Custom Exhibit Booths for Long Beach Trade Shows

What a planner needs to verify before building a custom exhibit for Long Beach

Ceiling height and rigging grid access for each LBCEC hall — Hall A, Hall B, and Hall C have different clear heights, and rigging availability is governed by the venue and the official show contractor, not the exhibit house

EAC (Exhibitor Appointed Contractor) documentation requirements: LBCEC requires certificates of insurance and EAC registration before a non-official contractor can work on the floor, and the deadline is typically set in the show manual, not by the venue independently

Freight profile — crate count, total weight, and whether any piece requires a forklift or a rigger rather than a hand truck, because drayage billing at LBCEC is weight-based and over-height crates can miss standard dock routing

Electrical load calculation submitted through the official show contractor before advance-order deadlines, because custom builds with integrated lighting, monitors, and dedicated circuits frequently exceed the standard exhibitor power drop

Structural engineering documentation for any booth taller than eight feet, any hanging sign, any second-deck platform, or any cantilevered element — LBCEC fire marshal review requires stamped drawings before installation can begin

What makes a custom exhibit different from a system build at LBCEC

System and modular booths arrive in cases, go up with standard tools, and reinstall the same way every show. Custom exhibits arrive in crates, and the install sequence is specific to the structure's engineering. The exhibit house provides a labor call with a defined sequence: structure, then graphics, then AV, then soft goods and product. Disrupting that sequence because a rigging appointment slipped or an electrical drop is misplaced can cascade into overtime at rates set by the official show contractor.

The Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center's exhibit halls support a range of configurations. Hall A on the lower level connects directly to the waterfront, Hall B and Hall C sit at street grade, and the Promenade Atrium serves as connective tissue for smaller activations and brand environments. Each space has a different freight access point, a different floor loading rating, and a different ceiling height. An exhibit house that hasn't worked LBCEC before should request the venue's technical specifications through the show's general contractor before finalizing structural drawings.

Hotel ballrooms are a secondary venue tier for custom builds in Long Beach. The Hyatt Regency Long Beach, the Westin Long Beach, and the Marriott Long Beach Downtown host conference programs with exhibitor areas and sponsor activations. Ceiling heights run 14 to 18 feet in ballrooms versus 30-plus feet in exhibit halls, so hanging signs and tall hardwall structures are typically off the table. Custom builds in ballroom programs trend lower-profile: hardwall backdrops, integrated counters, floor-level lighting, and tension-fabric graphics on custom frames.

Hall A, B, and C each have distinct ceiling heights, dock access, and floor load ratings — confirm all three before finalizing the structural design

Promenade Atrium and The Cove are lower-ceiling environments suited to brand activations rather than tall island structures

Hotel ballroom programs at the Hyatt Regency, Westin, and Marriott Downtown have height limits that rule out hanging signs and most second-deck platforms

System versus custom classification affects which labor category handles installation — confirm with the show's general contractor before the build arrives

Freight, crate handling, and drayage at Long Beach shows

Custom booths generate more freight complexity than any other booth type. A 20x20 island with integrated cabinetry, interior lighting, and a hanging sign might arrive in eight to fifteen crates of varying dimensions and weights. The official show contractor at LBCEC handles drayage from the marshalling yard to the booth space, billing by weight (per hundredweight, or CWT) with separate line items for over-height handling, pad-wrapped pieces, and forklift services.

Advance shipping to the LBCEC advance warehouse is almost always cheaper than direct-to-show shipping, but it requires knowing the exact crate count and dimensions far enough in advance to hit the warehouse cutoff listed in the show manual. Direct-to-show shipping routes freight to the marshalling yard during the move-in window. If a crate arrives outside the assigned marshalling time, it can wait in the yard until space opens, which may conflict with the exhibit house's labor call.

Planners preparing a custom booth for a Long Beach show should build the freight brief before the exhibit house finalizes packaging: total crate count, heaviest individual piece, any over-height or over-width pieces, forklift versus hand-truck requirements, and the crate-arrival sequence the exhibit house's labor call depends on. That brief goes to the drayage coordinator, not simply the freight carrier.

