Miami Beach seen from above with the ocean, the beach and the hotel line

Exhibitor guide · Miami Beach, FL · Updated

Miami Beach Convention Center Exhibitor Guide

Also known as MBCC and, until 1968, the Miami Beach Exhibition Hall

The hall where Cassius Clay beat Sonny Liston came back in 2020 from a $640 million rebuild with 491,654 sq ft of contiguous exhibit space, on a barrier island reached by causeways. Florida is right-to-work, but the center's own union agreements still cover rigging and production work in your booth, so read both rulebooks before you plan the crew.

Get an MBCC quote Travel-time planner
  • 3,000+ exhibitors served
  • 10,000+ booths built
  • 2 days to a design brief

Photo: Miami Beach from above, with the hotel line along the ocean. Unsplash.

  • 491,654sq ft of contiguous exhibit space, Halls A–D
  • 60,979sq ft Grand Ballroom on Level 2
  • 32dock spaces, 19 of them in the enclosed North dock
  • 84meeting rooms at most, by configuration
  • ~800rooftop parking spaces on the building
  • 12 mito Miami International Airport

Quick answers

What exhibitors ask about the Miami Beach Convention Center

Is the Miami Beach Convention Center union?Partly.

Florida is right-to-work, but the center has agreements with IATSE and IBEW: staging, production, AV and rigging work, including in exhibitor booths, is union labor with a four-hour IATSE minimum.

Can my own staff set up our booth?Usually, yes.

A recent MBCC show kit let full-time employees of the exhibiting company set their own exhibits, with proof of employment on request. Rigging and production work stays union. Your kit decides.

Can I bring in my own boxes?On a two-wheel cart.

The MBCC hand-carry policy allows nothing bigger than a two-wheeled baggage cart, and a car or van needs two licensed drivers so one can stay with it. Trucks use the docks.

Is there a connected hotel?From late 2027.

The 800-room Grand Hyatt Miami Beach is going up on the campus, linked by a skybridge, and is slated to open in late 2027. Until then the nearest big hotels are a short walk east.

Roy Lichtenstein's Mermaid sculpture outside the Miami Beach Convention Center
Roy Lichtenstein's Mermaid, next to the convention center in front of the theater on 17th Street. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress, public domain.
Only at the Miami Beach Convention Center

Miami Beach travel-time planner: causeways, airports and Art Basel week

Miami Beach is an island joined to the mainland by causeways, so ten minutes on the map can be forty on the road. Pick two points and a traffic level to get Purple's planning times for normal, show and Art Basel weeks. Times are planning figures by car or rideshare, not measured routes.

Estimated time 30 min by car or rideshare · or no rail; rideshare or taxi

Plan crew and freight

Planning times outside rush hour, from Purple's v1 planner. Art Basel week (early December) fills the island; the convention center sits about 12 miles from Miami International by the center's own figure.

History

Miami Beach Convention Center history: Clay, Liston and two conventions

Miami Beach built its exhibition hall in the 1950s to fill hotels outside the winter season. Within fifteen years it had staged the fight that made Muhammad Ali, years of Miss Universe pageants and three national political conventions, then grew in stages until the 2015–2020 rebuild.

Pastel Art Deco hotels along Ocean Drive on South Beach
Ocean Drive on South Beach, about a mile south of the center. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress, public domain.
An Art Deco hotel facade in Miami Beach
An Art Deco facade in the district south of the center. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress, public domain.
A pastel Art Deco building in Miami Beach
Pastel Deco on Ocean Drive. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress, public domain.
An empty stretch of Miami Beach at dawn
The beach before a show day starts. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress, public domain.
  1. 1958The Miami Beach Exhibition Hall opens in October: over 100,000 sq ft, built for $4 million beside the Municipal Auditorium, where Jackie Gleason later taped his show.
  2. 1961Floyd Patterson and Ingemar Johansson fight their third bout here. In August, Martin Luther King Jr. speaks to a Lutheran youth convention in the hall.
  3. 1964On February 25, Cassius Clay beats Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title in what is now Hall C, and soon takes the name Muhammad Ali.
  4. 1967–1972The Convention Hall is added. The Republicans nominate Nixon here in 1968 and 1972, and the 1972 Democratic convention meets in the same building, the last time both parties met in one city.
  5. 1974–1989Expansions in 1974 ($15.7 million) and 1988–89 ($54 million by the center's figure; Wikipedia puts the 1989 work at $92 million and says it doubled the building).
  6. 2002The first Art Basel Miami Beach opens; the fair now anchors the center's December.
  7. 2015–2020The $640 million renovation: 491,654 sq ft of exhibit halls, the Grand Ballroom, junior ballrooms, LEED Silver certification and Pride Park. AHIMA is the first citywide event in 2018; construction ends in 2020.
  8. 2027The 800-room Grand Hyatt Miami Beach, the center's first connected hotel, is slated to open late in the year.
People eat brunch at shaded cafe tables along Lincoln Road in Miami BeachFive minutes southBrunch tables on Lincoln RoadShoppers stroll under palm trees past white market tents and a 1960s shade canopy on Lincoln Road MallBetween show daysMarket tents on Lincoln RoadMid-century furniture and lamps for sale under white tents at the antique show on Lincoln Road MallDesign weekendsThe Lincoln Road antique market

