The venue has a labor agreement with IATSE Local 26, which covers stagehands, riggers and production crews. Michigan has not been a right-to-work state since February 13, 2024.
Exhibitor guide · Grand Rapids, MI · Updated
DeVos Place Exhibitor Guide
At DeVos Place you can still drive your own van to the dock and unload it yourself: check in on Scribner Street across the river, roll your cart into a 162,000 sq ft column-free hall, then move the van before you build. Plan the booth around that routine and the hall's ceiling, which climbs from 37 ft at the edges to 72 ft over Hall B.
- 3,000+ exhibitors served
- 10,000+ booths built
- 2 days to a design brief
Photo: “Civic Auditorium at ArtPrize 7, Grand Rapids, MI” by Corvair Owner, CC BY-SA 2.0. Source
Quick answers
What exhibitors ask about DeVos Place
Exhibitors park at the loading dock, unload onto a cart, take the items to the booth area and then move the vehicle. The front lobby is for hand-carried items only.
The venue's rule: if you could legally bring it on an airplane, you can take it through the front doors. Dollies and four-wheel carts are not allowed in the lobbies.
Halls A and C run 37–60 ft and Hall B 56–72 ft, per the venue's capacity chart. The Steelcase Ballroom has a flat 28 ft.
Only at DeVos Place
DeVos Place self-unload rules: can my own team do this?
Most big halls send your freight through a union dock crew. DeVos Place publishes a drive-in routine instead: your vehicle goes to the dock, your team unloads it, and the van leaves before the build starts. Check each job against this table, then against your show kit.
| Job | At DeVos Place |
|---|---|
| Drive our van or truck to the dock and unload it | Yes. Check in with the guard (and on Scribner Street if your show uses the marshalling yard), take a temporary dock pass and unload onto a cart |
| Leave the vehicle at the dock while we build | No. Move it once your items are near the booth, or it may be towed |
| Bring our own cart or dolly | Yes, through the dock. Decorator flatbeds and pallet jacks are limited, first come, first served |
| Roll a cart through the front lobby | No. Lobbies are hand-carry only, and dollies and four-wheel carts are banned there |
| Set up our own display | Yes, with full-time employees, per the 2026 work rules for a show here. Your show kit has the final word |
| Use an outside I&D company | Yes. Name the crew to show management in writing at least 30 days ahead; access runs through the official decorator |
| Hang a sign over the booth | Not yourself. Signs are hung by Art Craft Display and hanging is done by IATSE Local 26 riggers |
| Ship to the building early | No. Nothing is accepted before the first move-in day; send advance freight to the decorator's warehouse |
Sources: DeVos Place Meeting Planner Guide (2025) and Exhibitor Guidelines; GES work rules for the 2026 AFS Metalcasting Congress at DeVos Place. Rules can differ by show, so confirm with your show kit.
The building
From the Civic Auditorium to DeVos Place
The 1933 auditorium was imploded in 2003, all but its front. That Art Deco facade and lobby now lead into the Steelcase Ballroom, and the new hall stretches north along the Grand River.
- 1933The 3,800-seat Civic Auditorium opens, designed by Robinson & Campau in a mix of Renaissance and Art Deco styles.
- 1975Renamed the Welsh Auditorium for City Manager George Welsh, who led the 1930 bond drive that paid for it.
- 1980The performing arts theater, today the DeVos Performance Hall, is built.
- 2002The Performance Hall's new lobby opens in June, the first part of the expansion.
- 2003The Welsh Auditorium is imploded on July 19. Only the front facade and lobby stay.
- 2004DeVos Place Convention Center opens, named for Richard DeVos, who gave $20 million. The full project, built 2003–2005, cost about $220 million.
- 2005The Steelcase Ballroom opens in February behind the old auditorium facade.
- 2025Lyon Square reopens as a $12 million riverfront plaza, with a nightly art projection on the Civic Auditorium entrance.
Photos: "VENUE: DeVos Place Convention Center AT NIGHT" by bitsorf: Thank you 1,500,000 times, CC BY 2.0 Source · "Greeting card" by wsilver, CC BY 2.0 Source · "Taste of Grand Rapids Festival" by laudu, CC BY 2.0 Source
Floor plan & exhibit halls
DeVos Place floor plan: Exhibit Halls A, B and C
One 450 × 360 ft column-free hall that divides into three equal halls of 54,000 sq ft each. The full hall takes 865 10×10 booths. Tap a hall for its size, ceiling and booth count.
