How Much Does a Booth at AAPEX Cost?

Budgeting a booth for AAPEX at The Venetian Expo comes down to three things: booth size, how much custom build and LED you want, and the Las Vegas show costs that catch first-timers off guard (drayage, labor, electrical). Here are realistic 2026 ranges for an exhibit rental at AAPEX.

That band covers the booth, graphics and show services below. It excludes the floor space itself, which you buy from the AAPEX organiser.

What our LED costs at AAPEX

Most companies quoting AAPEX are reselling somebody else's panels and will not put a number in writing. We own and install ours, so here is the actual price list.

Posters join together into walls and the tower's panels build walls too, so an AAPEX LED budget often starts as a poster count rather than a square-footage quote. On these rates buying pays back in roughly two shows — see the LED cost guide for the full rent-versus-buy arithmetic.

What AAPEX exhibitors actually spend it on

AAPEX is a automotive aftermarket parts show with roughly 2500 exhibitors, and that changes where the money goes. Product-display booths, LED walls and lit counters built for the auto-parts buyer.

Build for the reveal: a turntable or raised platform, a wide LED canvas for hero footage, and clean sightlines so the product is visible from across the aisle.

Timing: AAPEX runs each November, and November butts against the holidays — anything shipping late risks a carrier blackout, so treat the graphics deadline as immovable.

• Custom vs. modular — a rental modular system costs far less than a fully custom build.
• LED video wall — fine-pitch LED is the biggest single upgrade (and the biggest traffic driver).
• Show services at The Venetian Expo — The Venetian Expo (formerly Sands Expo) handles freight through the show's official contractor with CWT-based drayage; the Koval Lane docks serve levels 1 and 2.
• Labor — Labor is union-staffed; plan installs around straight-time windows to avoid overtime, and confirm what your team can self-install.

The The Venetian Expo line items exhibitors miss

These land on the official contractor's invoice rather than your booth vendor's, and they are where AAPEX budgets break.

• Drayage is billed by weight, round trip — per hundredweight, with a minimum per shipment that is usually 200 lbs. Three 150 lb boxes bill as 600 lbs, not 450. The same freight on one pallet bills about 25% less, which is why everything we ship goes in rolling flight cases. Full breakdown in the drayage guide.
• Electrical is priced by your deadline — advance ordering typically runs 30–50% under floor pricing for the identical drop. Get your LED power draw in writing and order early.
• Docks and routing at The Venetian Expo — Two exhibit levels connected by freight elevators — heavy or oversized displays are easier on Level 1, so flag freight dimensions early.
• Plan ahead — Because exhibits span two levels, lock your hall and level early — it changes freight routing and labor calls.

Ways to cut your AAPEX bill

• Consolidate freight into one shipment. Minimums are charged per shipment, so this costs nothing and is decided before anything leaves your building.
• Design for hand assembly. If your own staff is setting up, the working limit is no power tools and no ladders — a booth built to that rule is one you can install yourself. Posters, SEG lightboxes, backwalls and AV placement are generally yours to do; electrical beyond plug-in and anything hanging or ceiling-mounted is not. See the union labor guide.
• Rent the structure, own the LED. If AAPEX is one of three or more shows you do a year, the LED pays for itself faster than the booth does.
• Lock graphics early. Artwork is the real clock on every rush job.

Want an exact number for your booth size at AAPEX? We'll send a free, itemized quote — usually same day. For the full line-by-line breakdown see our Las Vegas booth cost guide.

What it really costs to exhibit at AAPEX: the landed total

Your booth vendor’s quote is one line of the bill. The rest lands on the organiser’s and the official contractor’s invoices, and it is where AAPEX budgets break. Below is the whole bill by booth size, built only from figures the organiser or contractor has published; anything they have not published says so and is left out of the total rather than guessed.

10x10: 100 sq ft, 500 lb of freight, 6 labour hours, 1 outlet

10x20: 200 sq ft, 1,000 lb of freight, 12 labour hours, 2 outlets

20x20: 400 sq ft, 2,500 lb of freight, 32 labour hours, 3 outlets

20x30: 600 sq ft, 4,000 lb of freight, 48 labour hours, 4 outlets

What the sources say about those figures:

• Floor space: Non-member rate; $34.00 per sq ft for Auto Care Association (Level 2+), MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers, NARSA or PAMA members. Corner charges: island +$5,800, peninsula +$2,800, linear corner +$750. Minimum 100 sq ft.
• Material handling (not published): Billed per pound by Freeman; the rate is behind the FreemanOnline login. Shipments of 10 lb and under are free; booths of 400 sq ft or less with under 500 lb in a POV may self-unload at Hall G on November 1-2 at no charge; advance deadline October 1, 2026.
• Electrical (not published): Ordered through the Venetian's portal (login). electrical at the Venetian Expo is exclusive to the venue's own Event Service Electrical and is ordered on the Venetian's exhibitor portal; outlet prices are not published outside it. Outlets over 15 amps or above 120 volts require electrical labour with a one-hour minimum, and an order below the minimum carries a $50 labour-and-preparation charge (Venetian Exhibitor Suc
• Labour: Freeman display labour, advance order: straight time $123.75 per hour (8:00am-4:30pm Monday-Friday), overtime $217.00; discount deadline October 1, 2026.

Assumptions are ours, not the show’s: Freight weight is the crated weight of a rental modular SEG or LED kit of that size, including counters and cases; your crate manifest governs and the drayage minimum applies per shipment. Labour hours are total install plus dismantle at straight time for a vendor-installed booth of that size; overtime and double-time premiums apply outside the contractor's straight-time window. Electrical is one 5-amp/120-volt outlet per lit element at the advance-order rate; an LED wall or tower needs its own circuit, which the kit prices separately. Change any of them in the landed-cost estimator. Rates marked as a range are the published range across recent shows at The Venetian Expo; your exhibitor service kit governs.

Frequently asked

What is the total cost to exhibit at AAPEX including drayage and labor?

For a 10x20 at AAPEX, the published figures add up to roughly $20,285–$33,285: floor space from the organiser $11,800, exhibit rental $7,000–$20,000, install and dismantle labour $1,485. It excludes material handling (drayage), round trip and electrical, which are not published. The full line-by-line table and the assumptions behind it are in the landed-cost section above.

How much is a booth at AAPEX?

A 10x10 rental at AAPEX typically runs $3,000–$9,000, a 10x20 $7,000–$20,000, and a 20x20 island $18,000–$45,000 — before show services like drayage and labor at The Venetian Expo. We'll send an exact quote for your size.

Does the price include design?

Yes — design and renderings are included in your quote before you commit.

Is renting cheaper than buying?

For one or two shows, renting is almost always cheaper and simpler. If you exhibit often, owning a modular system can pay off — we'll show you both numbers.