapolis
Logistics for Work Truck Week 2027, handled
Inside the Indiana Convention Center, the house rule is union hands for every install, teardown and freight move, with Teamsters alone on the docks, whatever Indiana's right-to-work statute says. NTEA's official contractor handles all material handling and every overhead piece, so we order the rigging, the lifts and the vehicle placement through its exhibitor manual. We budget freight handling at roughly $135 a hundredweight (200-pound floor) and consolidate crates into one inbound load. Hanging signs ship in their own marked container to the advance warehouse between February 5 and 26. On the floor our project manager leads vetted local labor, and your booth staff sleep in a skywalk hotel such as the JW Marriott.
Work Truck Week exhibitors can find this building's hall rules, drayage estimates and freight deadlines in our Indiana Convention Center exhibitor guide.
What Purple handles
- Targeted move-in schedule for every vehicle and crate
- Hanging sign drawings, Structural Integrity Form and rigging orders
- Vehicle display prep: fuel limits, sealed caps, taped battery cables, EV lockout
- Compartment and cab lighting on the booth's own circuit
- On-floor build and teardown run by a Purple project manager directing vetted Indianapolis labor
- Storage between Work Truck Week and your next fleet show
Work Truck Week timeline, counted back from move-in
Hanging signs, LED walls and ceiling-supported structures submitted to NTEA and its contractor for approval: February 5, 2027. Without approval and the Structural Integrity Form by this date nothing hangs over your island, so we need the sign design locked in January.
Design sign-off for Work Truck Week is due by late December 2026.
- Late December 2026Design sign-off, vehicle list and hanging sign concept fixed; we register Purple as a pre-qualified contractor with the convention center.
- January 2027Production in our shop over 30 to 45 days; compartment lighting and spec graphics built to your vehicle dimensions.
- February 5, 2027Hanging sign and LED wall drawings with the Structural Integrity Form go to NTEA and its contractor; sign crates start arriving at the advance warehouse.
- February 26, 2027Last day for hanging sign containers at the advance warehouse without surcharges; booth freight follows.
- March 8–9, 2027Overhead pieces installed by 5 p.m. Monday; booth built and empty crates labeled by 2 p.m. Tuesday, everything set by 3 p.m.
- March 10–13, 2027Show days March 10–12; dismantle after the Friday close, with the hall cleared by 5 p.m. Saturday, March 13.
Purple's planning timeline for Work Truck Week. Move-in, freight target and order deadlines are set by the Work Truck Week exhibitor kit and your assigned schedule; we confirm them for your booth once you book.
Printable Work Truck Week budget & deadline sheetTravel to Work Truck Week 2027
Getting to Work Truck Week 2027: airport and hotels
Fly in
Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
About 15 to 20 minutes from downtown, per Purple's venue guide
Stay
NTEA's Work Truck Week housing, opening in fall 2026; the 2027 provider is not confirmed yet
Find the venue
Indiana Convention Center
100 S Capitol Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46225
Travel facts from worktruckweek.com.
Work Truck Week by the numbers
Work Truck Week year by year
How Work Truck Week 2027 compares with other industrial machinery shows
The industrial machinery shows closest to Work Truck Week on the calendar, with the latest size each organizer has published. Each show name opens our industrial machinery exhibitor guide for that show.
| Show | Dates | City | Latest published size |
|---|---|---|---|
| The ARA ShowAmerican Rental Association (ARA) | February 14–16, 2027 | New Orleans, LA | 730+ exhibitors (2026) |
| SME MINEXCHANGESociety for Mining | February 28–March 3, 2027 | Denver, CO | 7,050 attendees (2025) |
| Work Truck WeekNTEA | March 9–12, 2027 | Indianapolis, IN | 15,646 attendees · 547 exhibitors (2026) |
| World of Asphalt and AGG1AEM for owners NAPA | March 15–17, 2027 | New Orleans, LA | 11,500+ attendees (2025) |
| AMPPAMPP (Association for Materials Protection and Performance) | April 11–15, 2027 | Columbus, OH | 6,345 registrants attendees · 350+ exhibitors (2026) |
| RAPID + TCTSME | April 12–15, 2027 | Detroit, MI | 10,000+ attendees · 470+ exhibitors (2026) |
| ReMA ShowRecycled Materials Association (ReMA) | April 12–15, 2027 | Nashville, TN | – |
| Design-2-Part Show, TexasDesign-2-Part Shows (D2P) | April 14–15, 2027 | Irving, TX | 90% of 2026 Irving attendees decide on outsourcing |
| ProMatMHI | April 19–21, 2027 | Chicago, IL | 52,223 attendees · 1,160 exhibitors (2025) |
| Metalcasting CongressAmerican Foundry Society (AFS) | April 20–22, 2027 | Cleveland, OH | 2,200+ attendees · 230 exhibits (2023) |
Work Truck Week exhibitor questions
Questions exhibitors ask us before Work Truck Week
How much does a booth at Work Truck Week 2027 cost?
For an upfitter showing one truck, a 20×20 island is the common unit: $16,000 to $40,000 as a rental, $50,000 to $120,000 custom. Component makers in a 10×20 rental spend $7,500 to $15,000. Rigging for a hanging sign, vehicle placement and drayage move the number. NTEA bills booth space separately, so it stays off our proposal.
