Exhibitor guide · Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg Convention Center: the exhibitor's guide
Nearly 150,000 square feet of flexible space connected to a 500-room Renaissance hotel, in a northwest suburb built around Woodfield Mall. The venue for shows that want the Chicago region without the Chicago prices.
Schaumburg CC · 1551 N Thoreau DrWhy this page exists
Schaumburg is a northwest suburb built almost entirely around Woodfield Mall and the corporate campuses that followed it, and its convention center is the exhibitor-friendly answer to McCormick Place: connected hotel, free and plentiful parking, and rates that undercut every downtown Chicago venue in this guide. It will not host IMTS, but for a regional trade show, a corporate meeting, or an association conference that wants the Chicago metro without the Chicago overhead, it is the practical choice.
This guide covers the flexible hall and meeting rooms, labor in a non-right-to-work state, drayage well below downtown rates, a freight countdown, the kinds of shows that use the building, the connected hotel and nearby options, and a short history of a suburb that grew up around a mall.
The building
The hall and meeting rooms
The center connects directly to the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, with the exhibit space and 30 meeting rooms on a single, flexible floor plan.
| Space | What it is | Typical shows | Booth planning note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main exhibit hall | Part of the 148,624 sq ft total, divisible for shows of varying sizes; exact dimensions are on the venue's floor plans. | Regional trade shows, corporate meetings, consumer expos | Flexible floor; confirm forklift and ceiling-height allowances against your booth design. |
| 30 meeting rooms | Configurable for breakouts and smaller functions. | Association meetings, training sessions | Hand-carry and tabletop formats. |
| Connected hotel | The 500-room Renaissance Schaumburg, directly attached. | All events | Attendees and exhibitors can walk from guest rooms to the show floor. |
| Parking and docks | Surface parking and loading docks with direct suburban road access. | All shows | None of the downtown parking cost or congestion exhibitors face at McCormick Place or the Loop hotels. |
History
A suburb built around a mall
Schaumburg was farmland within living memory. Its convention business grew up alongside the mall that put the suburb on the map.
Schaumburg incorporates as a village, still mostly farmland in the northwest suburbs of Chicago near O'Hare.
Woodfield Mall opens, at the time the largest enclosed shopping mall in the world, and becomes the anchor for the retail and corporate growth that defines the suburb for the next fifty years.
Corporate campuses, hotels and office parks fill in around Woodfield as Schaumburg becomes one of the busiest commercial corridors in the Chicago suburbs.
The Schaumburg Convention Center opens connected to what becomes the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, giving the northwest suburbs a real meetings venue independent of downtown Chicago; it opened in July 2006.
The center runs a calendar of regional trade shows, corporate meetings and association events that want Chicago-area access without downtown drayage rates or parking costs.
Rules of the floor
Labor, exclusives and rules
Union state, contractor rules
Illinois has no right-to-work law; exhibit labor runs through the show's contractor. Self-install allowances follow the show kit.
Well below downtown
Plan about $120 per hundredweight where a contractor handles freight, the lowest of any Chicago-area venue in this guide.
I-90 and Route 53
Both reach the center directly; no downtown congestion to route around.
Illinois fire code
Flame certificates for fabrics, covered booths by approval, permits for cooking and vehicles.
Venue services
Electrical, internet, cleaning and security through the venue or its providers; the show kit carries the current list.
Free and plentiful
Surface parking at the connected hotel and center, unlike downtown venues where parking is scarce and expensive.
Certificates
Naming the organizer and the hotel's ownership entity; Purple's is on file.
Free tool
Schaumburg drayage estimator
Planning numbers for 2026; the show kit has the tariff. All-venue rates and a glossary on the drayage rates page.
Deadlines
Freight countdown for a Schaumburg show
The calendar
Shows at the Schaumburg Convention Center
The center's calendar leans regional and corporate rather than citywide. Confirm dates with each organizer.
| Event type | When | Industry | Typical attendance | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare and continuing-education conferences | Spring, fall | Healthcare, professional services | 4,000 | 10×10 rentals |
| Home and consumer shows | Winter, spring | Home improvement, consumer | 10,000 | 10×20 rentals |
| Job and career fairs | Spring, fall | Employment | 3,000 | 10×10 rentals |
Attendance figures are Purple's planning ranges; confirm each event with the organizer.
Logistics
Getting there and staying
- By car: Interstate 90 or Illinois Route 53 reach the center directly; free surface parking.
- Airport: O'Hare International is about 20 minutes.
- By transit: Metra's Milwaukee District West Line serves Schaumburg station; a cab or rideshare covers the last mile.
- Freight: loading docks with direct suburban road access, no downtown congestion.
- Crew: Purple coordinates Midwest crews for Schaumburg shows.
| Hotel | Distance | Why exhibitors pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel | Connected | 500 rooms directly attached to the venue. |
| Hotels near Woodfield Mall | 10-min drive | Overflow blocks and shopping for client visits. |
| O'Hare airport hotels | 20-min drive | Fly-in exhibitors on early flights. |
Resources
Free resources you can link to
Embed the drayage estimator
Cite the numbers
One-page cheat sheet
Hall, connected hotel, parking, deadlines.
Questions
Schaumburg Convention Center FAQ
How big is the Schaumburg Convention Center?
148,624 square feet of flexible event space across 30 meeting rooms, connected to the 500-room Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel.
Is labor union?
Illinois has no right-to-work law, so exhibit labor runs through the show's contractor.
How much is drayage?
Plan about $120 per hundredweight where a contractor handles freight, the lowest of any venue in this guide's Chicago set.
Is parking really free?
Surface parking at the connected hotel and center, at no cost, unlike downtown Chicago venues.
How far is it from O'Hare?
About 20 minutes by car.
What is near the venue?
Woodfield Mall, one of the largest enclosed shopping malls in Illinois, is a few minutes away, along with the corporate campuses that grew up around it.
Can I walk from my hotel room to the show floor?
Yes, if you book the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, which connects directly to the venue.
Where does Purple ship from?
Purple coordinates Midwest crews and regional freight for Schaumburg shows.
Exhibiting in Schaumburg?
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.