Exhibitor guide · West Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach County Convention Center: the exhibitor's guide
A 100,000 sq ft hall with a Hilton attached, a Brightline station a ten-minute walk away and the priciest zip codes in Florida across the bridge. Small building, serious buyers.
PBCCC · 650 Okeechobee BlvdWhy this page exists
Palm Beach is the venue for shows whose buyers live nearby and do not fly: jewelry and antiques, boats, art, luxury home, wealth management. The hall is a tenth the size of Orlando's, but the average badge is worth more.
This guide covers the compact layout, the Oak View Group rules, a travel planner built around the Brightline, and the calendar. Purple ships here from Fishkill on the South Florida circuit with Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
The building
The hall and the Hilton
| Space | What it is | Typical shows | Booth planning note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibit hall | 100,000 sq ft on one level, divisible; exact clear heights are on the venue's hall plans. | Jewelry and antique shows, boat show indoor, consumer expos | Concrete floor, islands and hanging signs fine; docks on the west side. |
| Ballroom | 22,000 sq ft, carpeted, divisible. | General sessions, galas, food and wine | Carpet rules. |
| 19 breakout rooms | 21,000 sq ft of flexible meeting space. | Sessions, sponsor tables | Tabletop only. |
| Hilton West Palm Beach | 400 rooms, connected by covered walkway, opened 2016. | Headquarter blocks | The only attached hotel; book early for the jewelry show and the boat show. |
Free tool
Palm Beach travel-time planner
Pick two points. The Brightline station is a ten-minute walk, which makes Miami and Fort Lauderdale day trips without a car.
History
Built for the season
Henry Flagler's railroad reaches Palm Beach; West Palm Beach is laid out across the lake as the workers' town. The pattern, wealth on the island and business on the mainland, still defines the market.
The Palm Beach County Convention Center opens in January on Okeechobee Boulevard, next to the CityPlace district, paid for by the county's bed tax.
The 400-room Hilton West Palm Beach opens with a covered walkway to the center, the headquarter hotel the county had wanted since the plan was drawn.
Brightline opens its West Palm Beach station a ten-minute walk away, linking the center to Fort Lauderdale and Miami by rail.
CityPlace becomes The Square; Oak View Group takes over venue management; the winter jewelry, art and boat shows anchor a calendar built around the season.
Rules of the floor
Labor, exclusives and rules
Non-union
Full-time staff may set up with hand tools; outside labor through the contractor or Purple as EAC.
OVG360 in-house services
Electrical, rigging, internet and catering through the operator; the show kit carries the current list.
South Florida rates
Planning rates around $165 per hundredweight, standard minimum and surcharges.
West docks off the garage side
Small dock apron; direct trucks are called one at a time. Ship advance warehouse.
West Palm Beach Fire Rescue
Covered and multilevel review; thresholds similar to Orlando; confirm the current threshold when the fire plan is submitted.
January to March is the season
Hotel rates and traffic peak; book blocks by October.
Empties and the MHA
EMPTY stickers on unpack; MHA before leaving.
Certificates
Naming the organizer and Palm Beach County; Purple's is on file.
Free tool
Palm Beach drayage estimator
Planning numbers for 2026. All-venue rates on the drayage rates page.
The calendar
Shows at Palm Beach
| Show | Month | Industry | Attendance | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Beach Jewelry, Art and Antique Show | February | Fine art and jewelry | 50,000 | Custom exhibits |
| Palm Beach International Boat Show (indoor and on the water) | March | Marine | 55,000 citywide | Booth rentals |
| Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival events | December | Culinary | Public | Ballroom |
| Regional trade expos: plumbing, construction, healthcare | Spring and fall | Various | 2,000–6,000 | 10×10 rentals |
| Corporate and association meetings | Year round | Wealth management, insurance, franchising | 1,000–4,000 | 10×20 rentals |
Logistics
Getting there
- Airport: Palm Beach International is ten minutes.
- Brightline: the station is a ten-minute walk; Fort Lauderdale in 35 minutes, Miami in 65.
- Hotels: the Hilton is attached; The Square and Clematis Street hotels are within fifteen minutes on foot; Palm Beach island is ten minutes by car for client dinners.
- Freight: west docks; marshaling per the contractor.
- Purple: ships from Fishkill on the South Florida circuit.
The coast
Palm Beach County in pictures
Questions
Palm Beach County Convention Center FAQ
How big a booth fits?
The 100,000 sq ft hall takes islands and hanging signs; the largest shows use every square foot, so booth sizes skew smaller than Orlando.
Is it union?
No. Florida right-to-work; full-time staff may set up with hand tools.
Can I get here without a car?
Yes. Brightline from Miami or Fort Lauderdale, then a ten-minute walk.
Is there an attached hotel?
The 400-room Hilton West Palm Beach, by covered walkway.
How does drayage compare?
South Florida rates, roughly the same as Fort Lauderdale and a little below Miami Beach.
What does Purple do that the contractor does not?
Designs, builds, ships, installs, supervises and stores the booth, and files the EAC and MHA paperwork.
Exhibiting in Palm Beach?
Send us the show and booth number. You get a design brief, 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.