Exhibitor guide · Las Vegas, Nevada
Venetian Expo: the exhibitor's guide
Two levels of halls under 7,000 suites on the Strip. One dock, a set of freight elevators, and a private resort's rulebook. Here is how to build here without surprises.
Venetian Expo · 201 Sands AveWhy this page exists
The Venetian Expo is the Strip's answer to the LVCC: a private convention center with a 7,000-suite hotel on top of it. SHOT Show, ISC West, JCK, AAPEX, G2E, HLTH and most of AWS re:Invent run here, and CES fills it every January.
Exhibiting here is easier on your attendees and harder on your freight. Everything arrives through one dock complex, half the halls are upstairs behind freight elevators, and the resort keeps rigging, power and internet exclusive. This guide covers what changes compared with the LVCC, hall by hall and deadline by deadline. Purple's Las Vegas shop is fifteen minutes away and our crews are on this floor for six shows a year.
- Two levels, one dock: how the building works
- Level 2 crate fit checker
- History: from COMDEX to the Venetian
- Labor, exclusives and freight rules
- Drayage estimator
- Freight countdown for a Venetian show
- What a Venetian show week looks like
- Shows at the Venetian Expo
- Hotels, getting there, crew logistics
- The Venetian in pictures
- Free resources you can link to
- FAQ
The building
Two levels, one dock
The Venetian Expo is a two-level exhibit building joined to the Venetian Convention Center's ballrooms, all under the Venetian and Palazzo towers. The level your show assigns you changes how your freight moves, what you can hang, and how tall you can build.
| Space | What it is | Typical shows | Booth planning note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 exhibit halls | Ground-level halls with direct dock access and the highest ceilings in the building; exact clear heights are on the venue's hall plans. | SHOT Show, ISC West, AAPEX, JCK, G2E | Islands, double-decks and hanging signs go here. Freight rolls straight from the dock to the booth. |
| Level 2 exhibit halls | Upper halls served by freight elevators and ramps, with lower ceilings than Level 1; exact clear heights are on the venue's hall plans. | CES Eureka Park, SHOT Show and JCK upper level | Every crate must fit the freight elevator. Purple designs Level 2 booths to the elevator spec from day one. Rigging points are fewer. |
| Venetian Convention Center ballrooms | Carpeted ballrooms and 200+ meeting rooms across four levels, plus the Venetian Theatre for keynotes. | re:Invent, Oracle AI World, Money20/20, HLTH | Ballroom rules: carpet protection, lighter structures, no forklifts inside. |
| Lobbies and concourses | Registration and sponsor activations between the halls and the hotel. | All shows | Good for sponsored lounges. Power and rigging are limited and ordered early. |
Free tool
Level 2 crate fit checker
The single most common Venetian problem is a crate that will not fit the freight elevator. Enter your crate and the elevator dimensions from the show's exhibitor kit. Defaults are placeholders; the kit has the real numbers.
Your largest crate (inches)
Freight elevator (from the show kit)
Purple's standard Venetian Level 2 crate is built to clear typical Las Vegas freight elevators with margin; we confirm against the current kit for every show.
History
From COMDEX to the Venetian
The building exists because one trade show outgrew the LVCC. Sheldon Adelson's Interface Group owned COMDEX, the computer show that became the largest in America, and built its own hall next to the old Sands hotel to hold it.
The Sands Expo and Convention Center opens on November 9, 1990, beside the Sands hotel, built by the Interface Group to house COMDEX. It is the first privately owned and operated convention center in the United States.
Adelson sells COMDEX to SoftBank for about $860 million and keeps the hall. COMDEX peaks above 200,000 attendees before fading after 2000.
The original Sands hotel is imploded in November to make way for the Venetian.
The Venetian opens in May, attached to the Expo, with 3,000 suites, the Grand Canal Shoppes and the resort's own convention space.
The Palazzo opens next door, taking the connected suite count past 7,000 and adding more ballrooms.
Sands Expo is renamed the Venetian Expo. CES moves Eureka Park, its startup hall, here permanently.
Las Vegas Sands sells the Venetian, Palazzo and Expo to Apollo Global Management (operations) and VICI Properties (real estate) for $6.25 billion. A multi-year renovation of suites and convention space follows, a $188 million convention-center renovation running through 2026.
SHOT Show, ISC West, JCK, AAPEX, G2E, HLTH, Money20/20, Oracle and most of AWS re:Invent call it home, and CES fills it every January.