Photos: "Brunch4.LincolnRoad.MB.FL.04mar07" by Elvert Barnes, CC BY 2.0 Source · "Lincoln Road Mall" by Phillip Pessar, CC BY 2.0 Source · "Antique Show Lincoln Road Mall" by Phillip Pessar, CC BY 2.0 Source

Floor plan & exhibit halls

Miami Beach Convention Center floor plan: four halls, one campus

The exhibit halls are one configurable, contiguous floor of 491,654 sq ft, lettered A to D, with the Grand Lobby on the west side and the ballrooms and meeting rooms stacked above. The center does not publish hall-by-hall sizes, ceilings or floor loads on its public pages, so take those from your show's floor plan and kit.

Miami Beach Convention Center levels, halls, ballrooms and docks (schematic, not to scale)Stacked schematic of the Miami Beach Convention Center. Level 1: exhibit Halls A, B, C and D, 491,654 sq ft of configurable, contiguous space, with the 98,495 sq ft Grand Lobby on the west side. North Loading Dock, enclosed, 108,543 sq ft with 19 dock spaces; South Loading Dock, 31,020 sq ft with 13 dock spaces. Level 2: Grand Ballroom, 60,979 sq ft, with 17,950 sq ft of pre-function space, and the 12,266 sq ft Art Deco Room. Level 3: meeting rooms, up to 84 in the building. Levels 4 and 5: the 19,714 sq ft Sunset Vista Room and almost 800 rooftop parking spaces. Also in the building: the Ocean Drive Room, 15,858 sq ft, and the Lincoln Road Room, 16,020 sq ft. Outdoors: Pride Park, 5.8 acres, to the west, and Collins Canal Park, 3.1 acres, to the north. Hall-by-hall sizes are not published.SECTION · FIVE LEVELS, TOP TO BOTTOMSCHEMATIC, NOT TO SCALELEVELS 4–5Sunset Vista Room19,714 sq ftRooftop parkingalmost 800 spacesLEVEL 3Meeting roomsup to 84 in the building, by configurationLEVEL 2Grand Ballroom60,979 sq ft + 17,950 sq ft pre-functionArt Deco Room12,266 sq ftLEVEL 1 · EXHIBIT FLOOR (WEST ← → EAST)North Loading Dock · 19 dock spaces · enclosed · 108,543 sq ftLEVEL 1Grand Lobby98,495 sq ftwest sideABCD491,654 sq ft · four configurable, contiguous hallshall-by-hall sizes not published; letters are labels, not boundariesSouth Loading Dock · 13 dock spaces · 31,020 sq ftALSO ON THE CAMPUSOcean Drive Room15,858 sq ftjunior ballroomLincoln Road Room16,020 sq ftjunior ballroomPride Park · west5.8 acres of lawnoutdoor events and activationsCollins Canal Park · north3.1 acresalong the canal Miami Beach Convention Center levels, halls, ballrooms and docks (schematic, not to scale)Stacked schematic of the Miami Beach Convention Center. Level 1: exhibit Halls A, B, C and D, 491,654 sq ft of configurable, contiguous space, with the 98,495 sq ft Grand Lobby on the west side. North Loading Dock, enclosed, 108,543 sq ft with 19 dock spaces; South Loading Dock, 31,020 sq ft with 13 dock spaces. Level 2: Grand Ballroom, 60,979 sq ft, with 17,950 sq ft of pre-function space, and the 12,266 sq ft Art Deco Room. Level 3: meeting rooms, up to 84 in the building. Levels 4 and 5: the 19,714 sq ft Sunset Vista Room and almost 800 rooftop parking spaces. Also in the building: the Ocean Drive Room, 15,858 sq ft, and the Lincoln Road Room, 16,020 sq ft. Outdoors: Pride Park, 5.8 acres, to the west, and Collins Canal Park, 3.1 acres, to the north. Hall-by-hall sizes are not published.FIVE LEVELS, TOP TO BOTTOMNOT TO SCALELEVELS 4–5Sunset Vista Room · 19,714 sq ftRooftop parking · almost 800 spacesLEVEL 3Meeting rooms · up to 84 in the buildingLEVEL 2Grand Ballroom · 60,979 sq ft+ 17,950 pre-function · Art Deco Room 12,266LEVEL 1 · EXHIBIT FLOORNorth dock · 19 spaces · enclosedABCD491,654 sq ft, contiguoushall sizes not publishedGrand Lobby 98,495 sq ft on the west sideSouth dock · 13 spacesALSO ON THE CAMPUSOcean Drive Room15,858 sq ftLincoln Road Room16,020 sq ftPride Park · west5.8 acresCollins Canal Parknorth · 3.1 acres
  • Grand Ballroom level
  • Exhibit floor, Halls A–D

