Connecticut is not a right-to-work state, and 2026 show kits at the CTCC state that union rules are in effect. Hired labor, forklifts and big-truck unloading go through the show's general contractor.
Exhibitor guide · Hartford, CT · Updated
Connecticut Convention Center Exhibitor Guide
Halfway between New York and Boston on the Hartford riverfront, the CTCC puts 140,000 sq ft of exhibit space on one level, with a 2,600-space garage attached. Its house rule is short and strict: up to three of your full-time employees may build your booth, and anything off a truck longer than 14 ft goes through union labor. Here is how to plan around both.
- 3,000+ exhibitors served
- 10,000+ booths built
- 2 days to a design brief
Photo: “Connecticut Convention Center” by pedrik, CC BY 2.0. Source
Quick answers
What exhibitors ask about the Connecticut Convention Center
The venue's rules let you use up to three of your own employees to unload, build, dismantle and reload. A fourth pair of hands must come from the general contractor's labor.
Freight off a vehicle longer than 14 ft needs event labor. Smaller vehicles get up to 30 minutes at the dock, then must move to the garage. Bring your own carts: the CTCC has none for exhibitors.
Both halls share the 32 ft ceiling on Level 3. The Level 6 ballroom is 30 ft and the meeting rooms are 15 ft 4 in. Your show sets the booth height limit.
Labor & union rules
Connecticut Convention Center union rules: what the work rules allow
Connecticut is not a right-to-work state, and 2026 show kits at the CTCC say union rules are in effect. The building's own work rules set the exhibitor limits below. Shows here are often run by Demers Exposition Services of East Hartford; larger national shows may bring their own contractor, so check your show kit for hours and rates.
✓Your own employees
- Up to three full-time employees may unload, build, dismantle and reload your exhibit
- Unload a vehicle up to 14 ft long, with 30 minutes at the dock
- Bring and use carts, dollies, luggage carriers and hand trucks
- Use hand-held power tools and step-ladders
- Remove your own floor marking and carpet tape after the show
●Union crews and the CTCC
- Any fourth worker and beyond, booked through the general contractor
- Unloading and reloading any vehicle longer than 14 ft
- Pallet jacks, forklifts, Moffett lifts and scissor lifts, run by the contractor's operator
- Overhead signs from structural steel only, by venue labor or the show contractor; banner hanging is ordered from the CTCC (Demers AV)
- The CTCC sells electrical, internet, phone, water, air and booth cleaning; its in-house team is the only licensed food and beverage provider
!Watch for
- No exhibitor-owned power strips or extension cords: buy them from the CTCC
- No helium balloons, popcorn machines or stick-on decals anywhere in the building
- No children under 16 on the dock or in the hall during move-in and move-out
- Booth materials must meet NFPA 701 under the Connecticut State Fire Marshal
- Food samples only in 2 oz sizes, with written approval, sourced from CTCC catering
Background photo: "Hartford CT" by eschipul, CC BY-SA 2.0 Source
Floor plan & exhibit halls
Connecticut Convention Center floor plan: Exhibit Halls A and B
The exhibit level is one 140,000 sq ft room that splits into two halls, charted at up to 793 10×10 booths when combined. The 40,000 sq ft ballroom and the meeting rooms are stacked three floors above, on Level 6. Tap a hall for its size and booth count.
Schematic. Hall widths are proportional to floor area, not an architectural plan. Official floor plans and capacity charts are on ctconventions.com (Planners, Floor Plans), with an interactive plan from iMap.
Exhibit Hall A
- 80,000 sq ft · 32 ft ceiling
- 441 10×10 booths
- 5,307 theater seats
The larger of the two halls. Each hall has a concession stand at its south end, and two 490 sq ft show management offices sit just outside the exhibit hall.
Exhibit Hall B
- 60,000 sq ft · 32 ft ceiling
- 346 10×10 booths
- 4,210 theater seats
Combine A and B for the full 140,000 sq ft and up to 793 booths, in what the venue calls the largest convention facility between New York City and Boston.