What is the deadline to order a booth for Work Truck Week 2027?
The hard NTEA date is February 5, 2027, when hanging signs, LED walls and anything else hung from the ceiling must be submitted for approval with the contractor's Structural Integrity Form. We need your design signed off by late December 2026 to build, photograph and document the booth before that.
Can we rent a booth for Work Truck Week, and what does a rental include?
A rental from us brings the structure, printed fabric walls, LED lighting for your vehicle, spec counters, carpet and lockable storage, plus freight, install, dismantle and return. NTEA requires every booth to carpet its full space, and a rental covers that. After Indianapolis the frames come back to our warehouse and your graphics can be stored.
Can we display a running or charged truck at Work Truck Week?
No running engines. Fuel may not exceed a quarter tank or 5 gallons, caps are sealed, and battery cables are removed and taped from move-in to move-out. Electric vehicles need the powertrain locked out and a 10-pound ABC extinguisher in the booth. Moving a vehicle for a demonstration needs Fire Marshal approval.
Can our own staff set up our booth at the Indiana Convention Center?
The Indiana Convention Center uses union labor exclusively for installation, dismantle and drayage, and its docks are Teamsters-only, even though Indiana is a right-to-work state. Your staff may hand-carry small items. Any outside builder must be on the convention center's pre-qualified vendor list, which is why we register before we plan your install.
What does drayage cost at Work Truck Week and who pays it?
You pay it to NTEA's official contractor, by weight, at the rate in the exhibitor manual. For this building we price it near $135 a hundredweight for 2026 and 2027, never less than 200 pounds a shipment. Trucks and bodies roll in on their own wheels on a target schedule; crates are what we keep light.
Do you handle the official contractor's orders and the vehicle move-in?
We do. We file the rigging, lift, electrical and carpet orders, send the vehicle list so NTEA assigns your target time, and coordinate the driver who brings each truck to the dock. Missing that target costs $1,000 per vehicle under the 2027 rules, so our project manager is on the floor for it.
Can we reuse our Work Truck Week booth at other shows?
We build in modules so the same walls, lighting and counters can follow your trucks to The Utility Expo in Louisville or World of Concrete in Las Vegas, with new graphics for each audience. Between shows we keep the kit in our warehouse and refresh the spec panels when your product line changes.
When is Work Truck Week 2027?
Work Truck Week 2027 runs March 9 to 12, 2027. The Future Truck Summit and education open on Tuesday, March 9; the Work Truck Show exhibits run Wednesday, March 10, to Friday, March 12; the Ride & Drive is March 10 and 11. NTEA has posted later editions for March 7–10, 2028 and March 6–9, 2029.
Where is Work Truck Week 2027 held?
NTEA brings it to downtown Indianapolis every March, filling the Indiana Convention Center on South Capitol Avenue. A dozen hotels, the JW Marriott Indianapolis among them, sit on its enclosed skywalk network, and Indianapolis International Airport is about 15 to 20 minutes away.
How many people attend Work Truck Week?
NTEA counted a verified 15,646 commercial vehicle professionals from 29 countries and all 50 states at Work Truck Week 2026, with 547 exhibiting companies in a sold-out hall. The 2025 edition set the record: 16,413 attendees from 31 countries and 549 exhibiting companies.
Who organizes Work Truck Week?
NTEA, The Work Truck Association, established in 1964 and headquartered in suburban Detroit. It represents more than 2,100 companies that build, upfit, sell and repair commercial vehicles and truck equipment, and it runs the Work Truck Show, the Future Truck Summit and the Ride & Drive inside the week.
How do I get a booth at Work Truck Week?
Through NTEA's trade show team, which sells space on its Application and Contract for Exhibit Space and assigns booths by priority points. Smaller displays may land in the New Exhibitor Pavilion, a pre-carpeted area where motorized vehicles are not allowed. Registration and housing for 2027 open in fall 2026; the housing provider is not confirmed yet.
Before you sign for Work Truck Week
Ask any Work Truck Week exhibit builder these five questions:
- Are all fees on paper, including what the contractor at the Indiana Convention Center bills?
- Who builds the Work Truck Week booth: your own shop or a subcontractor?
- Who from your team is on the Work Truck Week floor for install and dismantle?
- What exactly is in the rental, and what does Work Truck Week bill?
- Where does the booth go after Work Truck Week, and what does storage cost?
Common situations
Already own a booth? We refresh the graphics, repair what is worn, ship it to the Indiana Convention Center, install it and store it between shows. You keep the structure you paid for and bring it to Work Truck Week.
Exhibiting from outside the US? We handle the ground work for Work Truck Week: freight to the advance warehouse, show-service orders, installation and storage, with one project manager replying to 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 for your date.
Get a proposal
Tell us about your Work Truck Week booth
What happens next
- Within one business day, we reply with questions about your products, goals and footprint.
- You get a concept rendering and a fixed proposal for Work Truck Week, usually within a week. Each Work Truck Week fee listed upfront and in full, on paper.
- The build takes 30–45 days; we ship to the advance warehouse and install before the hall opens at the Indiana Convention Center.
