Las Vegas, NV, Jan. 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For marketing decision-makers in the life sciences, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries, the moment the floor plan opens for a major congress can feel a bit like a land rush. There is immediate pressure to secure the “best” spot before a competitor plants their flag. But as anyone who has navigated the complex ecosystem of healthcare tradeshows knows, finding the right real estate is rarely as simple as pointing to a square on a map and cutting a check.
At Slate360, we believe that selecting booth space is just one step in a much larger, holistic journey. Whether you are looking at a linear setup for a smaller regional meeting or a massive island for ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology), the decisions you make during the selection process have ripple effects on your budget, your design capabilities, and your compliance with industry and show regulations.
Before you sign that contract, you need to look past the geometry of the floor plan and understand how you will leverage the space.
Adopting a Strategy-First Approach
It is tempting to dive straight into the logistics of “where” and “how much,” but the most successful exhibitors start with “why.” Before you even look at a map of the exhibit hall, you have to audit your budget—not just for the cost of the concrete underneath your feet, but for what it will take to fill that space effectively.
A miscalculation we sometimes see involves clients who decide they want, for example, a 20×20 footprint across the board for every show they plan to attend. While consistency supports brand awareness, it isn’t always practical. Before that decision is set in stone, you need to ask yourself some essential questions: Does every show on your list even offer 20×20 spaces? If yes, are they in good locations? Does your budget allow you to build and ship a structure that fits that footprint several times a year?
You have to take a holistic view of your program. If you are launching a product, you might need the flexibility to go big at the premier annual meeting but scale down to a 10×20 linear booth for smaller, regional shows. Understanding your “exhibiting journey”—whether you are a one-off exhibitor or building a repeatable program—will help determine which kind of space you should actually buy.
Reading the Floor Plan for Hidden Hazards
When you are staring at a digital floor plan, everything looks clean and clear. However, those lines and squares often hide physical realities that can ruin a booth design if you aren’t careful. We have seen clients get excited about a location, only to realize later that the small square symbol in the middle of their booth wasn’t a trash can or a utility port—it was a structural building column.
Once you contract for a space with a column, you are generally stuck with it. You end up having to design around an obstruction that blocks sightlines and creates dead zones in your booth experience.
And beyond the obvious obstructions, you need to scrutinize the infrastructure that isn’t always clearly marked. Variables that can affect your design potential include:
- Ceiling height and rigging. Just because you have the floor space doesn’t mean you have the vertical space. Some halls have sloping ceilings or rigging restrictions that will prevent you from hanging that large overhead sign you envisioned.
- Utility access. Where are the electrical drops? Is there a fire extinguisher tower or a water access panel that the venue requires you to keep accessible? These can eat into your usable square footage.
- Traffic drivers. Look for the “secret sauce” elements that drive foot traffic. Being near the restrooms, the food service areas, or popular features like the “puppy petting” lounge often guarantees a steady stream of attendees walking past your booth.
- Competitor placement. You generally want to know where your direct competitors are, but you should also look for complementary companies. If you are in oncology, being near a major diagnostic company could be beneficial.
The (Sometimes Frustrating) Reality of Priority Points
We often hear clients say, “We want to be front and center.” Ideally, everyone would be right at the main entrance. But in the healthcare convention world, prime real estate is rarely a free-for-all. It is determined by a rigid priority point system.
Associations utilize complex formulas to determine who gets to pick first. It is usually a hierarchy of spend and loyalty. The companies you see at the front of the hall have likely been exhibiting for decades and spending significantly on sponsorships and advertising.
It’s common that you earn points for every dollar spent on space and housing, and sometimes even for prompt payment. Conversely, you can lose points for missing deadlines or violating rules. For small to mid-sized pharma companies, this means the “front and center” strategy is often off the table simply because the inventory is gone before your selection time arrives.
Instead of fighting a losing battle for the main entrance, look for the hidden gems. Secondary entrances may see heavy traffic, depending on where shuttle buses drop off or where key breakout sessions are held. A corner booth on a secondary aisle near a coffee station can sometimes offer better engagement than a mid-block booth on a main thoroughfare.
Navigating Compliance in Booth Selection
For regulated industries like healthcare, buying space comes with a layer of complexity that other sectors don’t face. If you are a company with both a Commercial arm and a Medical Affairs division, you need distinct spaces for each, with visual and auditory buffer space between them.
When helping clients buy two separate booths, our team “pre-games” the neighborhood. We look at who is exhibiting between the two spaces. Will a competitor block the view? Can we count on a neutral company to act as a buffer? It involves research, including checking out the previous years’ photos to predict how neighbors might orient their walls. It also involves having a Plan B (and potentially C and D) in case those predictions don’t pan out.
If you are combining Medical Affairs and Commercial into a single large booth, the separation must be distinct. You need to ensure that when an HCP is standing in the Medical Affairs section, they can’t see or hear the content available in the Commercial section.
This becomes a design challenge when you factor in association rules. For example, an association might have strict sightline rules, requiring a four-foot break in a wall every 12 feet. You have to be clever with your design—using angles and barriers—to maintain that mandatory compliance separation while adhering to the association’s visibility rules.
Linear vs. Island: Budgeting the Difference
Keep in mind that the price tag on the contract is just the entry fee. The type of space you buy will dictate further costs.
Linear booths (typically 10×10 or 10×20) are generally cheaper. However, they are restrictive. You typically have only one side open to the aisle, and your vertical height is generally limited to 8 feet at the back.
Island booths are sold by the square foot and offer entry from all four aisles. The real cost difference on the total budget for the show, beyond just the booth space purchase, must also consider the “cubic content.” With an island, you are building upward—sometimes 20 feet or more. You are paying for rigging, complex overhead signage, and finished backs on all your structures. Labor and design costs scale significantly higher for island configurations. If you buy the island space, make sure you have the production budget to fill that volume.
Contract Red Flags and the Myth of Negotiation
One question we often get is, “Can we negotiate the price?” The short answer is no. In the association world, the price per square foot is fixed. However, just because you can’t negotiate the rate doesn’t mean you should sign blindly.
The biggest red flags to watch for are the cancellation terms and the payment schedule. If you are a smaller company waiting on funding or clinical trial data, you need to know exactly when you are financially committed.
Final Thoughts
Buying the right booth space is critical, but the footprint is just the canvas. The art is in how you use it to create an immersive experience that resonates with your target audience.
About Slate360
Our team of seasoned healthcare industry pros crafts unique, immersive exhibit experiences that attract attendees and create lasting impressions of clients and their offerings. We work as an extension of a client’s team to streamline strategy development, execution, and analytics and to ensure an onsite or virtual trade show presence furthers their marketing objectives. https://slate360inc.com/
Slate360 Media Contact
Pam Laferriere, 657-204-1916