350 lbsper sq ft floor load on the exhibit level, with 90 ft column spacing (builder's project data)
40,000sq ft ballroom on Level 6, 30 ft ceiling, splits into three rooms (11,695 / 16,610 / 11,695 sq ft) · up to 170 booths
25,000sq ft of meeting space in 14 breakout rooms at 15 ft 4 in, plus two executive boardrooms
2freight elevators to the ballroom level: one 12,000 lbs, one 5,000 lbs. Passenger elevators and escalators may not carry freight
Floor boxesIn-floor utility boxes in the exhibit hall carry electrical, water, compressed air and internet. The hall floor is not carpeted
Only at the Connecticut Convention Center
The Connecticut Convention Center three-employee rule: what your own team can do
The CTCC writes its labor limits into its own Building Work Rules, so they apply whichever contractor runs your show. The rows below follow the venue's Exhibitor Rules and Regulations (2023 edition, the latest published) and the 2026 Demers Exposition Services kit for a CTCC show. Your show kit is the final word.
| Task | Your own employees? |
|---|---|
| Unload, unpack, build, dismantle, repack and reload your exhibit | Yes, up to three people. They must be full-time employees of the exhibiting company, and the 2026 kit says ID may be requested |
| Add a fourth, fifth or sixth person | No. Everyone beyond three must be labor arranged through the general contractor |
| Unload a car, van or truck 14 ft long or shorter | Yes, during posted move-in hours, with up to 30 minutes at the dock |
| Unload a vehicle longer than 14 ft | No. Event labor unloads and reloads it, booked through the general contractor |
| Use carts, dollies and hand trucks | Yes, non-mechanized ones you bring. The CTCC provides none |
| Use hand-held power tools and step-ladders | Yes, under the venue's safety rules |
| Drive a pallet jack, forklift or scissor lift | No. A forklift operator comes through the general contractor |
| Hang a sign or banner overhead | No. Only the venue's contracted labor or the show's contractor, from structural steel only |
| Plug in your own power strip or extension cord | No. The CTCC's 2026 electrical form says these must be bought from the venue |
| Let an EAC's crew build the booth | Check your kit. The venue rules count EACs among parties that may use three of their own employees; the 2026 Demers kit says EAC staff may supervise but not do the work |
Sources: Connecticut Convention Center Exhibitor Rules and Regulations (Building Work Rules and General Exhibitor Rules, revised 2023), CTCC Electrical Service Order Form (2026), Demers Exposition Services Exhibitor Services Kit for the NACAC National College Fair at the CTCC, March 17–18, 2026 (Union Labor Regulations).
Loading dock & move-in
Connecticut Convention Center loading dock and freight
Get directions to Connecticut Convention Center →
- Behind the buildingThe dock is at the rear of the center; set GPS to 1 Taylor St, Hartford. 2026 show kits route trucks via Sheldon Street off Columbus Boulevard to a security gate, where a call box checks your move-in appointment before you drive up the ramp.
- 20 bays, 2 drive-insThe venue lists 20 loading dock bays with two direct drive-in bays (26.4 ft × 15.4 ft on the fact sheet) and freight doors 32 ft 4 in wide by 18 ft high.
- 30 minutes, then moveExhibitors get up to 30 minutes to load or unload, then must clear the dock. No event or overnight parking on the dock, a 5 mph speed limit, and every vehicle is subject to inspection.
- Overhead doors onlyAll freight and exhibit materials move through the overhead doors; using pedestrian doors for freight is prohibited. Credentials must be visible to get onto the floor.
- Day −30Design approved for a three-person build. Decide who your three full-time employees on site will be.
- Day −21Food and beverage orders paid in full if you sample or host (the CTCC's deadline).
- Day −14Purple ships to Hartford through our carrier network, timed for the advance warehouse deadline.
- Day −7Labor, forklift and material handling orders in at advance rates (2026 kits: about a week before move-in).