Schematic. Hall widths are proportional to floor area, not an architectural plan. Official floor plans and the capacity chart are on devosplace.org.
Exhibit Hall A
- 54,000 sq ft · 150′ × 360′
- 37–60 ft ceiling
- 288 10×10 booths
Shares the heavy "box truss" with Hall B: the area around it is rated for up to 100,000 lbs, against 2,000 lbs per panel point elsewhere.
Exhibit Hall B
- 54,000 sq ft · 150′ × 360′
- 56–72 ft ceiling, the tallest
- 299 10×10 booths
The middle hall sits under the high point of the roof. Its freight elevator can shuttle exhibitor materials up from the parking ramp if the show arranges it.
Exhibit Hall C
- 54,000 sq ft · 150′ × 360′
- 37–60 ft ceiling
- 284 10×10 booths
Mirrors Hall A at the other end of the floor. Rentable alone for a mid-size show, or with A and B for the full 162,000 sq ft.
40,000sq ft Steelcase Ballroom · 147′ × 267′, 28 ft ceiling · 180 10×10 booths · divides into A–D
19,400sq ft Grand Gallery, the 313′ × 62′ riverfront lobby · registration and receptions
26meeting rooms in 32,000 sq ft · ceilings of 18 ft (Grand Gallery), 17 ft (Monroe) and 14 ft (River Overlook)
2,543seat DeVos Performance Hall, home of the Grand Rapids Symphony · usable for a keynote
152floor boxes across Halls A–C, up to 100 amps 120/208 V, plus 480 V from overhead bus duct
Loading dock & move-in
DeVos Place loading dock and freight
Get directions to DeVos Place →
- Michigan Street docksTwelve loading docks on the north end, with a wash bay and marshalling area, serve the exhibit halls and the Grand Gallery. They can only be reached heading east on Michigan Street.
- Lyon Street docksThe south-end docks serve the Steelcase Ballroom, the Monroe and overlook meeting rooms and the Performance Hall. Exhibiting in the ballroom? This is your door.
- Scribner Street marshallingShows can stage exhibitor vehicles on Scribner Street, west of the river (one-way north from Pearl Street). Vehicles get a voucher there, and those that skip it are sent back.
- No early freight, no storageThe venue takes no deliveries before the first contracted move-in day and stores no crates. Art Craft Display, the in-house decorator, handles advance warehouse freight and empty storage.
- Freight elevatorIf your show books it at least three weeks ahead, the Hall B freight elevator can shuttle materials up from the parking ramp, run by a security guard.
- Day −45Design approved. Hanging signs planned with Art Craft Display, heavy items checked against the 2,000 lb panel-point rating.
- Day −30Outside I&D company named to show management in writing.
- Day −21Purple ships to Grand Rapids through our carrier network, to the decorator's advance warehouse.
- Day −14Electrical, air, water and phone ordered from DeVos Place. After that, the floor rate applies.
- Day 0Check in on Scribner Street, then at the dock. Unload onto carts, move the vehicle, then build.
- Show closePack, bring items to the dock's upper walkway, then fetch the vehicle. Outbound paperwork to the service desk.
Labor & union rules
DeVos Place union rules: what your team can do itself
Michigan's right-to-work law was repealed effective February 13, 2024, and we found no reinstatement as of October 2026. Inside DeVos Place, the labor agreement that matters is with IATSE Local 26 for stagehands, riggers and production crews. Freight and booth rules come from the venue's exhibitor guidelines and your show's decorator, so check your show kit.