Rules of the floor
Labor, exclusives and freight rules
The unions are the same as at the LVCC. The difference is that a private resort owns the building and keeps more services in-house.
Same unions, resort rules on top
Teamsters Local 631 handles material handling and forklifts, IATSE Local 720 handles rigging and AV labor. Your full-time employees can usually set up a small booth with hand tools; check the show's rules.
Purple files as your Exhibitor Appointed Contractor with both the show and the venue. The Venetian requires EAC certificates naming the resort.
What only the venue can do
Rigging, electrical, internet, cleaning, catering and security are venue-exclusive. You cannot bring your own rigger or run your own power. Order early; on-site rates are steep.
One dock for everything
All freight comes through the Koval Lane docks. Direct-to-show trucks queue in the show's marshaling yard, usually off-site, and are called in by target time. Advance warehouse freight is on your booth before you arrive.
Purple ships advance warehouse by default and targets arrival two weeks before the deadline.
Elevators decide your crate size
Upstairs freight rides the freight elevators. Anything bigger than the car waits, gets broken down, or does not go up. Use the fit checker above and design to it.
Storage and the resort
No empty crates or cases can be stored in hotel space. Empties go back with the contractor and return at move-out. Product samples can be received through the resort's business center for a fee.
Exhibits on carpet
Convention Center ballrooms are carpeted. Floor protection is required, structures must be lighter, and no forklifts operate inside. Rigging points are limited and priced per point.
Empties and the MHA
Label crates EMPTY as soon as they are unpacked. Turn in the Material Handling Agreement before leaving the floor. Purple handles both and returns the booth to our Las Vegas warehouse the same night.
Certificates
A certificate naming the show organizer and the Venetian Resort, usually $1M per occurrence. Purple's is on file with every major Las Vegas contractor.
Free tool
Venetian Expo drayage estimator
Reference: CES 2027 publishes $0.71 per pound for Venetian Halls A–D and G and $1.16 per pound for meeting rooms and exhibit suites, with a 100-pound minimum; that is a show-specific program, and other Venetian Expo shows bill conventional per-hundredweight tariffs.
Planning numbers for 2026. The show's exhibitor kit has the exact tariff, and Level 2 shows sometimes carry an additional handling line. Rates for all four venues, every surcharge and a glossary are on the Las Vegas drayage rates page.
Deadlines
Freight countdown for a Venetian show
Typical for SHOT Show, ISC West and AAPEX. Your exhibitor kit sets the real dates and Purple puts them on your schedule at kickoff.
Show days
What a Venetian show week looks like
The hotel is upstairs, so the floor opens early and the receptions run late. Booth staff who can hold a conversation at 9 a.m. and again at 6 p.m. are the whole game here.
The calendar
Shows at the Venetian Expo
| Show | Month | Space | Industry | Attendance | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CES (Eureka Park and partners) | January | Level 1 and 2 halls | Consumer tech startups | 130,000+ citywide | CES page |
| SHOT Show | January | All halls + Caesars Forum | Shooting, hunting, outdoor | 55,000 | SHOT page |
| ISC West | Late March | Level 1 and 2 halls | Security | 25,000–30,000 | Custom exhibits |
| JCK Las Vegas | June | Level 1 and 2 halls | Jewelry | 20,000 | Booth rentals |
| Vision Expo West | September | Level 1 halls | Eyewear and optical | 12,000 | Vision Expo page |
| G2E | Late September | Level 1 and 2 halls | Gaming | 29,000 | Custom exhibits |
| Money20/20 USA | October | Convention Center ballrooms | Fintech | 13,000 | Booth rentals |
| Oracle AI World | October | Halls and ballrooms | Enterprise IT | 20,000 | Booth rentals |
| AAPEX | Early November | All halls | Auto parts (with SEMA at LVCC) | 48,000 | Vegas rentals |
| HLTH | November | Halls and ballrooms | Healthcare | 12,000 | Booth rentals |
| AWS re:Invent | Late Nov – Dec | Expo hall + ballrooms, plus Caesars Forum, Wynn, Mandalay Bay | Cloud | 51,000+ | Booth rentals |
Dates rotate. The Las Vegas show calendar carries the current 2026 and 2027 dates for every show above.