- Day −1Electrical, internet and booth cleaning paid; pre-paid venue rates end one day before move-in.
- Show closeBooth fully broken down before you bring a vehicle back to the dock. Floor tape removed.
Free tool
Connecticut Convention Center drayage cost estimator
Planning numbers at about $100 per hundredweight. That sits just above the 2026 Demers rates published for a CTCC show ($95/cwt via the advance warehouse, $92/cwt direct to site, 2 cwt minimum), to leave room for larger shows run by other contractors. Your show kit carries the actual tariff. See all venues on the drayage rates page.
Estimated drayage
$1,500
Cut this with a lighter booth
In the 2026 Demers kit, uncrated or poorly packed freight carries a 75% special handling fee, double-stacked trailers a 25% surcharge, late warehouse arrivals $25/cwt extra ($100 minimum), and direct shipments that miss the move-in day a 50% redirect fee. The estimator's multipliers are general; check your kit.
Photos: "Rule 63: Avengers" by heldermira, CC BY 2.0 Source · "ConnectiCon2013_0415bas" by BAS Photog, CC BY 2.0 Source · "ConnectiCon2013_1044bas" by BAS Photog, CC BY 2.0 Source
ConnectiCon crowds in Hartford
Photo: "ConnectiCon_0001" by BAS Photog, CC BY 2.0 Source
The calendar
Connecticut Convention Center trade shows 2026–2027
Hartford's halls lean toward big regional consumer shows, fan conventions and association meetings rather than national trade fairs. Confirm dates and exhibitor rules with each organizer.
Aerospace Alley Future Workforce Opportunities Fair & Tradeshow
Aerospace manufacturers, workforce fair and tradeshow · ACM · 2026
CT Fall Home Show
Home improvement · Jenks Productions · consumer · 2026
Connecticut Wedding & Bridal Expo
Bridal and wedding vendors · Jenks Productions · consumer · 2027
Connecticut Flower & Garden Show
Garden, landscape and home · consumer · 2027
ConnectiCon XXIV
Pop culture, comics and gaming · consumer · 2027
The Aerospace Alley date is from the CTCC event calendar; Home Show, Bridal Expo, Flower & Garden Show and ConnectiCon dates are from the organizers. Held here in 2026: the NACAC National College Fair (March 17–18, Hall A, 8×8 booths), the Eversource Hartford Marathon Expo (Oct 8–9) and 90's Con (Oct 16–18); 2027 dates were not posted when we checked. The Connecticut International Auto Show is listed at Mohegan Sun, not the CTCC, for 2027.
Insider tips
Connecticut Convention Center exhibitor tips: what experienced teams do
Design for three sets of hands
Only three of your full-time employees may build the booth. A frame-and-fabric system that three people can put up in one move-in window avoids paying for union labor by the hour.
Rent the 14-footer, not the 16
Freight off any vehicle longer than 14 ft has to be unloaded by event labor. A smaller box truck or cargo van keeps the unload in your own crew's hands.
Leave the power strip at home
The CTCC's 2026 electrical form bars exhibitor-owned power strips and extension cords. Add a strip ($22 pre-paid) and a 25 ft cord ($15) to your electrical order instead of having yours pulled on site.
Order the day before, not the morning of
Pre-paid venue rates for electrical, internet and cleaning end one day before move-in. A 120V 10-amp outlet is $90.03 pre-paid and $104.00 on site, plus 6.35% Connecticut sales tax.
Use the dock clock wisely
You get 30 minutes at the dock, then the vehicle goes to the attached garage. Stage boxes at the tailgate, unload, park, then build; on move-out, finish breakdown before you bring the vehicle back.
Bring floor protection and a cart
The exhibit hall is bare concrete and the CTCC lends no carts. Rent carpet from the show contractor, and bring a hand truck: freight must come through the overhead doors, never the lobby.