✓Your own team
- Drive to the dock and unload your own vehicle onto a cart
- Bring your own carts, dollies or hand trucks through the dock
- Set up your own display with full-time employees (per the 2026 GES work rules for a show here)
- Hand-carry anything airplane-legal through the front doors
- Hire an outside I&D company, named in writing 30 days ahead
- Use poster putty on glass or plaster walls
●Union labor and the venue
- IATSE Local 26: stagehands, riggers and house heads for staging, lighting, video and sound
- All hanging is done by Local 26 riggers; hall points take 2,000 lbs each
- Signs are hung by Art Craft Display, the in-house decorator
- Electrical, phone and internet are run by DeVos Place; water hookups by Art Craft Display
- Food and beverage: Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, exclusive
- Bluewater Technologies is the in-house AV partner; outside AV is allowed, but labor is booked through Local 26
!Watch for
- No dollies or four-wheel carts through the lobbies or on the passenger elevators
- A vehicle left at the dock during the build may be towed
- No foam, cellophane or masking tape on any surface
- No helium balloons, propane or other flammable gas
- Display vehicles: low fuel, cap locked or taped, battery disconnected
- No children under 16 on the floor or docks during move-in and move-out
Background photo: "Devos Place Ceiling" by dailyinvention, CC BY 2.0 Source
Free tool
DeVos Place drayage cost estimator
Planning numbers for 2026 at about $125 per hundredweight, a mid-market Midwest rate. DeVos Place publishes no drayage tariff; the decorator's kit has the actual rate, and recent kits here set a 200 lb minimum per shipment. If your team unloads its own vehicle at the dock, there may be no drayage at all. See all venues on the drayage rates page.
Estimated drayage
$1,875
Cut this with a lighter booth
ArtPrize takes over downtown
Photo: "Steam Pig 'Parsifal'" by rkramer62, CC BY 2.0 Source
The calendar
DeVos Place trade shows 2026–2027
West Michigan's calendar runs on farming, landscaping, schools and factories. Figures are organizer numbers; confirm each event with its organizer.
Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market EXPO
Growers, greenhouses, farm markets · 400+ companies · 4,500+ attendees · 2026
Great Lakes Trade Expo (MNLA)
Nursery and landscape trade show · 2027
Grand Rapids Boat Show
Boats and marine, consumer · 2027
MSBO Annual Conference & Exhibit Show
School business products · 350+ exhibiting companies in 2026 · 2027
Advanced Manufacturing Expo
Automation, metalworking, MRO · 300+ exhibitors · 2027
The Advanced Manufacturing Expo filled four halls July 29–30, 2026, and moves to August in 2027. The AFS Metalcasting Congress was held here April 15–16, 2026.
Where to stay & getting there
Hotels near DeVos Place
Skywalk
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
A Curio Collection by Hilton hotel across Lyon Square, and the venue's exclusive caterer, so food-sampling approvals go through its team too.
Skywalk
JW Marriott Grand Rapids
On the riverfront, linked by the same climate-controlled skywalk. With the Amway Grand and the Courtyard, more than 1,100 rooms, per DeVos Place.
Skywalk
Courtyard by Marriott Downtown
The third of the skywalk hotels the venue names as adjacent. A practical base for a booth team.
Walking distance
AC Hotel and Hyatt
Also on the venue's list of nearby hotels within walking distance. Confirm the indoor route with the hotel before winter move-in.
About 13 mi
Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR)
About 15 minutes from downtown, per the venue. Parking is in the city-run ramp under the building, entered from Michigan Street.
Insider tips
DeVos Place exhibitor tips: what experienced teams do
Check in on Scribner first
When a show runs the Scribner Street marshalling yard, vehicles that go straight to the dock are turned away and sent back across the river. Come up Pearl Street, check in, and wait for the guard's voucher.
Arrive eastbound on Michigan
The exhibit-hall dock can only be reached heading east on Michigan Street, and a concrete berm blocks the left turn into the parking ramp from the westbound side. Plan the last mile before the truck rolls.
Pack a cart in the van
Decorator flatbeds run out on busy move-in days, and the lobbies ban dollies anyway. Your own hand truck gets the van emptied and off the dock faster.
Unload, park, then build
Leave everything near the booth, put the van in the ramp under the building, and ride the elevator up to the Grand Gallery. A vehicle left at the dock while you build can be towed.
Go tall in Hall B
Hall B has 56–72 ft of ceiling; A and C start at 37 ft along the edges. If you plan a tall hanging sign or tower, ask which hall your booth is in before you design.
Ballroom booths use Lyon Street
The Steelcase Ballroom holds 180 10×10 booths under a 28 ft ceiling, and its freight comes through the Lyon Street dock on the south end, not the Michigan Street docks.
FAQ
DeVos Place FAQ for exhibitors
Is DeVos Place union?