Schematic, not to scale: sizes come from the center's Quick Facts and the level contents from its floor-plan page. Docks, the lobby and the parks are placed only by their official names (North, South, west side), and the hall letters are labels, not real boundaries. Official floor plans for every level are on miamibeachconvention.com.

Recent and upcoming show floor plans

Official floor plans from organizers of shows at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Every show draws its own layout, aisles and booth numbers, so use these to see how a real show fills the halls, then work from your own show's plan.

Links go to the organizers' floor-plan pages and open outside this site. Checked October 16, 2026; plans change as booths sell.

491,654sq ft of configurable, contiguous exhibit space in four halls, A to D · 1.4 million sq ft building in all
60,979sq ft Grand Ballroom on Level 2, with 17,950 sq ft of pre-function space · the largest ballroom in South Florida by Wikipedia's account
98,495sq ft Grand Lobby along the west side, facing Pride Park
4more ballrooms: Sunset Vista (19,714 sq ft), Lincoln Road (16,020), Ocean Drive (15,858) and Art Deco (12,266)
8.9acres of parks on the campus: Pride Park (5.8 acres, west) and Collins Canal Park (3.1 acres, north) for outdoor activations

Loading dock & move-in

Miami Beach Convention Center loading dock and freight countdown

Get directions to Miami Beach Convention Center →

  • North Loading DockEnclosed, 108,543 sq ft, with 19 dock spaces.
  • South Loading Dock31,020 sq ft with 13 dock spaces. All trucks must use the docks; only cars and vans under 10 ft use the hand-carry area.
  • Who runs the dockIn a recent MBCC kit the union claimed all mechanized equipment and all unloading and reloading at the docks; exhibitors may not use forklifts or pallet jacks.
  • Hand-carry by carTwo licensed drivers per car or van, one with the vehicle at all times, and the center may enforce a 20-minute limit.
  • Off the islandAdvance warehouses for MBCC shows sit on the mainland; the Seatrade 2025 warehouse was on NW 84th Avenue near the airport, so freight crosses a causeway on the way in and out.
  • Storm seasonThe Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30; fall king tides can flood low streets on the island. Build slack into October and November shows.
  1. Day −60Design approved. Rigging and hanging signs ordered through the in-house provider and union crew; electrical orders opened.
  2. Day −35EAC forms and insurance certificates in, naming the parties your kit lists.
  3. Day −21Purple ships and installs from New York: freight leaves for the contractor's mainland warehouse.
  4. Day −8Advance warehouse deadline. Late freight pays a surcharge (25% in the Seatrade 2025 kit).
  5. Day 0Targeted move-in at the North or South dock. Hand-carry only by two-wheel cart through the hand-carry area.
  6. Show +1Move-out for this Miami Beach show. Empties back, material handling agreement signed, freight back across the causeway.

Labor, exclusives & island rules

Miami Beach Convention Center labor, exclusives and island rules

Florida is a right-to-work state, and a recent MBCC show kit let your full-time employees set their own exhibit. On top of that sits the center's own layer: union agreements with IATSE and IBEW that cover staging, production, audio-visual work and rigging, including in exhibitor booths in the halls, with a four-hour IATSE minimum. Outside production contractors may only supervise.

