Key takeaways
- Caesars Forum has no traditional exhibit hall: booths go into pillarless ballrooms on hotel carpet, and some builds go outside on Forum Plaza.
- Union labor rules decide who builds the booth; your own full-time employees are the main exception.
- Booth catering is exclusive and prepaid, with an order deadline weeks before the show.
- Nothing can be screwed, nailed, or stuck to the building, so design everything freestanding.
Caesars Forum conference center: what's different for exhibitors
Caesars Forum is a 550,000-square-foot conference center on Koval Lane, mid-Strip, built on a single level with direct access to 8,500 hotel rooms at Harrah's, The LINQ, and Flamingo. Its two largest rooms, the Forum and Summit ballrooms, are pillarless, and more than two miles of airwalls divide the building into smaller rooms. Our venue guide covers the specs.
A ballroom changes three things for a booth. There are no columns to dodge, which suits large islands and stages. The floor is hotel carpet, not a concrete hall floor, which affects how heavy pieces roll in. And other programs may use the building before and after yours, so move-in windows are tight. AAPEX, the automotive aftermarket show, runs part of its 2026 exhibition here as the AAPEX Forum, and its published materials serve as the worked example below.
Caesars Forum exhibitor timeline: the AAPEX 2026 example
Deadlines cluster in the six weeks before the show. For the AAPEX Forum, which opens November 3, 2026, the dates published by the show, Freeman, and Caesars Forum run like this:
- September 23: Freeman's advance warehouse begins accepting freight
- October 2: last day for Freeman's advance-order discount rates
- Three weeks before move-in: latest date to apply for a vehicle display permit
- October 13: initial booth catering orders due to Caesars Forum, with full prepayment
- October 15: warehouse freight arriving after this date carries an after-deadline charge
- October 30: show-site receiving opens and Summit Ballroom move-in begins; the Academy, Alliance, and Forum ballrooms follow on October 31
- November 2: every Forum exhibit set by 3 p.m., with the hall closed to exhibitors at 4 p.m. so aisle carpet can be laid
- November 5: no tear-down before the 5 p.m. close
Ballroom booth rules: carpet, drape, and no fasteners
Freeman's quick facts for the AAPEX Forum describe a standard 10×10 as an 8-foot black back drape and 3-foot side drape on the existing hotel carpet. AAPEX's regulations also say every exhibit must be carpeted at the exhibitor's expense, so ask whether that rule applies on top of the hotel carpet before ordering flooring.
Measure the usable space, not the nominal one: AAPEX leaves at least 3 inches for drape on each side and 9 inches at the back for electrical, so a 10×20 gives you about 9 feet 3 inches by 19 feet 6 inches. Exhibits must be freestanding, with no bolts, screws, hooks, or nails in walls or floors, nothing attached to the drape, and no adhesives on walls, pillars, or floor. Any side facing a neighbor has to be finished.
Multi-story exhibits, exhibits with hanging signs, and anything over 14 feet need engineer-stamped drawings on site, and double-deck booths or booths over 7,500 square feet need a package filed with the Clark County Department of Building & Fire Prevention.
Freight to Caesars Forum: advance warehouse, marshaling yard, and dock
AAPEX Forum freight runs through Freeman. Its advance warehouse at 6675 W Sunset Rd takes crated, boxed, or skidded freight weekdays from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with certified weight tickets, and won't accept loose or pad-wrapped freight, COD shipments, hazardous materials, refrigerated goods, single pieces over 4,500 pounds, or pieces larger than 108 by 93 by 144 inches. Freight needed for a targeted move-in time must go through the warehouse, and hanging signs go to the warehouse only.
Direct freight goes to 3911 Koval Lane from the first receiving day; earlier arrivals may be refused. Every carrier checks in first at Freeman's marshaling yard at 6555 W Serene Ave, and is dispatched in arrival order. The yard takes no deliveries, allows no overnight parking, and can't hold empty trailers during the show.
Union labor and EAC rules at Caesars Forum
Under Freeman's agreement with Teamsters Local 631, published in AAPEX's union rules, the union has jurisdiction over erecting, touching up, dismantling, and repairing exhibits when anyone other than your full-time staff does the work, including wall and floor coverings, painting, hanging signs, and platforms. Placing, unpacking, and demonstrating your own products fall outside it.