Logistics
Hotels, getting there, crew logistics
The easiest Las Vegas venue for attendees, because the hotel is upstairs. The hardest for crews, because resort rooms are expensive during shows.
- Airport: Harry Reid International is about 4 miles; 15 to 25 minutes by rideshare outside CES week.
- Monorail: nearest station is Harrah's/LINQ across the Strip. From there it is two stops to the LVCC.
- Freight: docks are off Koval Lane behind the resort. Marshaling yards are set by the show contractor and are usually off-site.
- Parking: the Venetian and Palazzo garages; exhibitor passes come with the show kit.
- Purple's Las Vegas shop: fifteen minutes away for overnight reprints and repairs. See Las Vegas booth rentals.
| Hotel | Distance | Why exhibitors pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Venetian and Palazzo | Attached | Your clients are already here. Book the block early; rates double during SHOT and re:Invent. |
| Wynn and Encore | 5-minute walk across Sands Ave | Where executives stay. Meeting space for client dinners. |
| Treasure Island | 7-minute walk | Cheapest close option. Crews stay here. |
| Harrah's and the LINQ | Across the Strip, 10 minutes, Monorail station | Mid-priced and on the Monorail to the LVCC for split shows. |
| Resorts World | 10-minute walk north | Newest rooms; good for teams also working the LVCC West Hall. |
The resort
The Venetian in pictures
Free-license stock and public-domain archive photos; credits under each one.
For editors, organizers and planners
Free resources you can link to
Embed the Level 2 crate fit checker
Show organizers can drop it into their exhibitor FAQ. It links back here.
Cite the numbers
For anyone writing about the Venetian or the Sands Expo.
One-page Venetian cheat sheet
Docks, elevators, exclusives, deadlines and phone numbers for your show binder.
SHOT Show week: two venues, one plan
How Purple runs the Venetian and Caesars Forum from one crew lead during SHOT Show, with the shuttle and bridge routes.
Read the SHOT Show pagePhotos for press
Purple's Venetian booth photos at print resolution, with credit, the same day you ask.
Request photosLas Vegas exhibitor responsibility guide
Who does what between exhibitor, show, venue and exhibit house.
Read the guideQuestions we get every week
Venetian Expo FAQ
Is the Venetian Expo the same as the Sands Expo?
Yes. The Sands Expo and Convention Center was renamed the Venetian Expo in 2021. Show manuals and freight labels sometimes still say Sands.
Which is better for my booth, Level 1 or Level 2?
Level 1 for islands, hanging signs and heavy product. Level 2 works for inline and modular booths that break down into elevator-sized pieces. The show assigns the level; Purple designs to it.
What are the freight elevator dimensions?
They are published in each show's exhibitor kit and can differ by hall. Use the fit checker above with the kit's numbers. Purple's standard Level 2 crate clears typical Las Vegas freight elevators with margin.
Can I use my own rigging or electrical company?
No. Rigging, electrical, internet, cleaning and catering are venue-exclusive. Purple engineers the sign and orders the rigging for you.
How does drayage compare with the LVCC?
Rates are similar per hundredweight, slightly higher at some shows. The bigger cost driver is the single dock: off-target direct freight waits longer here. Ship advance warehouse.
My show is split between the Venetian and the LVCC. Can one crew handle both?
Yes. AAPEX and SEMA, and CES, run this way every year. Purple runs both venues from the Las Vegas warehouse with one crew lead and a shared schedule.
Can I store product samples at the hotel?
Not in exhibit space. The resort's business center receives packages for a fee, and the show contractor holds empties. Purple's Las Vegas warehouse is the cheapest option for anything bigger than a box.
How early does the floor open, and how late do receptions run?
Most Venetian shows open at 9 or 10 a.m. and the opening reception runs to 7 or 8 p.m. in the ballrooms. Plan two shifts of booth staff.
Where do I stay if the Venetian is sold out?
Treasure Island, Harrah's or the LINQ for crews; Wynn or Encore for executives. All are within ten minutes on foot.
What does Purple do that the show contractor does not?
The contractor moves freight and rents pipe-and-drape. Purple designs, builds, ships, installs, supervises and stores your booth, files the EAC and MHA paperwork, and has a shop fifteen minutes away for anything that goes wrong at 6 a.m. on opening day.
Exhibiting at the Venetian Expo?
Send us the show and booth number. You get a level-specific design brief, a crate plan that fits the elevator, a drayage estimate and a build timeline within two business days.
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