Key takeaways
- Your show's exhibitor manual sets the rules, and they change from show to show and year to year.
- At Shoptalk Spring, freight, labor, and light hanging signs go through the general contractor; utilities, catering, and heavy or lit signs go through Mandalay Bay Exhibitor Services.
- Pack your own safety gear: crews without closed-toe shoes and high-visibility vests can be turned away.
- Ask which Bayside hall you're in early, because floor loads and column spacing differ.
Exhibiting at Mandalay Bay Convention Center: start with the hall
Mandalay Bay Convention Center sits at the south end of the Strip, and most trade shows there use the Bayside Exhibition Halls on Level 1 of the South Convention Center: six halls, A through F, under 30-foot ceilings, according to MGM's capacities guide, with ballrooms above for keynotes and receptions. Our venue guide has the hall-by-hall numbers; this checklist covers the work.
The hall assignment matters. MGM rates Bayside A through D at 350 pounds per square foot with columns on 60-foot centers, and E and F at 250 pounds with columns 108 feet apart. A heavy machine, a vehicle, or a double-deck needs the higher rating, while a large island in A through D is more likely to meet a column. Get your hall and a floor plan with columns marked before the design is final.
Mandalay Bay exhibitor timeline: what's due before move-in
Deadlines arrive long before the truck does. At Shoptalk Spring 2026, space-only booths had to submit renderings and documentation by February 6 to receive permission to exhibit, the advance warehouse opened for freight on February 23, and the show ran in late March. Approval came only after the rendering, insurance, and PPE submissions were all received and approved. Your dates will differ, but the sequence rarely does:
- Floor plan requested, showing columns, utilities, and overhead obstructions
- Rendering submitted, with heights and any hanging sign marked
- Exhibitor-appointed contractor registered, with insurance certificates
- Electrical, internet, rigging, cleaning, and catering ordered before discount deadlines
- Freight booked to the advance warehouse, and an outbound carrier confirmed
Mandalay Bay Exhibitor Services and the general contractor: who supplies what
At Shoptalk Spring, two organizations split most of the work. Its FAQ lists Freeman as general contractor for furnishings, carpet, shipping, rigging under 200 pounds, installation and dismantle labor, material handling, and audio-visual. Mandalay Bay Exhibitor Services, the venue's in-house provider, supplies electrical, internet, plumbing, rigging over 200 pounds or with electrical, telecommunications, catering, booth cleaning, and floral, most of it exclusively.
Contractors can change between editions of the same show: Shoptalk's 2027 shipping page routes freight through T3 instead of Freeman, so confirm the current contractor before you book anything. Any outside vendor you bring in must be reported to the show and can't perform services that are exclusive to the contractor or the venue.
Mandalay Bay booth rules: heights, hanging signs, and floors
Show rules sit well below the 30-foot ceilings. Shoptalk Spring sets an 8-foot back wall for 10×10 through 10×30 booths, caps shared side walls at 4 feet, and limits islands of 20×20 and larger to 16 feet. Hanging signs are allowed only over booths of 400 square feet or more, can't be longer than any side of the booth or hang over the aisle, and top out at 18 feet.
Only the aisles are carpeted, so bring or order booth flooring: exhibitors who supply their own flooring must remove it at move-out or pay a charge. Balloons are prohibited throughout the facility, vehicles and robots need extra approvals and insurance, and handing out materials outside your booth isn't allowed.
Hanging signs and rigging at Mandalay Bay
Rigging is where the contractor split matters most. At Shoptalk Spring, the general contractor rigs non-electrical signs under 200 pounds, while Mandalay Bay Exhibitor Services and Encore handle signs that are heavier or carry electrical. Every hanging sign ships ahead to the advance warehouse on its own hanging-sign label, with no exceptions, so it can be flown before the booth goes up beneath it.
Put the sign's weight, dimensions, pick points, and power needs on the rigging order. For a lit sign or a truss with fixtures, place the rigging and electrical orders together, since at this venue they come from the same provider.
Freight to Mandalay Bay: advance warehouse, marshaling yard, and hand-carry
Shoptalk's shipping page lists an advance warehouse on W Sunset Rd that receives Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., requires certified weight tickets, and refuses uncrated or pad-wrapped freight, COD shipments, hazardous materials, refrigerated freight, and oversized single pieces. Freight shipped there is delivered to your booth so set-up can start when you arrive. Material handling, a one-time charge covering inbound and outbound, applies either way.
