Exhibitor guide · Uniondale, Long Island
Nassau Coliseum: the exhibitor's guide
Long Island's arena and its expo hall on one campus: a 44,000-square-foot arena floor, a 60,000-square-foot Expo Center, parking for everyone, and the home shows, business expos and consumer events that serve three million people who would rather not drive into Manhattan.
Nassau Coliseum · 1255 Hempstead TpkeWhy this page exists
Long Island is a market of its own: Nassau and Suffolk counties together have more people than most states, and their businesses, homeowners and buyers go to shows on the Island. The Coliseum campus is where those shows happen, with rules closer to a regional convention center than to the Javits, drayage at half the Manhattan rate, and parking that costs a few dollars instead of a hundred.
This guide covers the arena and the Expo Center and which shows use each, labor at a county-owned arena run by a private operator, drayage and self-unloading, a countdown built around the Meadowbrook Parkway, the shows on the calendar, hotels along Hempstead Turnpike, and the history of a building that housed the Islanders' dynasty and stands on an Army airfield.
The building
Arena and Expo Center
Two exhibition spaces share the campus: the arena floor, used when a show wants the seating bowl and the scale, and the Expo Center, a flat exhibition hall attached to the arena for trade and consumer shows.
| Space | What it is | Typical shows | Booth planning note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expo Center | About 60,000 sq ft of flat exhibit space with dock access and clear heights suited to standard booths; exact heights are on the venue's plans. | Home shows, business expos, consumer and hobby shows | 10×10 and 10×20 rows and small islands; forklifts and hanging signs by the operator's rules. |
| Arena floor | About 44,000 sq ft on the event level, with the bowl above; seating 13,917 for hockey and up to 14,500 for other events after the renovation. | Large consumer shows, expos with stages, graduations | Drive-on floor with high clear height; rigging from the arena grid through the house rigger. |
| Concourses and clubs | Renovated concourses, suites and club spaces around the bowl. | Sponsor activations, receptions | Egress rules; nothing that blocks the concourse. |
| Docks | Truck docks on the event level of the arena and at the Expo Center; dock assignments come with the show kit. | All shows | Marshaling in the surface lots; windows scheduled by the show. |
| Parking | Surface lots across the 63-acre campus, plus the adjoining Nassau Hub development. | All shows | Exhibitor vehicles park close; self-unloading is possible for many consumer shows. |
History
Mitchel Field to four Stanley Cups
The Coliseum stands on an Army airfield that trained pilots for two world wars, and it opened the same year the Islanders did. The building and the team grew up together.
Mitchel Field, an Army and later Air Force base on the Hempstead Plains, closes in 1961. Nassau County takes over 63 acres for a civic center.
The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum opens in February. The NHL hastily awards Long Island a franchise so the rival WHA cannot have the building; the New York Islanders play their first game on October 7. The ABA's New York Nets, with Julius Erving, move in too.
The Islanders win four consecutive Stanley Cups, the last U.S. team to do so. The Coliseum's capacity grows to up to 16,000 for concerts.
The Islanders leave for Brooklyn; the arena closes for a $165 million renovation and reopens in April 2017 with a new exterior, concourses and a smaller, steeper bowl. The Islanders return part-time in 2018 before moving to UBS Arena in 2021.
The Long Island Nets of the NBA G League become the main tenant. The Expo Center and arena floor carry Long Island's trade and consumer shows while the Nassau Hub around the campus is redeveloped.
Rules of the floor
Labor, exclusives and rules
Operator rules, not Javits rules
The Coliseum is county-owned and privately operated. Exhibit labor follows the show contractor; most consumer and business shows let exhibitors set up their own booths within show limits; the show kit sets the exact allowance. Purple crews build directly.
Arena rigging is union
Rigging from the arena grid and stage work go through the house crew (IATSE) via the operator; confirm current jurisdiction with the show. Booth work on the floor does not.
Half the Manhattan rate
Where a contractor handles freight, plan about $95 per hundredweight. Many shows allow self-unloading at the dock in scheduled slots.
Meadowbrook Parkway is cars only
Trucks cannot use the parkways. Route via the Long Island Expressway to Meadowbrook Road or Hempstead Turnpike from the Southern State's truck-legal exits; confirm truck routing with the show's freight desk.
