How do trade show hotel room blocks work?

Most large shows negotiate discounted room blocks at nearby hotels, typically 15-30% below the prevailing rate during the event. You book through the show's housing bureau or a designated link. Blocks fill up fast—often months in advance—and once they're gone, you're paying full market rates or staying farther from the venue. Book as soon as registration opens.

What is a reasonable per diem for trade show travel?

Per diem rates vary by city. The GSA (General Services Administration) sets federal per diem rates that many companies use as a guideline: $60-$80 per day for meals in most cities, up to $80-$100+ in expensive metros like New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. Convention center food is particularly expensive—budget $15-$25 for lunch alone.

When should I book flights for a trade show?

Book flights 6-10 weeks before the show for the best balance of availability and price. Booking earlier than 10 weeks rarely saves much. Booking within 3 weeks typically costs 30-60% more. For major shows in January (CES) or September-October, book even earlier as those are peak travel periods.

How many staff should I send to a trade show?

For a 10x10 booth, 2 people is sufficient. For a 10x20, plan for 2-3. For a 20x20, you'll want 3-5. For larger island booths, 5-8+. The key metric is booth coverage: you need at least 2 people present at all times during show hours to handle multiple conversations and allow for breaks. Every additional person adds $2,000-$4,000 in travel costs.

Trade Show Travel & Hotel Costs: A Planning Guide

Travel and lodging are the most predictable trade show costs—and yet they still surprise teams because the numbers add up faster than expected. A team of four at a three-day show easily spends $8,000-$15,000 on flights, hotels, meals, and ground transportation. For a team of six at a show in an expensive city, that number can hit $20,000-$25,000.

The good news: unlike booth construction or drayage, travel costs are largely within your control. Smart planning, early booking, and clear policies can save 20-30% without cutting corners on your team’s experience.

Airfare: Timing Is Everything

Airfare is the most volatile travel cost. The same flight can range from $250 to $800 depending on when you book, what day you fly, and whether the show coincides with other major events in the city.

What to Budget Per Person

Domestic flights (booked 6-10 weeks out): $250-$500 round trip
Domestic flights (booked last minute): $500-$900 round trip
International flights: $800-$2,500+ round trip
Baggage fees: $30-$70 per checked bag, each way

Booking Strategy

The sweet spot for domestic flights is 6-10 weeks before the show. Earlier than that, airlines haven’t released their best fares. Later than 3 weeks out, prices climb steeply—sometimes 40-60% higher.

For major industry shows (CES in January, Natural Products Expo West in March, SXSW), book earlier. These events draw tens of thousands of attendees, and flight inventory to those cities tightens quickly.

A few other tips that consistently save money:

Fly midweek when possible: Tuesday/Wednesday flights are typically 15-25% cheaper than Monday or Friday
Arrive a day early: This avoids same-day travel stress and often costs less than the “everyone flies in Sunday night” approach
Build in flexibility: If your dates can flex by a day, fare comparison tools can find significant savings
Use fare alerts: Set alerts for your route as soon as you register for the show

Hotels: Book Early or Pay More

Hotel costs during major trade shows are a category unto themselves. When 30,000+ attendees descend on a city, hotel rates spike. A room that normally costs $150/night might run $250-$400 during show week. And that’s if you can find availability.

Room Block Rates vs. Market Rates

Most shows negotiate group room blocks at partner hotels. These blocks typically offer:

15-30% discount below the prevailing rate during the show
Proximity to the convention center
Simplified booking through the show’s housing bureau
Sometimes included shuttle service

The catch: room blocks have deadlines and limited inventory. Once the block fills or the cutoff date passes, you’re booking at open market rates—which can be 30-50% higher.

What to Budget Per Night

City Tier	Room Block Rate	Market Rate (Show Week)
Major metros (NYC, SF, Chicago)	$200-$350/night	$300-$500+/night
Convention cities (Las Vegas, Orlando)	$150-$250/night	$200-$400/night
Mid-size cities	$130-$200/night	$180-$300/night

How Many Nights

A three-day show (Tuesday-Thursday) typically requires four to five hotel nights:

Arrive: Monday evening (setup day or travel day)
Show days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday nights
Depart: Friday morning (after Thursday teardown, or Friday if teardown runs late)

Some teams need an additional night for pre-show setup, client dinners, or early-morning teardown the day after the show closes. Plan for the full realistic duration, not the minimum.

Hotel Tips

Book through the show housing bureau as soon as you register—don’t wait
Reserve more rooms than you need—you can usually cancel without penalty up to a deadline
Consider hotels slightly farther out: A 10-minute Uber ride can save $50-$100/night
Check cancellation policies carefully: Show-week cancellations are often non-refundable
Share rooms when appropriate: This isn’t always popular, but two shared rooms vs. four singles saves $3,000-$5,000 per show

Meals and Per Diem

Food costs are sneaky. A team of four eating three meals a day for four or five days in a convention city adds up to $1,500-$3,000—and that’s without client entertainment.

