Trade Show Labor Costs: I&D, Union Rules & What to Budget

Labor costs for setting up and tearing down your trade show booth can rival the cost of the booth itself. For complex custom booths, installation and dismantle (I&D) labor is often the second or third largest line item in the entire show budget—right behind booth construction and space rental.

Yet labor is one of the hardest costs to estimate accurately. Rates vary by city, union rules change the equation, and the difference between a smooth install and a chaotic one can swing costs by thousands of dollars. Here’s how to plan for it.

How Trade Show Labor Works

When your booth arrives at the convention center, someone has to unpack it, assemble it, connect the electrical, hang the graphics, place the furniture, and make it look like the rendering your designer showed you three months ago. Then, when the show ends, someone has to reverse all of that in a fraction of the time.

This work is performed by I&D labor—crews that specialize in trade show installation. Depending on the venue and your arrangements, this labor comes from one of three sources:

• The general contractor (GC): The official show contractor (Freeman, GES, etc.) provides labor at published rates
• Exhibit-appointed contractors (EAC): Your exhibit house or a third-party labor company you hire directly
• Your own team: In some venues and for simple booths, you may be able to set up yourself

Each option has different cost structures, and which ones are available to you depends largely on one factor: union rules.

Union vs. Non-Union Venues

The single biggest variable in trade show labor costs is whether the venue is a union facility.

Union Venues

Most major convention centers in cities like Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco, and Orlando operate under union labor agreements. In these venues:

• All work involving tools, electrical connections, rigging, or material handling must be performed by union workers
• Labor is provided through the general contractor or an approved EAC
• Rates are set by union contracts and are non-negotiable
• Strict work rules govern breaks, overtime, crew minimums, and task assignments
• Different trades handle different tasks (electricians, carpenters, riggers, teamsters)

You cannot bring your own crew to do work that falls under union jurisdiction. Attempting to do so will result in a grievance, work stoppage, or both.

Non-Union Venues

Smaller venues and convention centers in right-to-work states sometimes operate without union labor requirements. In these venues:

• You have more flexibility in who performs the work
• Rates are generally lower ($50-$100 per hour vs. $80-$150+)
• Work rules are less rigid
• You may be able to set up simple booths yourself

However, even at non-union venues, certain tasks like electrical and rigging typically require licensed professionals.

Understanding the Rate Structure

Trade show labor rates are more complex than a simple hourly number. Here’s how they break down:

Straight Time

Standard working hours, typically Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM (varies by city). Rates range from $80-$150 per hour per worker for general labor. Skilled trades (electricians, riggers) run higher.

Overtime

Work performed outside standard hours—early morning, evenings, and Saturdays—is billed at 1.5x the straight-time rate. That $100/hour worker now costs $150/hour.

Double Time

Sundays, holidays, and sometimes late-night shifts are billed at 2x the straight-time rate. That same worker costs $200/hour. Since many shows open on a Monday or Tuesday, weekend setup is common—and expensive.

Minimums

Most labor orders have minimum call times, typically 4 hours. If you need a crew for 2 hours of work, you’re paying for 4. This applies per worker, so a crew of 4 with a 4-hour minimum means you’re paying for 16 labor hours minimum.

Supervision

A supervisor or lead carpenter typically costs $100-$200+ per hour. This is someone who reads the plans, directs the crew, and makes decisions about assembly. For anything beyond a simple inline booth, you need one.

Crew Sizing by Booth Size

The size and complexity of your booth determines how many workers you need and for how long. Here are rough guidelines:

10x10 Inline Booth (Simple)

• Crew: 1-2 workers
• Install time: 2-4 hours
• Dismantle time: 1-2 hours
• Estimated labor cost: $500-$1,500

10x20 Inline Booth (Moderate)

• Crew: 2-3 workers
• Install time: 4-8 hours
• Dismantle time: 2-4 hours
• Estimated labor cost: $1,500-$4,000

20x20 Island Booth (Complex)

• Crew: 4-6 workers
• Install time: 8-16 hours
• Dismantle time: 4-8 hours
• Estimated labor cost: $4,000-$10,000

30x30+ Island Booth (Custom)

• Crew: 6-12+ workers
• Install time: 16-40+ hours
• Dismantle time: 8-16 hours
• Estimated labor cost: $10,000-$30,000+

These ranges assume straight-time rates. If your install happens during overtime or double-time hours, multiply accordingly.

