Exhibit Planning

Exhibitor Move-In/Set-Up
Monday, 6 April 2026 | 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, 7 April 2026 | 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
All booths must be set up and ready for business by 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Expo Show Hours
Tuesday, 7 April 2026 2:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, 8 April 2026 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Exhibitor Tear-Down/Move-Out
Wednesday, 8 April / 2:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Important: Exhibitor Tear-Down/Move-Out 

Early Tear-Down Prohibited
Exhibitors may not begin dismantling or packing before the official close of the expo at 2:00 p.m. Early tear-down negatively affects the event experience and is not permitted. Exhibitors caught tearing down early may face the following penalties:

• Loss of the post-show attendee list
• $500 fine (must be paid before future participation)
• Additional fees applied when signing up for next year’s event

Move-Out Expectations
Exhibits must be removed from the building no later than 8:00 p.m.
Any items left in the building after the conclusion of exhibitor move-out will be discarded as trash, and the exhibitor will be financially liable for any applicable trash/dumpster fees.

Exhibitor Liability Insurance – Required
Deadline: 2 March 2026
Vendor: Rainprotection | Exhibitor Liability Insurance Program

Electrical, Furniture, Shipping, Material Handling, Labor, and more
Early Bird Deadline: 9 March 2026
Vendor: Freeman | Freeman Online Exhibitor Kit | Freeman Quick Facts

Lead Retrieval
Deadline: TBD
Vendor: eShow | eShow Exhibitor Service Center

Audio/Visual and Internet
Deadline: 3 April 2026
Vendor: Encore | Exhibitor Order Form

Booth Catering, Food & Beverage Sample Distribution
Deadline: 16 April 2026
Vendor: Hilton San Francisco Union Square | For more information: Sara.Powers@hilton.com

Keep track of all show deadlines by logging in to your eShow Exhibitor Checklist

International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) guidelines for linear/in-line booths:

• Display materials must not obstruct sight lines of neighboring exhibitors.

• Maximum height: 8 ft (allowed only in the rear half of the booth space).

• Height restriction: 4 ft (allowed only in the front half of the booth space).

• Background surfaces and side dividers must have finished, exposed surfaces.
  

Submitting a booth diagram to ensure compliance:

Submitting a booth diagram is optional, but encouraged. Exhibitors may submit their booth diagrams below for review to ensure compliance.



Exhibitors who choose not to submit a diagram fully accept responsibility for ensuring their booth is in compliance.
Any violations will result in fines and additional fees.*
Deadline to submit: 1 March 2026

Submit a Booth Layout
10x10 Booth Template
10x20 Booth Template

Prohibited exhibit installations:
Show Management reserves the right to prohibit the installation of any exhibit which does not meet its approval. Exhibitors should be sure that all final exhibit designs are within the construction guidelines and then use the form linked below to submit the details to Show Management for review.
Learn more here: Terms & Conditions: Section 6 - Booth Construction Guidelines

*Failure to comply with booth construction guidelines may result in the following consequences:

• A $500 fine, payable before the end of the event. If the fine is not paid onsite, it will be added to the exhibitor’s
  balance and must be paid in full before the company is permitted to exhibit at any future IFMA events.
• Forfeiture of the complimentary post-show attendee list.
• Responsibility for all costs incurred to bring the booth into compliance (e.g., height adjustments, surface finishing,
  removal of prohibited items).
• Suspension from future IFMA events, including loss of priority booth placement.

Tables, chairs and other furnishings are not included with booth space. The Hilton San Francisco Union Square is carpeted and exhibitors are not required to purchase additional flooring unless they would like to customize the look of their booth at their own expense.

Exhibitors may bring in their own furnishings or rent from Freeman by visiting Freeman Exhibitor Kit. Order by 9 March for discounted rates.


The purchase price of your booth space includes:

• 8’ high booth back drape
• 3’ high draped side dividers
• 44” x 7” identification sign with company name & booth #.
  
  Example of what is included in your booth space:
  

What is shipping?
- Transport of your materials from your origin to the shipping dock of the advance warehouse or event venue before the show.
- Transport of your materials from the event venue to your destination after the show.