✓Your own team

  • Set your own exhibit with full-time company employees, with proof of employment on request
  • Hand-carry on a two-wheeled baggage cart (plastic or rubber wheels)
  • Bring pop-up displays up to 10 ft that one person can carry
  • Hire an EAC that uses local union labor where the union claims the work

●Union labor and exclusives

  • IATSE: staging, production, AV and rigging, also inside booths; four-hour minimum
  • IBEW: electrical work under the center's agreement
  • Encore: in-house audio-visual and rigging
  • Sodexo Live!: exclusive food and beverage
  • Smart City Networks: exclusive internet; free basic Wi-Fi in common areas
  • First Class Parking Systems: exclusive valet

!Never allowed

  • Full-size hand trucks or platform trucks through the hand-carry doors
  • Forklifts or pallet jacks run by exhibitors
  • Power tools, ladders and vacuums in hand-carry
  • Freight on the escalators
  • Vehicles larger than a van that are not commercially operated

Background photo: "WTW Customs & Concavo Wheels booth at the 2013 DUB Show Miami Beach Convention Center. Check our our dealer WTW Customs!" by Concavo Wheels, CC BY 2.0 Source

Free tool · plan your Miami Beach budget

MBCC drayage estimator: Miami Beach Convention Center show budget

Pick a booth size and type to get planning numbers for shipping weight, drayage at about $170 per hundredweight, and installation and dismantling (I&D) labor. Every number is a Purple planning estimate, not a quote. Each show's contractor sets its own tariff: the Seatrade Cruise Global 2025 kit listed $1.30 to $1.35 per pound ($130–$135 per cwt) before late, off-target and uncrated surcharges, and I&D labor from $107 an hour straight time. See all venues on the drayage rates page.

Booth size
Booth type

The fields below fill in from size and type. Change any of them.

Packaging

Purple planning estimate · not a quote

Drayage + I&D labor, Miami Beach

$5,270 – $8,860
Shipping weight planning estimate
1,800 lbs
Drayage planning estimate
$3,060
I&D labor hours planning estimate
16 – 28 hrs
I&D labor planning estimate
$2,210 – $5,800

18 cwt at $170 per 100 lbs. Labor at $138–$207 per hour, straight time.

Get a real Miami Beach quote

How these planning numbers work

  • Shipping weight: about 6 lbs per sq ft for a rental booth, 9 for custom or hybrid, 12 for fully custom, crated, with graphics and furniture.
  • Drayage: $170 per 100 lbs (cwt), Purple's Miami Beach planning rate, with a 200 lb minimum. Loose or pad-wrapped freight adds 30%.
  • I&D labor hours: install plus dismantle, 0.06–0.10 person-hours per sq ft for rental, 0.08–0.14 for custom or hybrid, 0.12–0.20 for fully custom.
  • Labor rate: $138–$207 per person-hour, straight time, a planning range from published 2026 show labor rates elsewhere. Overtime costs more.
  • Own staff: only if this venue's rules and your show kit let your own full-time staff set up (see the labor section above). Then, I&D labor drops to $0 here.
  • Not included: booth space, the exhibit itself, freight to Miami Beach, power and internet orders, rigging, travel and tax.
Rows of customized cars and visitors on the exhibit floor at the 2013 DUB Show in the Miami Beach Convention Center

On the floor at the 2013 DUB Show

Custom-car rows fill the old hall in 2013, a few years before the center's $640 million rebuild.

See 2026–27 showsEstimate drayageGet a booth quote

Photo: "2013 DUB Show Miami Beach Convention Center" by Concavo Wheels, CC BY 2.0 Source

The calendar

Miami Beach Convention Center events 2026–2027: trade and consumer shows

The shows at the MBCC bring buyers who come for Miami Beach as much as for the booth: art in December, technology and jewelry in March, cruise lines in April and medical devices in June. Confirm dates, halls and contractor with each organizer.

Art Basel Miami Beach

International modern and contemporary art fair, the center's biggest week · 2026

eMerge Americas

Technology and startup conference with an expo floor · 2027

JIS Spring

Jewelers International Showcase, jewelry trade buyers · 2027

Original Miami Beach Antique Show

Antiques, art and jewelry dealers · 2027

Seatrade Cruise Global

The cruise industry's trade show, from ship suppliers to ports · 2027

WHX Miami (formerly FIME)

World Health Expo Miami, medical devices and healthcare · 2027

Dates from each organizer's site (artbasel.com, emergeamericas.com, jisshow.com, originalmiamibeachantiqueshow.com, seatradecruiseevents.com, worldhealthexpo.com), checked October 16, 2026. JIS Fall ran October 16–19, 2026. Broker listings put the 2027 Miami International Boat Show at February 10–14, with the convention center and Pride Park among its sites, but the organizer had not confirmed it when we checked.

