Every venue writes its own rulebook, but the flooring rules in most of them look a lot alike. Here is what to look for before you order.
Flooring rules rarely sink a show, but they do cause last-minute scrambles: a fire marshal asking for paperwork, a venue rejecting a tape, a booth floor that blocks an aisle. Almost all of it is written down in advance. The trick is knowing where to look and what to ask for.
The rules that apply to your floor live in two places: the venue’s own building guidelines and the show’s exhibitor manual from the organizer or general service contractor. When the two disagree, the stricter one usually wins. Read the flooring, fire safety and move-in sections first, and send them to your flooring provider with the floor plan. Nothing in this post replaces what your specific venue and show say.
Most convention centers and many hotels expect floor coverings and decorative materials to meet fire-safety requirements, and the fire marshal can ask to see proof on site. The simplest way to avoid a problem is to have the certificate in hand before move-in, not to go looking for it when someone asks.
A flame certificate is available on request for Fine Lines, Smooth Operator and Front Row, and our glitter carpet. Ask for it when you order, and keep a copy with your booth paperwork.
Venues care a great deal about their floors. Many limit what can be stuck to a polished slab, a ballroom carpet or a sealed concrete floor, and some require residue-free or venue-approved tape only. Anything that leaves adhesive behind can end up as a cleaning charge after the show.
On a concrete slab, event carpet is joined and held with high-tack double-sided seam tape, which we stock in 4.5-inch and 9-inch widths on 165-foot rolls. If the venue has its own carpet and a floor is going down over it, mesh tape protects the existing carpet underneath. Over tent subfloors and platforms, carpet is stapled. If your manual names a specific tape, tell us before install night.
The most common on-site flooring complaint is a trip hazard: a lifted seam, a loose edge, a lip at the border of a booth or a step wrap that is not fastened down. Expect venue staff and fire officials to walk the floor with that in mind.
Aisles and exits belong to the show, not the booth. Flooring cannot extend into an aisle, cover a fire exit path, or block access to fire equipment and floor ports. On many shows the aisle carpet is handled by the show contractor and your booth carpet stops at the booth line. Check which applies before ordering, because it changes the square footage.
Flooring is the first trade in, and the window is set by the venue and the show, not by you. Most manuals list target move-in times and the order trades are released onto the floor. Late freight, a floor plan that changes after the layout is set, or a slab that is not clean all come out of that window. We walk through how that night actually runs in how a show floor gets installed overnight.
Some venues and cities have rules about who can install flooring on their floor and when. These vary a lot from one building to the next. Ask the organizer or general service contractor early whether there are labor requirements for floor coverings, and pass that to whoever is installing your floor.
Most manuals require exhibitors to leave the space as they found it: flooring removed, tape pulled and no debris left behind. Anything left on the floor can be removed by the venue and billed back.
Our crews take the carpet up at strike. The seam lines where the staples sit are cut out, and staples are pulled from the large field area so the clean material can be baled and recycled in the USA. Roughly ten percent is lost to seam lines and step wraps, and roughly ninety percent comes back. Read what happens to event carpet after the show for the full process, or see Recycled Event Carpet.
Still choosing the floor itself? Start with our booth flooring comparison and what carpet weight means for your show.
Send them over with your dates and city. We will check the flooring requirements, send the flame certificate with your order, and have the floor down before doors open — installed nationwide out of Baton Rouge, Nashville and Orlando.
Most convention centers and many hotels expect floor coverings to meet fire-safety requirements, and the fire marshal can ask for proof on site. Check your venue guidelines and exhibitor manual, and have the flame certificate in hand before move-in. A flame certificate is available on request for Fine Lines, Smooth Operator, Front Row and glitter carpet.
It depends on the venue. Many limit what can be stuck to their floors and some require residue-free or venue-approved tape. On a concrete slab, event carpet is usually held with high-tack double-sided seam tape. If the venue has its own carpet, mesh tape protects it underneath. Check your exhibitor manual and tell your flooring provider before install.
No. Aisles and exits belong to the show. Booth flooring stops at the booth line and cannot block an aisle, an exit path or access to fire equipment. On many shows the aisle carpet is provided by the show contractor.
Most exhibitor manuals require the space to be left as it was found, with flooring and tape removed. Anything left behind can be removed by the venue and billed back. Our crews take the carpet up at strike and recycle it in the USA.
In the venue's building guidelines and the show's exhibitor manual from the organizer or general service contractor. Read the flooring, fire safety and move-in sections, and send them to your flooring provider with the floor plan.