Nassau County Fire Marshal
Flame certificates for fabrics, covered booths by approval, and permits for cooking, propane and vehicles. Vehicles on display need drained fuel and locked caps.
Operator services
Electrical, internet, cleaning, security and catering run through the operator or its providers; the show kit carries the current list.
Bring the trailer
Surface lots take exhibitor trailers and box trucks by arrangement; this is one of the few venues in the region where a Purple truck can stay on site through the show.
Certificates
Naming the organizer, the operator and Nassau County; Purple's is on file.
Free tool
Nassau Coliseum drayage estimator
Planning numbers for 2026 where a contractor handles freight; the show kit has the tariff. All-venue rates and a glossary on the drayage rates page.
Deadlines
Freight countdown for a Coliseum show
The calendar
Shows at the Coliseum
Long Island's shows rotate between the Coliseum and the region's hotels and fairgrounds. Confirm dates with each organizer.
| Event | When | Industry | Typical attendance | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Island home and remodeling shows | Winter and spring | Home improvement | 15,000 | 10×20 rentals |
| Long Island business and networking expos | Spring, fall | Business services | 4,000 | 10×10 rentals |
| Bridal, baby and family expos | Winter, fall | Consumer | 5,000 | 10×10 rentals |
| Health, wellness and senior expos | Spring, fall | Healthcare | 5,000 | 10×10 rentals |
| Auto, boat and outdoor shows | Winter, spring | Automotive and marine | 20,000 | Custom exhibits |
| Job and career fairs | Spring, fall | Employment | 3,000 | 10×10 rentals |
Attendance figures are Purple's planning ranges for Long Island consumer and business shows; confirm each event with the organizer.
Logistics
Getting there and staying
- By car: Meadowbrook Parkway to Hempstead Turnpike; 35 minutes from Queens, 60 from Midtown off-peak, 30 from JFK.
- By train: Long Island Rail Road to Hempstead, then the N70, N71 or N72 bus, or to Westbury and a cab. Plan about an hour from Penn Station.
- Airports: JFK 30 minutes, LaGuardia 40, Long Island MacArthur in Islip 40.
- Freight: trucks are banned from the parkways; use the LIE and truck-legal roads to Hempstead Turnpike. Dock slots through the show.
- Crew: Purple's crews come from Fishkill in 90 minutes by the Tappan Zee and LIE.
| Hotel | Distance | Why exhibitors pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Long Island Marriott, Uniondale | Across the parking lot | The campus hotel; walk to the show. |
| Garden City Hotel | 10 min | Client dinners and the LIRR at Garden City. |
| Hotels in Westbury and Carle Place | 10 min | Crew rooms near the LIE and Roosevelt Field. |
| Hotels near JFK | 30 min | Fly-in exhibitors on early flights. |
Resources
Free resources you can link to
Embed the drayage estimator
Cite the numbers
One-page cheat sheet
Docks, truck routes, permits, deadlines.
Questions
Nassau Coliseum FAQ
Can I set up my own booth at the Coliseum?
For most consumer and business shows, yes, within the show's limits. Rigging from the arena grid and stage work go through the house crew. Check the show kit.
Which space will my show use?
Trade and consumer shows usually use the 60,000-square-foot Expo Center. Large public shows that want the seating bowl use the 44,000-square-foot arena floor.
Can trucks use the Meadowbrook Parkway?
No. New York parkways are closed to commercial vehicles. Route trucks by the Long Island Expressway and truck-legal roads to Hempstead Turnpike.
How much is drayage?
Where a contractor handles freight, plan about $95 per hundredweight, roughly half the Javits. Many shows allow self-unloading at the dock in slots.
How do I get there by train?
Long Island Rail Road to Hempstead and a short bus or cab ride, about an hour from Penn Station.
Is there a hotel on the campus?
The Long Island Marriott is across the parking lot from the arena.
Where does Purple ship from?
Fishkill, New York, 75 miles by road. One truck that can stay on site through the show.
Can I display a vehicle?
Yes, with the fire marshal's rules: fuel at a quarter tank or less, locked cap, battery disconnected, and a drip pan. The arena floor is drive-on.
Exhibiting on Long Island?
Send us the show and booth number. You get a design brief, a truck-legal routing plan, a drayage estimate and a build timeline within two business days.
Venue guides
Every venue we have a guide for
Same standard, every hall: the building, the rules, the tools and the calendar.