Shipping to the Freeman Advanced Warehouse
Freight can be shipped to the Freeman warehouse beginning 9 March 2026.
Any material arriving after 30 March 2026 will be received at the warehouse with an additional after-deadline charge.
Advanced Warehouse Shipping Labels

Shipping to the Hilton San Francisco Union Square
Freeman is unable to accept direct freight shipments at Hilton San Francisco Union Square, as this hotel does not allow show-site shipping.

Using Your Own Carrier
All exhibitor materials must be removed from the exhibit facility by Wednesday, 08 April 2026 - 8:00 PM.
To ensure all exhibitor materials are removed from the exhibit facility by the Exhibitor Move-Out deadline, please have all carriers check-in by 08 April 2026 - 6:00 PM. Please arrange with your carrier to pick up your outbound freight directly from the show site:
Hilton San Francisco Union Square
333 O'Farrell St
San Francisco, CA 94102

In the event your selected carrier fails to show on the final move-out day, Freeman reserves the right to re-route your freight onto another carrier. See the Freeman Quick Facts for more information.


Hand Carrying Policy
You may hand-carry only what you can manage by yourself (one person) in one trip, using no equipment (including dollies or hand trucks). Since hand-carried materials may not be able to come through the freight entrance, you will need to bring them in through the hotel entrance.

The Teamsters Union Local 2785 (and Local 287 for shows in San Jose) has jurisdiction over all unloading and reloading of materials. The Union also has jurisdiction over the operation of all material handling equipment - this includes all dollies and hand trucks. Current union jurisdiction prevents hotel personnel from delivering materials to exhibit booths.

See Union Jurisdictions for more information.

Please note that any exhibitors who ship their materials will be subject to Material Handling charges. Please see Freeman Shipping & Material Handling for more information.

- Transport of your materials from the shipping dock of the advance warehouse or event venue to your exhibit space.
- Storage of empty containers.
- Transport of your materials from your exhibit space to the transportation vehicle.

Freeman is the general contractor for the show and responsible for all movement of freight within the event venue. They are the exclusive provider of material handling, and installation & dismantle labor.

Material Handling Estimate
Please refer to Freeman's estimate calculator.

Hand Carrying Policy
You may hand-carry only what you can manage by yourself (one person) in one trip, using no equipment (including dollies or hand trucks). Since hand-carried materials may not be able to come through the freight entrance, you will need to bring them in through the hotel entrance.

The Teamsters Union Local 2785 (and Local 287 for shows in San Jose) has jurisdiction over all unloading and reloading of materials. The Union also has jurisdiction over the operation of all material handling equipment - this includes all dollies and hand trucks. Current union jurisdiction prevents hotel personnel from delivering materials to exhibit booths.

See Union Jurisdictions for more information.

Please note that any exhibitors who ship their materials will be subject to Material Handling charges. Please see Freeman Shipping & Material Handling for more information.

Exhibitors may, with prior written approval by IFMA, hire outside contractors for installation and dismantling of booths. Exhibitors must employ members of appropriate trade unions where required. EAC houses must supply proof of liability insurance certificates and letters of intent to Show management.
EAC Notification Form

IFMA is the only authorized source for attendee lists. If anyone else contacts you with list offers, be aware that the data they claim to have is fraudulent. IFMA will never reach out to exhibitors to purchase attendee mailing lists. Reach out to expoadv@ifma.org to confirm the legitimacy of any communication you may receive.

Attendees and exhibitors may be subjected to inappropriate solicitation from hotels or third-party housing agencies not affiliated with IFMA’s Facility Fusion.

Poachers may offer a lower hotel rate than the rates offered in our official block. Consequently, the reserved rooms may be of significantly lower quality, cancellation policies are often intolerant, and you do not have the support of IFMA’s housing agent should you need assistance with your reservation.

IFMA goes to great lengths to ensure that every aspect of your Facility Fusion experience is of the highest quality and value. Poachers do not have your best interests in mind, nor are they committed to providing a high level of customer service.

1. Navigate to https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.
2. Click "Report Now".
3. Under Is your report about any of these common problems?, select "An impersonator (ex. fake government, business, love interest, grandchild' in the top left corner.
4. Under Who were they pretending to be?, select "Well-known or trusted business (ex. tech support, utility company, bank) "in the top right corner.
5. Follow the process from there, which should only take 1-2 minutes.
6. Report as spam, and block any email address or phone number soliciting these illegitimate offers.