Where to stay & getting there

Hotels near Miami Beach Convention Center

Hotels, causeways and crew logistics all turn on one fact: the center sits a few blocks west of the Collins Avenue hotel line on an island. No hotel connects to the center today; the 800-room Grand Hyatt Miami Beach, slated for late 2027, will link by skybridge. The table gives straight-line distances because the center publishes no walking times.

Hotels near the Miami Beach Convention Center, plotted by straight-line distance and directionMap centred on the Miami Beach Convention Center (map point), north up, compressed distance rings at 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 1.75 miles. 1. The Setai, Miami Beach: about 0.30 miles east. 2. The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach: about 0.38 miles southeast. 3. 1 Hotel South Beach: about 0.47 miles northeast. 4. Loews Miami Beach Hotel: about 0.47 miles southeast. 5. Fontainebleau Miami Beach: about 1.73 miles northeast. Positions are from OpenStreetMap coordinates; streets and walking routes are not drawn.0.25 mi0.5 mi1 mi1.75 miNSTRAIGHT-LINECOMPRESSED SCALEConventionCentermap point1Setai2Ritz-Carlton31 Hotel4Loews5Fontainebleau
Straight-line positions from OpenStreetMap; walking routes and streets are not drawn.
Nearby hotels, closest first
Map numberHotelRoomsLink to centerStraight-lineWalk (est.)
1The Setai, Miami Beach2001 Collins Avenue—Not stated0.30 mi1,560 ft≈ 8 min
2The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach1 Lincoln Road—Not stated0.38 mi1,990 ft≈ 10 min
31 Hotel South Beach2341 Collins Avenue—Not stated0.47 mi2,460 ft≈ 12 min
4Loews Miami Beach Hotel1601 Collins Avenue790Not stated0.47 mi2,510 ft≈ 12 min
5Fontainebleau Miami Beach4441 Collins Avenue1,504Not stated1.73 mi9,140 ft≈ 45 min

Distance: straight line from the center's map point, so the door you use may be closer or farther. The map's rings are compressed (square-root scale) so the Fontainebleau fits; read distances from the table. Walk: an estimate, straight-line, at 20 minutes a mile plus 30% for streets; not a measured route. "Not stated": none of these hotels is connected to the center; the 800-room Grand Hyatt, due in late 2027, will be the first, by skybridge. Rooms: NBC Miami (Loews, Fontainebleau); "—" where we found no source.

Late 2027 · skybridge

Grand Hyatt Miami Beach

800 rooms and 110,000 sq ft of meeting space under construction on the convention campus, the center's first connected hotel.

~0.5 mi

Loews Miami Beach Hotel

790 rooms at 1601 Collins Avenue, a traditional headquarters for big show blocks.

~1.7 mi north

Fontainebleau Miami Beach

1,504 rooms at 4441 Collins Avenue in Mid-Beach; a short drive, not a walk.

12 mi

Miami International (MIA)

About 12 miles by the center's figure, with no rail link to the beach; Fort Lauderdale is farther north.

Causeways

Getting on the island

The MacArthur, Venetian and Julia Tuttle causeways link Miami Beach to the mainland; pick by where you start, and budget extra in Art Basel week.

Insider tips

Miami Beach Convention Center exhibitor tips: what experienced teams do

Labor

Budget union rigging even with your own crew

Your full-time staff may build the booth, but rigging and production work in the halls is IATSE labor with a four-hour minimum. A single hanging sign still buys four hours.

Hand-carry

Bring two drivers and a two-wheel cart

The hand-carry area needs a second licensed driver to stay with the car or van, and nothing larger than a two-wheeled baggage cart gets through. Plan a 20-minute turnaround.

Art Basel

Book December in the summer

Art Basel week (December 4–6 in 2026) fills the island. Hotel blocks, crews and dock slots for any show near those dates need booking months ahead.

Weather

Give fall freight a margin

Shows from June to November fall in hurricane season. Ship to the advance warehouse early and keep a day of slack before move-in.

Outdoors

Use the parks for activations

Pride Park (5.8 acres) lies west of the center and Collins Canal Park (3.1 acres) to the north. Outdoor builds need venue approval and weather-rated structures.