Advance warehouse shipping is cheaper than direct-to-show; hit the cutoff listed in the show manual

Drayage billing is weight-based (CWT) with add-ons for over-height, pad-wrapped, and forklift pieces

Marshalling yard timing affects when crates reach the booth space — misalignment between freight arrival and the exhibit house's labor call creates overtime risk

Provide a freight brief (crate count, weights, dimensions, delivery sequence) to the drayage coordinator before the truck is booked

Electrical, AV, and rigging for custom builds

Custom exhibits are almost always higher-power users than modular or portable displays. Integrated LED lighting, multiple monitors, dedicated charging stations, powered cabinetry, and environmental audio can push a single 20x20 island past 100 amps of 120V service. At LBCEC, electrical service is ordered through the official show contractor, and the advance-order deadline is typically fourteen to twenty-one days before move-in. Orders placed at show site cost significantly more — the markup for show-site electrical orders at convention centers in this market commonly runs 30 to 50 percent above the advance rate.

Rigging at LBCEC is a venue-controlled service. Hanging signs, truss systems, and any element suspended from the ceiling grid must be installed by approved riggers, and the rigging order must be submitted through the official show contractor well before move-in. The venue's technical team reviews the weight and attachment specifications before approving the hang, and they will not approve an over-weight or inadequately engineered submission. Exhibit houses that design custom hanging elements should have a structural engineering report ready when they submit the rigging order — last-minute revisions are common when the calculation is done at show site instead of in the design phase.

AV for custom exhibits in Long Beach runs through one of two channels: the exhibit house's own AV package (requiring EAC registration if a non-official contractor does the work) or the in-house AV provider at LBCEC. For complex configurations with integrated media servers or video walls, the exhibit house's AV team is usually the better fit. For simpler monitor-and-audio setups in a hotel ballroom program, the in-house provider is often faster and avoids the EAC paperwork.

Submit electrical load calculations before the advance-order deadline — show-site orders carry a significant markup

Rigging requires approved venue riggers; submit weight and engineering specs through the official show contractor before move-in

Structural engineering drawings must be stamped before the fire marshal will approve a hanging element or second-deck platform

AV scope determines whether the exhibit house's crew needs EAC registration or whether the in-house provider is the faster route

EAC documentation and show-manual compliance

An Exhibitor Appointed Contractor is any labor provider working on the show floor who is not the official show contractor. Exhibit houses, independent AV crews, scenic builders, and specialized installers all fall under the EAC category if they are performing work the general contractor would otherwise handle. At LBCEC shows, EAC registration typically requires a certificate of insurance naming the show's general contractor and the venue, with a deadline set in the show manual.

The most common EAC mistake with custom builds is registering the exhibit house but not the specialty subcontractors it brings in. If a separate company is handling graphics installation, lighting programming, or AV commissioning, each of those companies may need its own EAC registration. The show manual will specify whether sub-EAC filings are required — read it before the build is six weeks out, not the week before move-in.

Show manuals for Long Beach events are published by the official show contractor, not by LBCEC directly. They include exhibitor service kits with deadlines, order forms, and floor-plan submission requirements. Custom exhibit teams should pull the manual as soon as it is available and build a compliance calendar: rigging order deadline, electrical order deadline, EAC registration deadline, structural drawing submission, and fire marshal permit if required. Missing one deadline on a custom build typically creates a cascade because later steps depend on earlier approvals.

EAC registration covers the exhibit house and any specialty subcontractors working on the floor — confirm whether sub-EAC filings are required

Certificate of insurance must name the official show contractor and LBCEC — confirm the exact named insured requirements in the show manual

Build a compliance calendar from the show manual deadlines: rigging, electrical, EAC registration, structural drawings, fire marshal

Show manuals are issued by the official show contractor, not by LBCEC — request it directly after signing the exhibitor contract

Briefing a custom exhibit vendor for a Long Beach show

Exhibit houses that haven't worked LBCEC before sometimes design to a generic convention-center spec rather than the specific hall their client is assigned to. Confirm the hall assignment, booth space number, and any show-floor restrictions — height limits, rigging no-fly zones, perimeter rules for island booths — before issuing the RFP and pass those details to every vendor bidding the project.