Your full-time employees can set the exhibit if they carry company identification such as a payroll stub. Truck unloading, empty crates, and material handling equipment belong to the union too. An outside builder needs show approval as an exhibitor-appointed contractor, a signed contract with you, and certificates for general liability, Nevada workers' compensation, and auto liability. If you supervise Freeman labor, you pick up and release the crew at the labor desk, and tipping isn't allowed.
Rigging, AV, power, and sound
The AAPEX Forum services page links Encore's exhibitor kit and rigging portal, so hanging signs, truss, and screens are ordered there on Encore's deadlines. Ask early who supplies booth power and internet, and order them with the rigging so cable drops and sign power line up.
Sound is regulated too. AAPEX limits sound in adjacent exhibit areas to 85 dB peaks on the C-weighted scale and can cut power to a booth that exceeds it, so point demo and presenter speakers into the booth.
Catering and hospitality in Caesars Forum ballrooms
Food and drink in a Caesars Forum booth comes from Caesars Forum. Its 2026 booth catering form for AAPEX permits no outside food and beverage, requires full prepayment, and adds a 15 percent menu increase to orders received after the deadline or placed on site. AAPEX also requires show approval before food or drink is handed out, prohibits food preparation in exhibit areas, and bars alcohol during set-up and tear-down.
Design hospitality around those rules, with a serving counter, room behind it for catering staff, and power where the caterer needs it. If a celebrity signing or a giveaway might draw a line, AAPEX requires that it not block neighbors and that the exhibitor provide aisle security.
Forum Plaza and outdoor activations
Forum Plaza is a 100,000-square-foot outdoor event space with direct access to the conference center, where a brand activation can use open sky instead of a ballroom ceiling. The Clark County Fire Department requires a permit for tents over 400 square feet, open-sided canopies over 700 square feet, and stages or platforms over 2,500 square feet, with NFPA 701 or California State Fire Marshal certificates for the fabric.
The tent guideline also calls for insurance naming Clark County, a site plan with clearances, extinguishers within 75 feet of travel, and a separate permit for generators holding more than 10 gallons of fuel. Plan for sun, wind, and heat. A tent set up inside an exhibit hall needs at least 10 feet of clear space on every side.
Move-out at Caesars Forum
At AAPEX, aisle carpet comes up from 5 to 6 p.m. on the last show day, cartons come back by 11:30 p.m., and crates by 4 a.m. the next morning. Freeman asks exhibitors to compress the booth so empties fit inside it, charges handling and disposal for excess material left behind, and asks carriers to check in by 10 a.m. on the final day.
- Outbound paperwork filed online before the show
- Carrier booked with the company name and booth number
- Crates packed against the packing list, every piece labeled
Questions to ask before you design for Caesars Forum
A split show like AAPEX means two buildings and two sets of freight labels, so confirm which venue your booth is in, then ask:
- Which ballroom is the booth in, and what is its move-in window?
- Does the show require booth carpet on top of the hotel carpet?
- Who supplies power, internet, and rigging, and when are orders due?
- Will any part of the build go outside on Forum Plaza?
Frequently asked questions
When should freight ship to the Caesars Forum advance warehouse?
For AAPEX 2026, Freeman's warehouse began accepting freight on September 23 and added an after-deadline charge for freight arriving after October 15. Freight needed for a targeted move-in time must ship to the warehouse, and hanging signs can only go there.
Can our own employees set up a booth at Caesars Forum?
Under AAPEX's union rules, yes, if they are full-time company employees carrying identification such as a payroll stub. Otherwise, exhibit erection and dismantling fall to Teamsters Local 631 crews through Freeman, and an outside builder needs approval as an exhibitor-appointed contractor.
Do booths at Caesars Forum sit on carpet?
Yes. Freeman's quick facts for the AAPEX Forum say booths and exhibitor areas sit on the existing hotel carpet. AAPEX's general regulations still require exhibits to be carpeted at the exhibitor's expense, so confirm which rule applies before you order flooring or plan heavy pieces.
What is the catering deadline for a Caesars Forum booth?
It's set for each event. For AAPEX 2026, initial booth catering orders were due October 13, three weeks before the show, with full prepayment. Later or on-site orders carry a 15 percent menu increase, and no outside food or beverage is permitted.
Can we attach anything to the walls or floor at Caesars Forum?
Not under AAPEX's 2026 regulations. Exhibits must be freestanding, with no bolts, screws, hooks, or nails driven into walls or floors, nothing fastened to the pipe and drape, and no decals or adhesives on walls, pillars, or floor. Plan weighted bases instead.