Travel

Time the causeway, not the map

The center is about 12 miles from MIA, but show-week traffic on the causeways can double the drive. Use the planner above and leave early for setup days.

FAQ

Miami Beach Convention Center FAQ for exhibitors

Is the MBCC union?

Partly. Florida is a right-to-work state, and a recent MBCC show kit let full-time employees set their own exhibits. But the center has union agreements with IATSE and IBEW: all staging, production, audio-visual work and rigging, including in exhibitor booths in the halls, is union labor, with a four-hour IATSE minimum.

Why is everything more expensive during Art Basel?

Because the whole island fills up. Art Basel Miami Beach (December 4–6 in 2026) brings in the art world for the week, so hotel rooms, crews and causeway time are scarce. Book the block and the crew months ahead.

Which airport should I use?

Miami International (MIA) is about 12 miles from the center. Fort Lauderdale (FLL) is farther north and sometimes cheaper to fly into; the travel planner above compares drive times.

How does drayage compare with Orlando?

Purple plans about $170 per hundredweight at the MBCC against about $155 at the Orange County Convention Center, roughly 10% more. The Seatrade 2025 kit here listed $130–$135 per cwt before surcharges; your show's kit has the real rate.

Is there an attached hotel?

Not yet. The 800-room Grand Hyatt Miami Beach on the campus will link to the center by an elevated, climate-controlled skybridge and is slated to open in late 2027. Until then, the Loews and the Collins Avenue hotels carry the big blocks.

Can I do an outdoor activation?

Yes, with approval. The campus has Pride Park (5.8 acres, west) and Collins Canal Park (3.1 acres, north), plus outdoor spaces on the building; outdoor builds need venue approval and must be rated for wind and rain.

What about hurricane season?

The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and fall king tides can flood low streets on the island. Ship to the advance warehouse early for shows in that window and keep a day of slack.

Can my staff hand-carry?

Yes, within the MBCC hand-carry policy: employees with ID, nothing bigger than a two-wheeled baggage cart, no power tools or ladders, and two licensed drivers per car or van so one stays with it. Anything heavier goes through the docks.

Where do crews stay?

On the island if rooms allow, in the hotels a few blocks east along Collins Avenue; in Art Basel week many crews stay in downtown Miami or Brickell and drive the causeway.

What does Purple do that the contractor does not?

The show's contractor handles freight, the docks and union labor. Purple designs and builds the booth, ships and installs from New York, and coordinates crews and freight for the Miami Beach Convention Center, including EAC paperwork where your show requires it.

How big is the Miami Beach Convention Center?

The building covers 1.4 million sq ft, with 491,654 sq ft of contiguous exhibit space in Halls A–D, the 60,979 sq ft Grand Ballroom, four more ballrooms and up to 84 meeting rooms.

Where are the loading docks?

There are two: the enclosed North Loading Dock with 19 dock spaces and the South Loading Dock with 13. All trucks must use them; the union handles unloading and reloading.

Where can exhibitors park?

The center has almost 800 rooftop parking spaces, and valet is run by First Class Parking Systems. Check your show's parking and marshaling instructions for trucks.

Exhibiting at the MBCC?

Tell us your show week before the island fills.

Send your show, hall and booth number, and whether you hang a sign. Within two business days you get a design brief, a drayage estimate at Miami Beach rates with causeway timing, and a build timeline that leaves room for weather.

Request a quoteSee booth rentals

Background photo: "Vibrant Art Deco District at Night" by wyntuition, CC BY-SA 2.0 Source

Compare venues

Miami Beach Convention Center vs other major U.S. convention centers

How the Miami Beach Convention Center stacks up against other major U.S. convention centers. Drayage figures are Purple planning rates, not published tariffs.

