PACK EXPO International 2026 by the Floor Plan: 2,572 Stands, Measured
Original analysis of 2,572 stands and 1,322,309 sq ft at PACK EXPO International 2026 (October 18-21, McCormick Place, Chicago) - the most stands we have ever measured on one plan, on the floor with the least concentration at the top.
As of September 2, 2026: 2,424 of 2,517 stands reserved · 85 open · 8 on hold. PACK EXPO International 2026 runs Nov 8–11, 2026 at McCormick Place — 67 days out. Availability figures in the text carry their own pull date; this line moves with the plan. Check any booth →
- 2,572 stands, 2,357 companies, 1,322,309 sq ft across five McCormick halls - the most stands we have measured on any plan, with 144 still open on August 3, 2026 for the October 18-21 show.
- The top 100 stands hold just 31.3% of the floor - the LEAST concentrated giant show we have measured (IMTS: 45%, InfoComm: 50%).
- Peninsulas - not islands - dominate: 937 peninsula stands hold 42% of the floor, unique among the seven floors we have measured.
- Hall stratification is extreme: the median stand in South Hall is 750 sq ft; in Lakeside Lower it is 100.
- 56% of stands cannot hang a sign; the biggest stand is Syntegon's 13,050 sq ft, with no runaway giants above it.
How we measured this
Every figure comes from the PACK EXPO International 2026 published floor plan. Booth polygons are stored in inches, so each stand gives an exact width, depth, square footage and position, and from the coordinates we derive each stand's open sides - inline (no hanging sign), corner, peninsula, or island (full height and sign rights).
Checks before we trusted any of it: booth dimensions land on clean trade-show sizes; the five hall codes on the plan are McCormick's real halls (North, South, West, Lakeside Upper, Lakeside Lower) and booth prefixes match; and the organiser markets the show at 2,600+ exhibitors - our 2,572 measured stands with 144 still selling is independently consistent with that figure. Counts are as the plan stood on August 3, 2026; floors move as space is sold and resold.
The show with no monopoly
On every other giant floor we have measured, a handful of stands own the show: the top 100 hold 45% of IMTS, half of InfoComm, 47.8% of NAB. At PACK EXPO International, the top 100 stands hold just 31.3% of the floor - and the biggest stand on the plan, Syntegon's 13,050 sq ft, would not crack the top five at IMTS.
Behind Syntegon sit Duravant (11,700), BW Packaging (11,310), Amcor Flexibles (10,935), Coesia Group (9,673) and Heat and Control (9,168) - a gentle slope, not a cliff. Packaging is a fragmented industry and its floor shows it: 2,357 companies with a median stand of 225 sq ft, and more mid-size stands (400-1,000 sq ft) than any floor we have measured.
What that means competitively: at this show, a well-executed 20x20 genuinely competes for attention - there is no wall of 17,000 sq ft anchors soaking up every sightline. The fight is local, aisle by aisle, which makes stand class and hall placement matter more than raw size.
A peninsula floor - and five halls that are five different shows
PACK EXPO's stand-class mix is unique among the seven floors we have measured: 937 peninsulas hold 42% of the floor - more than its 175 islands (22%) - where every other show is island-dominated. The three-sided endcap is this show's signature stand: machinery wants long sightlines down an aisle, and a peninsula delivers them at a fraction of an island's cost.
| Stand type | Count | Share of stands | Share of floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inline (1 open side) | 270 | 10% | 4% |
| Corner (2 open sides) | 1,190 | 46% | 30% |
| Peninsula (3 open sides) | 937 | 36% | 42% |
| Island (4 open sides) | 175 | 7% | 22% |
And the halls are stratified like no other floor we have measured:
| Hall | Stands | Median stand | Floor sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| South | 388 | 750 sq ft | 521,958 sq ft |
| North | 423 | 400 sq ft | 309,867 sq ft |
| West | 722 | 200 sq ft | 230,896 sq ft |
| Lakeside Upper | 535 | 225 sq ft | 197,944 sq ft |
| Lakeside Lower | 504 | 100 sq ft | 61,644 sq ft |
South Hall's median stand is 7.5 times Lakeside Lower's. The same 10x10 that reads as a normal neighbour in Lakeside Lower reads as a rounding error between South Hall's machinery lines. Before judging your stand size, check your hall's median - and if you are choosing between a bigger stand in Lakeside or a smaller one upstairs, know which show-within-the-show you are actually joining.
What this means if you are exhibiting at PACK EXPO 2026
There is still room - 144 stands were open when we measured, ten weeks before the October 18-21 show. On a floor this corner-rich (1,190 corners, 46% of stands), asking the space desk specifically for a corner is the cheapest visibility upgrade available - and with 56% of stands unable to hang a sign, the second open side does the work a sign cannot.
McCormick works in your favour on labor. The Exhibitor Bill of Rights lets your own full-time employees set up a booth of any size with their own tools - so a modular SEG or lightbox build your team assembles installs meaningfully cheaper in Chicago than the same booth would in Las Vegas. Electrical past a standard outlet is IBEW work and overhead rigging belongs to the riggers. Our McCormick Place union labor and drayage guide has the specifics.
An October Chicago show has a September clock: advance-warehouse windows and graphics deadlines land in late September - lock artwork by mid-September and ship advance, because direct-to-site at McCormick during a 2,572-stand move-in is where budgets go to die.
Note on names: this is PACK EXPO International, the Chicago edition; PACK EXPO Las Vegas is the alternating-year Las Vegas edition of the same franchise. We measured IMTS 2026 - the other McCormick giant, five weeks earlier - the same way: see the IMTS floor-plan analysis for two floors in one building with opposite shapes (IMTS: 73% no-sign, top-heavy; PACK EXPO: 56%, flat). The series also covers AHR Expo 2027, RE+, SEMA, NAB and InfoComm.
Exhibiting in October? Send us your booth size and hall - a free quote, usually same day.
Frequently asked
How many exhibitors are at PACK EXPO International 2026?
We measured 2,572 stands belonging to 2,357 companies across five McCormick Place halls, totalling 1,322,309 square feet, with 144 stands still available as of August 3, 2026. The organiser markets 2,600+ exhibitors, consistent with a floor still selling.
What is the average booth size at PACK EXPO International?
The median stand is 225 sq ft and the mean 551 - but the hall matters more than the average: South Hall's median is 750 sq ft while Lakeside Lower's is 100.
Can I hang a sign over my PACK EXPO booth?
Only from a peninsula or island: 56% of stands on the 2026 plan are inline or corner positions without sign rights. This floor's signature stand is the peninsula - 937 of them hold 42% of the floor, more than the islands.
Is the PACK EXPO International 2026 floor sold out?
Not when we measured: 144 of 2,572 stands (5.6%) were still marked available on August 3, 2026, plus 28 on hold, for the October 18-21 show.
When and where is PACK EXPO International 2026?
October 18-21, 2026 at McCormick Place, Chicago (per the organiser's site, checked August 2026). PACK EXPO International is the Chicago edition; PACK EXPO Las Vegas is the separate alternating-year edition.
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