Convention Center Food

Lunch at the convention center is expensive and unavoidable on show days. Expect:

Quick grab-and-go: $12-$18
Sit-down lunch: $18-$30
Coffee and snacks: $5-$10 per visit (and your team will visit multiple times)

Budget $20-$30 per person per day for convention center food alone.

Setting Per Diem

Most companies set a daily per diem (daily meal allowance) based on GSA rates or an internal policy. Common approaches:

GSA rates: $60-$80/day in most cities, $80-$100+ in expensive metros
Flat rate: A simple $75 or $100/day regardless of city
Actuals with a cap: Reimburse actual expenses up to a daily maximum

Whatever approach you use, be realistic. Convention city restaurants during show week are busy and expensive. A team dinner at a decent restaurant near a convention center easily runs $50-$80 per person.

Client Entertainment

If your team is taking prospects or clients to dinner, budget separately for this. Client meals can run $100-$200+ per person at the restaurants where business relationships are built. For a show where you’re entertaining 2-3 client groups, add $1,000-$3,000 to your travel budget.

Ground Transportation

The daily cost of getting around adds up more than most people expect:

Airport transfers (ride-share): $25-$60 each way, per trip
Daily ride-share (hotel to venue): $15-$30 each way
Parking (if driving): $20-$50/day at convention centers
Rental car: $50-$100/day plus parking and gas

Budget Rule of Thumb

Plan for $40-$80 per person per day for ground transportation. For a team of four over five days, that’s $800-$1,600 in ride-share, taxi, and miscellaneous transport costs.

Ways to Save

Stay within walking distance of the venue—even if the room costs $30-$50 more per night, you save on daily transportation and time
Use show shuttles: Many shows provide free shuttle service from official hotels
Share rides: Coordinate team schedules so people travel together
Rent one car for the team instead of individual ride-shares if you have 4+ people and need flexibility

Staff Sizing: More People = More Cost

Every person you add to your trade show team costs $2,000-$4,000 in incremental travel expenses (flights, hotel, meals, transport). That makes staff sizing a genuine budget decision, not just an operational one.

How Many People Do You Actually Need?

The core question is booth coverage. During show hours, you need enough people to:

Handle 2-3 simultaneous conversations
Allow for breaks (lunch, bathroom, walking the show)
Cover the full footprint of your booth
Maintain energy over a long day (8-10 hours)

For most booths, the guideline is:

10x10: 2 people (minimum viable)
10x20: 2-3 people
20x20: 3-5 people
30x30+: 5-8+ people

Bringing extra people “just to see the show” is expensive. Be intentional about every person on the trip.

Example Travel Budgets

Here are realistic travel budgets for different team sizes at a three-day show in a major convention city (e.g., Las Vegas, Chicago, Orlando):

Team of 2

Expense	Cost
Airfare (2 x $400)	$800
Hotel (2 rooms x 4 nights x $200)	$1,600
Meals/per diem (2 x 5 days x $75)	$750
Ground transportation	$400
Total	$3,550

Team of 4

Expense	Cost
Airfare (4 x $400)	$1,600
Hotel (4 rooms x 4 nights x $200)	$3,200
Meals/per diem (4 x 5 days x $75)	$1,500
Ground transportation	$700
Client entertainment	$500
Total	$7,500

Team of 6

Expense	Cost
Airfare (6 x $400)	$2,400
Hotel (6 rooms x 4 nights x $200)	$4,800
Meals/per diem (6 x 5 days x $75)	$2,250
Ground transportation	$1,000
Client entertainment	$1,000
Total	$11,450

These are moderate estimates. Shows in New York or San Francisco could run 30-50% higher. Shows at less expensive venues could come in 15-20% lower.

How Travel Fits Into the Total Picture

Travel typically accounts for 15-25% of your total trade show budget. For a team attending a show with a 10x10 booth, travel might be the single largest cost category. For brands with larger booths, travel becomes a smaller percentage—but the absolute dollar amount usually increases because larger booths require more staff.

The key to controlling travel costs: make decisions early. Book flights and hotels as soon as you commit to a show. Set clear per diem and entertainment policies before the event. Decide on team size based on actual booth needs, not who wants to go.

Travel costs are one of the easiest categories to model in our trade show cost calculator—input your team size, destination, and trip length to see how it fits alongside your booth, shipping, and service costs.

For more on costs that catch teams off guard, read Hidden Trade Show Costs Most Teams Forget. And for common planning mistakes to avoid, check out Budget Mistakes Brands Make.

When you understand how all trade show costs work together, travel becomes just one piece of a well-planned budget rather than a source of surprise expenses.