LVCC Union Rules for Exhibitors: What You Can (and Can’t) Do Yourself in 2026

If you’re exhibiting at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the first time, the union rules catch almost everyone off guard. The LVCC is a union facility, and that changes what your own staff can legally do on the show floor versus what must go through union labor. Get it wrong and you face delays, friction on the floor, or a labor bill thousands of dollars higher than it needed to be. Get it right and you can save real money. Here’s the practical breakdown for 2026 — what your team can handle, what needs a union crew, and where the savings actually are.

Las Vegas Is a Union Labor City

The Las Vegas Convention Center, Mandalay Bay, and the Venetian Expo are all union facilities. For most shows you’ll interact with at least four unions, each with its own jurisdiction over specific work on the show floor. These jurisdictions exist for safety and liability reasons, and neither show management nor the general service contractor can exempt you from them. The rules are consistent enough that you can plan around them — but only if you know them before move-in day, not after.

What You Can Do Yourself

Your full-time employees may perform a limited set of tasks, provided they can show proof of employment — a payroll stub, company ID, or business card. This is important: the do-it-yourself option applies to your own staff, not to outside help you bring in.

Your team may set up your own booth display as long as the work needs no ladders and no power tools; hand-carry small items and boxes in through the main entrance; open cartons containing your products and place products on display; plug your own equipment into a single standard 20-amp outlet; use clip-on lights that don’t require a ladder; and clean your own booth. That’s roughly where the do-it-yourself line ends.

What Requires Union Labor

Everything beyond hand-work needs the appropriate union crew. Material handling and freight — anything that can’t be hand-carried — is Teamsters jurisdiction; flatbed carts, dollies, and hand-trucks are not permitted for exhibitors. Electrical work beyond plugging into a single outlet (distribution, hardwiring, signs, most AV) is IBEW. Install and dismantle requiring tools or ladders — booth structures, carpet laying, overhead work — is Carpenters. Overhead hanging and heavy lifting (suspended signs, rigging) is Riggers; at the LVCC the general service contractor, typically Freeman, is the exclusive provider of rigging labor. Note also that certain halogen lamps are restricted at the LVCC, and the venue enforces height limits and fire-safety rules directly.

The Four Unions, Briefly

• Teamsters (Local #631) — freight and material handling. They move your crates between the docks and your booth space using certified forklift operators. You order this through the material-handling form in your exhibitor manual.
• Carpenters (IBCJA) — installation and dismantling of exhibit structures, plus carpet.
• IBEW electricians — all electrical connections, AV installation, and anything drawing building power.
• Riggers — suspension of overhead signs and operation of heavy lifting equipment.

How to Actually Save Money

The single biggest lever is who does your install and dismantle. Using an Exhibitor Appointed Contractor (EAC) instead of the show’s general contractor typically saves 30 to 45% on install and dismantle labor. On a 20×20 island build, where general-contractor rates run $165 to $225 per hour with overtime multipliers, that difference can reach $5,000 to $15,000 per show. The catch: your EAC must be approved through the show organizer’s exhibitor portal before move-in — not through the LVCVA directly — and must file the required paperwork (certificate of insurance, Nevada contractor’s license documentation, crew credentials, and a union jurisdiction acknowledgment).

1. Avoid unnecessary overtime. Straight-time is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, with a midday lunch break. Evenings, weekends, and compressed early move-ins trigger 1.5x to 2x rates. Schedule inside straight-time windows wherever your show allows.
2. Order in advance. Advance rates on services are meaningfully cheaper than on-site rates, and submitting full payment plus floor plans by the deadline saves a significant percentage.
3. Rent locally. For many exhibitors, renting a booth from a Las Vegas vendor beats shipping one cross-country and paying drayage on the weight.

Union labor is only one line in a much bigger exhibitor budget. For the full picture — booth space, drayage, electrical, staff and travel — see our breakdown of the real cost to exhibit at CES in Las Vegas.

The Rules Vary — Always Check Your Manual

Union jurisdictions and labor classifications shift a little depending on the show, the venue, and your booth size. This guide covers the general framework at the LVCC, but your official exhibitor manual — sent by your show organizer — is always the final word, and your designated show-management or general-contractor representative can confirm the specifics for your event. When in doubt, ask before move-in, not during it.