Partly. DeVos Place has a labor agreement with IATSE Local 26 covering stagehands, riggers and production crews, and all hanging is done by Local 26 riggers. Exhibitors unload their own vehicles at the dock. Michigan repealed its right-to-work law effective February 13, 2024, and we found no reinstatement as of October 2026.
Can I set up my own booth at DeVos Place?
Generally yes. The 2026 GES work rules for a show at DeVos Place let full-time employees of exhibiting companies set their own displays. If you hire an outside I&D company, name it to show management in writing at least 30 days before the show. Rules can vary by show, so check your show kit.
Can I hand-carry materials into DeVos Place?
Through the front doors, only items you could legally take on an airplane. Dollies and four-wheel carts are not allowed in the lobbies or on the passenger elevators. Anything bigger goes through the loading dock.
Where is the DeVos Place loading dock?
The twelve exhibit-hall docks are on Michigan Street at the north end of the building and can only be reached heading east on Michigan. The Lyon Street docks on the south end serve the Steelcase Ballroom and meeting rooms. Shows may use Scribner Street, west of the river, as the marshalling yard.
How much is drayage at DeVos Place?
Plan about $125 per hundredweight for crated freight. DeVos Place does not publish drayage rates; the decorator's show kit carries the actual tariff, and recent kits here set a 200 lb minimum per shipment.
What is the ceiling height in the exhibit hall?
37 to 60 ft in Halls A and C and 56 to 72 ft in Hall B, per the venue's capacity chart. The Steelcase Ballroom has 28 ft.
Who is the decorator at DeVos Place?
Art Craft Display is the venue's in-house, preferred decorator, and it hangs all signs. Shows may bring another general contractor, who must sign a facility use agreement with DeVos Place.
How do I order electrical and internet at DeVos Place?
DeVos Place runs electrical, phone and internet in-house through its exhibitor forms page. Order at least 14 days before the show; after that, services are ordered on site at the floor rate.
Where do exhibitors park at DeVos Place?
In the DeVos Place ramp under the building, run by the City of Grand Rapids and entered from Michigan Street, or the City-County Building ramp across Monroe Avenue. Elevators from the ramp go up to the Grand Gallery.
Which hotels connect to DeVos Place?
The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, the JW Marriott and the Courtyard by Marriott are linked by a climate-controlled skywalk, with more than 1,100 rooms combined, per the venue.
Exhibiting in Grand Rapids?
Your show, your booth number, one clear quote.
Tell us your hall, your booth size and whether your team will self-unload at the Michigan Street dock. Within two business days you get a design that fits DeVos Place's hand-carry and sign-hanging rules, a drayage estimate and a move-in plan built around the Scribner Street check-in. Purple ships and installs from New York.
Background photo: "JW Marriot on the Grand River" by amtrak_russ, CC BY 2.0 Source
Compare venues
DeVos Place vs other trade-show halls within a day's drive of New York
How the DeVos Place stacks up against other trade-show halls within a day's drive of New York. Drayage figures are Purple planning rates, not published tariffs.