Where to stay & getting there
Hotels near the Connecticut Convention Center
Attached
Marriott Hartford Downtown
409 rooms on 22 floors, linked by a walkway off the exhibit hall level and in the lower lobby. 13,500 sq ft of its own meeting space for a side event.
0.8 mi
Hilton Hartford
393 rooms downtown, the next-largest hotel in the venue's list.
0.6 mi
Goodwin Hotel and Residence Inn
124 and 120 rooms. The venue counts about 1,500 rooms within walking distance and more than 6,000 within 30 miles.
15 miles
Bradley International (BDL)
The CTtransit Bradley Flyer (Route 30) runs seven days a week, about every 40 minutes for most of the day and roughly hourly early and late, and stops directly in front of the center; the ride takes about 30 minutes.
I-84 · I-91
Garage and rail
The attached eight-level garage has about 2,600 spaces ($5 first hour, $23 daily max in 2026 kits) plus a 125-space lot for oversized vehicles. Amtrak and the Hartford Line stop at Union Station downtown.
The building
Adriaen's Landing: the riverfront project built around the convention center
The CTCC is the anchor of Adriaen's Landing, a $775 million redevelopment of Hartford's riverfront that also brought the Marriott, the Front Street district and the Connecticut Science Center. It is owned by the State of Connecticut through the Capital Region Development Authority.
- 2005The Connecticut Convention Center opens June 2, designed by Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates, with exhibit halls on Level 3 and the ballroom stacked above.
- 2005The 409-room Marriott Hartford Downtown opens, connected to the center.
- 2009The Connecticut Science Center opens June 12 next door, on the same Adriaen's Landing site.
- 2020In April the Connecticut National Guard sets up 646 beds in the center as auxiliary surge space for Hartford Hospital.
- TodayGBAC STAR accredited for cleaning and infection prevention, with in-house catering and a 2026 calendar of home, garden and fan shows.
FAQ
Connecticut Convention Center FAQ for exhibitors
Is the Connecticut Convention Center union?
Yes. Connecticut is not a right-to-work state, and 2026 exhibitor kits at the CTCC state that union rules are in effect at the convention center. Labor you hire, forklift work and unloading of vehicles over 14 ft go through the show's general contractor.
Can I set up my own booth at the Connecticut Convention Center?
Yes, with up to three of your own employees. The venue's Building Work Rules let exhibitors use up to three of their own employees to unload, unpack, erect, dismantle, repack and reload. The 2026 Demers kit adds that they must be full-time employees of the exhibiting company. Any additional workers must be arranged through the general contractor.
Can I unload my own vehicle?
Yes, if it is 14 ft long or shorter. You get up to 30 minutes at the dock during the move-in hours set by show management, then you must move the vehicle; parking on the dock is not allowed. Freight on a vehicle longer than 14 ft must be unloaded by event labor.
Where is the Connecticut Convention Center loading dock?
At the rear of the building. Use 1 Taylor St, Hartford, as the GPS address; show kits route trucks via Sheldon Street off Columbus Boulevard to a security gate with a call box, then up the ramp. There are 20 dock bays including two drive-in bays.
How much is drayage at the Connecticut Convention Center?
Plan about $100 per hundredweight. Published 2026 Demers rates for a CTCC show were $95/cwt through the advance warehouse and $92/cwt direct to site, with a 2 cwt minimum per shipment and a 75% fee for uncrated freight. Your show's contractor and kit set the actual rate.
What is the ceiling height in the exhibit halls?
32 ft in Exhibit Halls A and B, per the venue's fact sheet and floor plan chart. The Level 6 ballroom is 30 ft and the meeting rooms are 15 ft 4 in. Your show sets the maximum booth height.
Who provides electrical and internet?
The Connecticut Convention Center's own Exhibitor Services sells electrical, internet, phone, water, compressed air and booth cleaning through its online ordering. Pre-paid rates apply to orders paid in full one day before the first move-in day. Exhibitors may not bring their own power strips or extension cords.
Can I hang a sign from the ceiling?