Direct shipments go to 3970 Las Vegas Blvd S, but every carrier first checks in at the marshaling yard at 6555 W Serene Ave, which takes no deliveries and works first come, first served; Freeman's instructions for that yard require certified weight tickets at check-in. Hand-carry means what a person can carry, with at most a small dolly or a hotel bellman, through the main entrance.
Labor, EAC access, and PPE at move-in
Register any outside builder as an exhibitor-appointed contractor through the show's process. Shoptalk Spring holds EACs to its display rules, exhibitor terms, and contractor kit, and admits them only during move-in and move-out, when the hall is open just to exhibitors and approved EACs with a badge or EAC wristband.
Safety gear is part of the checklist now. Shoptalk Spring requires closed-toe shoes and a high-visibility vest or sash for everyone working for an exhibitor during move-in and move-out, plus a hard hat with a chin strap for anyone whose feet are 6 feet or more above the floor. The show doesn't supply PPE and turns away anyone without it, so pack it with the tools.
Electrical, internet, and catering orders
Utilities come from the venue. Shoptalk's FAQ names Mandalay Bay Exhibitor Services as the exclusive provider of internet and of booth electrical, which may not be included in your booth package. It recommends a dedicated hardline for demos, since attendee Wi-Fi is meant for browsing and email. Water, drainage, and compressed air are plumbing orders through the same provider.
Food and drink is exclusive as well. Mandalay Bay is the sole provider of food and beverage in the exhibit halls, down to packaged snacks, bottled water, and candy, unless the show approves a corkage buyout. Design coffee bars and sampling counters with room for the caterer's equipment and staff. Selling product at the booth needs show approval, and the FAQ points sellers to the Nevada Department of Taxation for sales tax.
Move-out at Mandalay Bay
Move-out starts at close and runs on the contractor's schedule. Empty containers come back only after the aisle carpet has been removed, and Shoptalk Spring sells a limited number of priority empty labels in advance to get them back sooner. Until the crates arrive, keep someone in the booth and the product secure.
- Complete the outbound shipping paperwork before the show opens
- Tell your carrier to check in at the marshaling yard, not the dock
- Pack against the original packing list and label every piece
- Remove any flooring you supplied, or expect a charge
- Ask about the show's donation area for furniture and supplies
Questions to ask your show before you design
Mandalay Bay is the nearest of the major convention venues to Innovate 3D's shop on W Reno Ave, which helps when a panel needs recutting during install. Proximity doesn't change the rules, so ask show management first:
- Which Bayside hall are we in, and where are the columns and utility boxes?
- Who is the general contractor this year, and which services are exclusive?
- What are the height limits for our booth type, and is a hanging sign allowed?
- When are renderings, insurance certificates, and EAC forms due?
- What PPE is required during move-in and move-out?
Frequently asked questions
When are booth renderings due for a Mandalay Bay show?
Each show sets its own date, usually weeks before move-in. For Shoptalk Spring 2026, space-only booths had to submit renderings and documentation by February 6, about six weeks before the late-March show, and approval also required insurance and PPE submissions.
What does Mandalay Bay Exhibitor Services provide?
It's the venue's in-house service provider. At Shoptalk Spring it supplies electrical, internet, plumbing, rigging for heavy or electrified signs, telecommunications, catering, booth cleaning, and floral, and most of those services are exclusive, so no outside vendor can provide them.
What safety gear is required during move-in at Mandalay Bay?
It depends on the show, but Shoptalk Spring requires closed-toe shoes and a high-visibility vest or sash for all exhibitor personnel during move-in and move-out, plus a hard hat with a chin strap for anyone working 6 feet or more above the floor. Gear isn't provided.
Where do trucks check in for a Mandalay Bay trade show?
At the marshaling yard named in your show's shipping instructions. For Shoptalk Spring that's 6555 W Serene Ave, where carriers check in before being dispatched to the venue. The yard takes no deliveries, works first come, first served, and requires certified weight tickets.
Can exhibitors sell products from a booth at Mandalay Bay?
Only with the show's approval. Shoptalk Spring's FAQ says exhibitors who hand product to buyers at the booth must handle Nevada sales tax through the Department of Taxation, while taking orders to ship after the show doesn't trigger that step.