| Venue | Type | Largest space | Ceiling | Labor | Drayage (plan) | Airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeVos PlaceThis guide | Convention center | 162,000 sq ft column-free hall, A–C | 37–72 ft (hall) · 28 ft (ballroom) | Self-unload · IATSE 26 stagehands | ≈ $125/cwt | GRR · 13 mi |
| Atlantic Union Bank Convention CenterRaleigh | Convention center | 146,843 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–C | 47 ft listed max | Right-to-work · check kit | ≈ $110/cwt | RDU · 18 min drive |
| Baird CenterMilwaukee | Convention center | 300,275 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–E | 30 ft | Right-to-work · in-house utilities | ≈ $115/cwt | MKE · 8 mi |
| Bayfront Convention CenterErie | Convention center | 28,800 sq ft Great Hall · 160 booths | 23 ft (Great Hall) | No venue union rule · check kit | ≈ $50/cwt | ERI · about 6.5 mi |
| Birmingham-Jefferson Convention ComplexBirmingham | Convention center | 92,234 sq ft East Halls 1–3 · 473 booths | 30 ft East · 25 ft 10 in North · 20 ft South | Right-to-work | ≈ $100/cwt | BHM · 4.5 mi |
| Charleston Area Convention CenterNorth Charleston | Convention center | 76,960 sq ft, Halls A–C | 30 ft to beams | Right-to-work | ≈ $100/cwt | CHS · 2 mi |
| Eastern States ExpositionWest Springfield | Fairgrounds | 129,400 sq ft Mallary Complex · 123,000 sq ft BLC | — | Check show kit | ≈ $125/cwt | BDL · about 25–40 min |
| Greater Richmond Convention CenterRichmond | Convention center | 178,159 sq ft · Exhibit Hall A–D | 35 ft | Right-to-work · non-union | ≈ $110/cwt | RIC · ~15 min |
| Greenville Convention CenterGreenville | Convention center | 125,000 sq ft Hall 1 (280,000 total) | 10–22 ft Hall 1 · 19–22 ft Hall 2 | Right-to-work | ≈ $105/cwt | GSP · 12 mi |
| Hershey Lodge & Convention CenterHershey | Resort ballrooms | 32,004 sq ft Great American Hall | 22 ft (Great American Hall) | In-house decorator · check kit | ≈ $50/cwt | MDT · ~20 min |
| Joseph S. Koury Convention CenterGreensboro | Hotel ballrooms | 40,000 sq ft Guilford Ballroom | 32 ft Guilford · 18 ft Imperial | Right-to-work | ≈ $95/cwt | GSO · ~12 mi |
| Kalahari Resorts & Conventions Pocono MountainsPocono Manor | Resort ballrooms | 38,000 sq ft Kilimanjaro Ballroom | 16–25 ft | Not right-to-work · check kit | ≈ $120/cwt | AVP · ≈40 mi |
| New York State Fairgrounds Exposition CenterSyracuse | Fairgrounds | 110,000 sq ft clear span, Exposition Center | 60 ft truss height | Show contractor · check kit | ≈ $95/cwt | SYR · about 10 mi |
| Philadelphia Marriott DowntownPhiladelphia | Hotel ballrooms | 34,300 sq ft Grand Ballroom · 31,962 sq ft Franklin Hall | 10.5 ft Franklin Hall · 22 ft ballroom | Union · check kit | ≈ $170/cwt | PHL · SEPTA to Jefferson Station |
| Vandalia Health CenterCharleston | Convention center | 50,086 sq ft Grand Hall · up to 256 booths | — | Right-to-work | ≈ $100/cwt | CRW · about 5 min |
| Vibe Credit Union ShowplaceNovi | Expo center | 305,000± sq ft, Halls A–C + Event Center | 24 ft clear (A–C) · 40+ ft (Event Center) | No venue union rule · check kit | ≈ $95/cwt | DTW · about 20 min |
| Virginia Beach Convention CenterVirginia Beach | Convention center | 150,012 sq ft · Halls A–D | 40 ft | Right-to-work | ≈ $100/cwt | ORF · 20 min |
| York Expo CenterYork | Fairgrounds | 114,000 sq ft UPMC Arena (74,000 clear span) | 24–30 ft arena · 12–22 ft other halls | Show contractor · check kit | ≈ $90/cwt | MDT · roughly 30 mi |
More guides nearby
Other trade-show halls near Grand Rapids
Vibe Credit Union ShowplaceNovi, MI
Huntington PlaceDetroit, MI
Century CenterSouth Bend, IN
Grand Wayne Convention CenterFort Wayne, IN
Baird CenterMilwaukee, WI
Huntington Convention Center of ClevelandCleveland, OH
Written by the Purple Exhibits team. Reviewed for the 2026–2027 season. Figures marked for verification are being confirmed with the venue. Sources: DeVos Place Meeting Planner Guide (2025), capacity chart, Exhibitor Guidelines, exhibit hall and about pages, and equipment and labor rate sheet (Aug 2025); GES work rules for the 2026 AFS Metalcasting Congress; Art Craft Display event details for the 2025 CCDA National Conference; Wikipedia (DeVos Place Convention Center, Welsh Auditorium); Experience Grand Rapids on Lyon Square; Michigan employment-law coverage of the right-to-work repeal (SBAM, Clark Hill); organizer sites for the Great Lakes EXPO, Great Lakes Trade Expo, MSBO and the Advanced Manufacturing Expo.