VenueTypeLargest spaceCeilingLaborDrayage (plan)Airport
Miami Beach Convention CenterThis guideConvention center491,654 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–D—Union · IATSE/IBEW · check kit≈ $170/cwtMIA · ~12 mi
America's Center Convention ComplexSt. LouisConvention center574,000 sq ft contiguous, with Dome floor40 ftUnion · 300 sq ft rule≈ $150/cwtSTL · 14 mi
Anaheim Convention CenterAnaheimConvention center221,284 sq ft Hall D25 ft Hall D · 13 ft 8 in Hall EUnion · check kit≈ $172/cwtSNA · 13 mi
Austin Convention CenterAustinConvention center (closed, rebuilding)Closed · 620,000 sq ft rentable from 2029—Right-to-work · venue closed≈ $100/cwtAUS · ~5 mi
Boston Convention & Exhibition CenterBostonConvention center516,000 sq ft contiguous (Halls A–C)35 ft low · up to 100 ftUnion · staff setup OK≈ $324/cwtBOS · 3 mi
Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention CenterSalt Lake CityConvention center515,000 sq ft contiguous, 10 halls30 ftRight-to-work≈ $120/cwtSLC · ~6 mi
Charlotte Convention CenterCharlotteConvention center280,000 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–C30 ft listed maxRight-to-work≈ $115/cwtCLT · 7 mi
Colorado Convention CenterDenverConvention center584,000 sq ft on one level, Halls A–F30 ft to low steelIATSE 7 · 60-min rule≈ $160/cwtDEN · 30–40 min
Ernest N. Morial Convention CenterNew OrleansConvention center127,364 sq ft Hall E · 1.1M sq ft in all—Right-to-work≈ $155/cwtMSY · 25–30 min
Fontainebleau Las VegasLas VegasResort ballrooms105,264 sq ft Royal Ballroom28 ft 10 inUnion · check kit≈ $185/cwtLAS · 4.3 mi
Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention CenterChula VistaResort ballrooms140,049 sq ft California Exhibit Hall34 ft hall · 27–28 ft ballroomsCheck show kit≈ $176/cwtSAN · ~10–12 mi
George R. Brown Convention CenterHoustonConvention center547,730 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–E35 ft (Level 1) · 30 ft (Level 3)Right-to-work · check kit≈ $95/cwtHOU · ~9 mi
Georgia World Congress CenterAtlantaConvention center1M+ sq ft contiguous (Halls B, BC, C)30 ft to gridRight-to-work≈ $150/cwtATL · 15–20 min
Hilton AnatoleDallasHotel ballrooms73,000–75,900 sq ft Trinity Exhibit Hall18 ft hall · 28–29 ft ballroomsRight-to-work · check kit≈ $100/cwtDAL · ~4 mi
Hilton New Orleans RiversideNew OrleansHotel ballrooms26,894 sq ft Grand Ballroom18 ft Grand Ballroom · 12 ft Grand SalonRight-to-work · check kit≈ $155/cwtMSY · ~25 min
Hilton OrlandoOrlandoHotel ballrooms48,167 sq ft Orlando Ballroom26 ft Orlando · 24 ft Orange · 18 ft FloridaRight-to-work≈ $155/cwtMCO · 11 mi
Huntington PlaceDetroitConvention center623,000 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–D30 ft (A–D) · 18 ft 8 in (E)Union · 400 sq ft rule≈ $155/cwtDTW · 20 mi
Hyatt Regency OrlandoOrlandoHotel ballrooms54,638 sq ft Regency Ballroom31 ft Regency (listed) · 21 ft PlazaRight-to-work≈ $155/cwtMCO · 12 mi
Indiana Convention CenterIndianapolisConvention center566,600 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–K35 ftUnion · own staff OK≈ $135/cwtIND · ~15 min
Iowa Events CenterDes MoinesConvention center150,000 sq ft contiguous, EMC Expo Center Halls A–C35 ft (Halls B–C)Right-to-work≈ $100/cwtDSM · ~10 min
Javits CenterNew YorkConvention center~500,000 sq ft contiguous (Level 3)Varies by hall · check planUnion · 250 sq ft rule≈ $195/cwtEWR / LGA / JFK · 45–70 min
Kansas City Convention CenterKansas CityConvention center388,800 sq ft column-free, Bartle Hall A–E33 ft A–C · 42 ft D–EIATSE 31 · check kit≈ $145/cwtMCI · ~19 mi
Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center DallasDallasConvention center304,250 sq ft open in Halls A–C (2026)35 ft (A, B) · 31–37 ft (C)Right-to-work · check kit≈ $100/cwtDAL · ~6 mi
Los Angeles Convention CenterLos AngelesConvention center346,890 sq ft South Hall G–K40 ft South · 36 ft WestUnion · check kit≈ $175/cwtLAX · ~20 mi