The briefing document for a custom build should include the show name and dates, the LBCEC hall and booth number, the approved footprint and any perimeter or height restrictions, the freight timeline (advance warehouse cutoff and move-in days), the electrical load estimate, any rigging or second-deck requirements, and the dismantle and outbound shipping plan. Custom builds that run over on move-out cost as much in overtime as they save in production — build the dismantle plan into the brief from the start.

Budget for custom builds should cover: fabrication and shipping, drayage (advance and return), electrical service, rigging if applicable, EAC insurance and registration costs, installation and dismantle labor, and venue permits or fire marshal review fees. Each category has a floor set by published rates. Bids below those floors typically reflect an uncounted line item or a scope gap that will reappear as a change order.

Confirm hall assignment, booth number, and show-floor restrictions before issuing the RFP — these details change the design and the cost

Include the dismantle and outbound shipping plan in the initial brief; overtime on move-out is as expensive as fabrication overruns

Budget categories with hard floors: drayage, electrical, rigging, EAC registration, labor, and permits — bids below floor rates need explanation

Vendors who ask for LBCEC technical specs and the show manual before quoting are more likely to produce a complete and accurate bid

Frequently asked questions about custom exhibit booths at Long Beach trade shows

Do custom exhibit booths require special permits at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center?

Yes, in most cases. Booths taller than eight feet, structures with hanging signs or rigged elements, second-deck platforms, and any configuration with a roof or enclosed ceiling typically require a structural engineering review and fire marshal approval before installation can begin. The show manual will specify which configurations trigger permit requirements, and the official show contractor coordinates the submission process with the venue and the city. Plan for a stamped engineering drawing as a standard deliverable for any custom build above eight feet — it is almost always required and is much cheaper to produce during the design phase than after fabrication.

Can we use our own exhibit house at an LBCEC show, or do we have to use the official show contractor's services?

Exhibitors can use their own exhibit house as an Exhibitor Appointed Contractor, subject to registration and insurance requirements set in the show manual. The exhibit house must submit a certificate of insurance, complete the EAC registration form, and meet the registration deadline. Some services at LBCEC shows are exclusive to the official show contractor or the venue — electrical distribution, rigging, and forklift operation commonly fall in this category. Read the show manual's EAC section carefully; it will list which services are exclusive and which are open to EAC contractors.

How far in advance should we order electrical service for a custom exhibit?

The advance-order deadline is set in the show's exhibitor services kit, but it typically falls fourteen to twenty-one days before move-in. For custom builds with high power loads — multiple monitors, integrated lighting, audio equipment, and dedicated circuits — submit the electrical order as early as possible and include a load calculation rather than a rough estimate. Orders submitted after the deadline are priced at show-site rates, which at Long Beach convention events commonly run 30 to 50 percent above the advance rate. If the load calculation changes after submission, it is easier to adjust an existing advance order than to file a new show-site order.

What is the difference between advance warehouse shipping and direct-to-show shipping for a custom exhibit?

Advance warehouse shipping sends crates to a warehouse operated by the official show contractor weeks before the show. Drayage from the warehouse to the booth is included in the advance warehouse rate, and the crates arrive at the booth at a predictable time during move-in. Direct-to-show shipping routes freight to the LBCEC marshalling yard during the move-in window. It can be cheaper on the carrier side because the freight moves closer to the show date, but it requires precise timing coordination with the marshalling schedule. For large custom builds with complex crate profiles, advance warehouse shipping reduces the risk of freight arriving in the wrong sequence for the exhibit house's labor call.

Are hotel ballrooms in Long Beach suitable for custom exhibit builds?

For lower-profile custom builds, yes. The Hyatt Regency Long Beach, the Westin Long Beach, and the Marriott Long Beach Downtown all host conference programs with exhibitor areas where custom hardwall structures, integrated counters, and tension-fabric graphic systems are practical. The ceiling height constraint — typically 14 to 18 feet in ballrooms — rules out hanging signs, tall tower elements, and second-deck platforms. Custom builds for ballroom programs should be designed from the start with the height limit in mind rather than adapted from a convention-hall design. The electrical and AV workflow in hotel ballrooms also differs from the exhibit hall; the in-house hotel AV provider typically controls signal distribution, which affects how a custom AV build integrates.