The General Contractor vs. EAC Decision

You generally have two options for sourcing I&D labor: the show’s general contractor or an exhibit-appointed contractor.

General Contractor

The GC is the default option. They’re already on-site, they know the venue, and ordering through them is straightforward. The downsides: rates are typically higher, and the crews may not be familiar with your specific booth.

Exhibit-Appointed Contractor (EAC)

An EAC is a labor company you hire directly—often your exhibit house’s preferred labor partner in that city. EAC rates are frequently 10-25% lower than GC rates. The crews can be briefed on your booth in advance, and your exhibit house supervisor can manage them directly.

The catch: EACs must be approved by the show, and there’s usually paperwork, insurance requirements, and sometimes an EAC fee ($200-$500) charged by the general contractor. Despite these hurdles, EACs save money on most medium and large installations.

Forced Labor Minimums

Some shows and venues impose labor minimums—a requirement that you use a minimum number of labor hours regardless of your actual needs. This is more common with the general contractor and in certain union jurisdictions.

For example, a show might require a minimum 4-hour call with a 2-person crew for any booth installation. Even if your pre-built booth snaps together in 30 minutes, you’re paying for 8 labor hours.

Ask about minimums early so they don’t surprise your budget.

Supervision: Don’t Skip It

Sending your booth to a show without a supervisor is like shipping furniture without assembly instructions and hoping the delivery team figures it out. Sometimes they will. Often they won’t.

A supervisor from your exhibit house typically costs $1,000-$2,500 per day plus travel expenses. That might seem steep until you consider what happens without one:

• Graphics get installed in the wrong locations
• Structural elements are assembled incorrectly
• Electrical and AV aren’t positioned properly
• The booth doesn’t match the approved rendering
• Problems during install become expensive on-site fixes

For booths valued at $30,000 or more, supervision pays for itself by preventing a single significant installation error.

Strategies to Reduce Labor Costs

Design for Fast Setup

The single most effective way to reduce labor costs is to design your booth for quick assembly. Tool-free connections, modular panels, and pre-wired electrical all reduce the hours your crew spends on-site.

Pre-Build and Ship Display-Ready

Having your exhibit house pre-assemble sections of the booth before shipping means on-site work is assembly, not construction. Pre-built walls, pre-attached graphics, and pre-wired components can cut install time by 30-50%.

Avoid Overtime

Plan your logistics so materials arrive during standard receiving hours and your installation happens during straight time. This requires working backward from the show open to build a realistic timeline—accounting for drayage delivery, which you don’t control.

Label Everything

Clear labeling on every crate, panel, and component speeds up installation. Include detailed assembly instructions with diagrams. The less time the crew spends figuring out what goes where, the less you pay.

Use Modular Systems

Modular and rental booth systems are engineered for fast setup. A modular 20x20 booth might install in 8 hours where a custom booth of the same size takes 16. Over multiple shows per year, that labor savings adds up significantly.

Consolidate Shipments

Fewer crates and cases mean less time unpacking and less material handling. Ship smart—consolidate where possible and eliminate unnecessary packaging.

How Labor Fits Into Your Total Budget

Labor typically represents 10-20% of total show costs, though this percentage varies with booth complexity. For a full breakdown of all trade show cost categories, labor sits alongside shipping as one of the ongoing variable costs that hits your budget every time you exhibit.

Labor and drayage/shipping costs are closely related—a heavier booth requires more labor to install. Reducing booth weight helps both line items simultaneously.

Use our trade show cost calculator to model labor costs alongside every other budget category. And for a comprehensive look at all cost categories, read The Real Cost of Exhibiting at a Trade Show.

The key takeaway: labor costs are controllable, but only if you plan for them during the booth design phase—not after the booth is built and ready to ship.