Manchester Grand Hyatt San DiegoSan DiegoHotel ballrooms34,000 sq ft Grand Hall~14 ft Grand Hall · 18–21 ft ballroomsUnion dock · check kit≈ $176/cwtSAN · 3 mi
Marriott Marquis San Diego MarinaSan DiegoHotel ballrooms35,631 sq ft Marriott Grand and Pacific ballrooms26 ft Grand · 16 ft PacificUnion · check kit≈ $176/cwtSAN · 3 mi
McCormick PlaceChicagoConvention center840,000 sq ft Hall A (South) · 1.2M+ on one levelVaries by hall · check planUnion · staff setup any size≈ $210/cwtMDW · ~20 min
Minneapolis Convention CenterMinneapolisConvention center376,200 sq ft contiguous, Halls B–E30 ft 6 in to truss · 85 ft domesUnion · open dock≈ $150/cwtMSP · ~20 min
Moscone CenterSan FranciscoConvention center502,440 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–F37 ft Halls A–C · 28 ft Hall FUnion · check kit≈ $180/cwtSFO · 25–40 min
Oklahoma City Convention CenterOklahoma CityConvention center200,730 sq ft continuous, up to 4 halls30 ftRight-to-work≈ $105/cwtOKC · ~9–10 mi
Orange County Convention CenterOrlandoConvention center1,103,538 sq ft West Building30–40 ftRight-to-work≈ $155/cwtMCO · 12 mi
Oregon Convention CenterPortlandConvention center255,000 sq ft Halls A–E30 ftUnion · check kit≈ $150/cwtPDX · MAX ~30 min
Phoenix Convention CenterPhoenixConvention center312,500 sq ft contiguous, lower Halls 1–632 ft lower · 35 ft upperRight-to-work · check kit≈ $140/cwtPHX · ~3 mi
Reliant CenterHoustonConvention center706,000+ sq ft on one level, Halls A–E25–60 ft · avg 30 ftRight-to-work · check kit≈ $116/cwtHOU · ~8 mi
Rosen Centre HotelOrlandoHotel ballrooms35,000 sq ft Grand Ballroom25 ft Grand · 22 ft Executive, JuniorRight-to-work≈ $155/cwtMCO · 12 min
San Diego Convention CenterSan DiegoConvention center525,701 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–H27 ft 4 in A–E · up to 64 ft F–HUnion · check kit≈ $176/cwtSAN · 3 mi
San Jose McEnery Convention CenterSan JoseConvention center143,000 sq ft Halls 1–332 ftUnion · 30 min / 10 ft rule≈ $160/cwtSJC · 4 mi
Santa Clara Convention CenterSanta ClaraConvention center90,014 sq ft Halls A–D28 ft 6 inUnion · check kit≈ $160/cwtSJC · 5–6 mi
Seattle Convention CenterSeattleConvention center205,700 sq ft Arch Halls 4A–4F25 ft Arch · 30 ft SummitUnion · check kit≈ $165/cwtSEA · Link ~40 min
Sheraton Grand Chicago RiverwalkChicagoHotel ballrooms40,003 sq ft ballroom · 35,000 sq ft Riverwalk hall22 ft ballroom · 10 ft 6 in hallUnion · pop-ups ≤ 10×10≈ $225/cwtMDW · 13 mi
Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet CreekOrlandoResort ballrooms35,925 sq ft Bonnet Creek Ballroom20 ft Bonnet Creek · 18 ft Waterside, FloridianRight-to-work≈ $155/cwtMCO · 19 mi
Walt Disney World Swan and DolphinLake Buena VistaResort ballrooms110,500 sq ft Atlantic + Pacific halls30 ft Atlantic · 25′8″ PacificRight-to-work≈ $155/cwtMCO · ~20 min
Walter E. Washington Convention CenterWashingtonConvention center473,000 sq ft contiguous, Halls A–C30 ft (A–C) · up to 52 ft (D–E)Union · check kit≈ $175/cwtDCA · ~4 mi

More Florida guides

Other Florida convention centers

Broward County Convention CenterFort Lauderdale, FL Palm Beach County Convention CenterWest Palm Beach, FL Orange County Convention CenterOrlando, FL Tampa Convention CenterTampa, FL Hyatt Regency OrlandoOrlando, FL

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Written by the Purple Exhibits team. Reviewed for the 2026–2027 season. Figures marked for verification are being confirmed with the venue. Sources: miamibeachconvention.com Quick Facts, Floor Plans and Service Providers pages, the MBCC hand-carry policy (GES), the Seatrade Cruise Global 2025 exhibitor manual (Expo Convention Contractors), Wikipedia (Miami Beach Convention Center), Hotel Online and Hotel Management on the Grand Hyatt Miami Beach, NBC Miami, organizer sites for the shows listed, and the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division (Carol M. Highsmith Archive).

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