Only through the venue's contracted labor or the show's general contractor, and only from structural steel. The CTCC's banner hanging service (provided by Demers AV) starts at $250 pre-paid for a banner up to 4 × 10 ft, and you supply rated hanging hardware.
Can I give out food samples?
Only with prior written approval, in 2 oz sample sizes, and the food must come through the CTCC's catering department. The center's in-house team is the only licensed food and beverage provider, and outside food is not allowed on event days.
Where do exhibitors park?
In the attached eight-level garage, with about 2,600 spaces. 2026 show kits list $5 for the first hour, $2 each additional hour and a $23 daily maximum. An on-site surface lot of about 125 spaces takes oversized vehicles.
Exhibiting in Hartford?
Share your floor plan. Get a booth plan back.
Tell us your hall, your vehicle and which three people you are sending. Purple ships and installs from New York for this region, and within two business days you get a booth your three-person team can build, a drayage estimate at Hartford rates and a move-in plan for the 30-minute dock window.
Background photo: "composite of hartford skyline on a clear night" by TonySprezzatura, CC BY-SA 2.0 Source
Compare venues
Connecticut Convention Center vs other venues within a drive of New York
How the Connecticut Convention Center stacks up against other venues within a drive of New York. Drayage figures are Purple planning rates, not published tariffs.
| Venue | Type | Largest space | Ceiling | Labor | Drayage (plan) | Airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Convention CenterThis guide | Convention center | 140,000 sq ft · Halls A + B | 32 ft | Union · 3-employee rule | ≈ $100/cwt | BDL · 15 mi |
| Foxwoods Resort CasinoMashantucket | Resort ballrooms | 47,553 sq ft Premier Ballroom | 26 ft | Tribal land · check kit | ≈ $115/cwt | PVD · 41 mi |
| MJN Convention CenterPoughkeepsie | Convention center | 15,475 sq ft Mair Hall · 130 booths | 25 ft 5 in | Check show kit | ≈ $115/cwt | SWF · ~25 mi |
| Mohegan Sun Earth Expo & Convention CenterUncasville | Resort expo center | 112,108 sq ft Earth Expo Center | 22–30 ft | Union · staff setup OK | ≈ $120/cwt | PVD · 51 mi |
| Rhode Island Convention CenterProvidence | Convention center | 100,000 sq ft exhibit hall, Halls A–D | 30 ft | Union · Local 271 | ≈ $140/cwt | PVD · ~10 mi |
| Westchester County CenterWhite Plains | Expo center | 26,720 sq ft Main Hall | 42 ft Main Hall · 10.8 ft Exhibit Hall | Self-setup OK · check kit | ≈ $95/cwt | HPN · ~5 mi |
More venue guides
Other venues within a drive of New York
Mohegan SunUncasville, CT
Foxwoods Resort CasinoMashantucket, CT
Rhode Island Convention CenterProvidence, RI
MassMutual CenterSpringfield, MA
Westchester County CenterWhite Plains, NY
MJN Convention CenterPoughkeepsie, NY
Javits CenterNew York, NY
Written by the Purple Exhibits team. Reviewed for the 2026–2027 season. Figures marked for verification are being confirmed with the venue. Sources: Connecticut Convention Center Exhibitor Rules and Regulations (2023), CTCC fact sheet, floor plan one-sheet and sales brochure, CTCC exhibitor order forms (electrical, telecommunications, booth cleaning, banner hanging, food and beverage, 2026), loading dock, floor plan, FAQ and event pages on ctconventions.com, Demers Exposition Services Exhibitor Services Kit and NACAC exhibitor page for the March 2026 NACAC National College Fair in Hartford, Capital Region Development Authority project page, Gilbane project data, Wikipedia (Connecticut Convention Center, Connecticut Science Center), U.S. Army on the 2020 surge site, National Right to Work Foundation state list, organizer sites for the CT Fall Home Show, Connecticut Flower & Garden Show and ConnectiCon.