Turnkey Trade Show Programs | Store, Ship, Install, Dismantle

Tell us which shows you're doing. We handle everything else.

Most exhibitors don't have an exhibit problem. They have a dozen vendors problem — one company builds the booth, another ships it, another stores it, another sets it up, and somebody at your company spends three weeks a year holding all of it together.

We are the single point of contact for the entire program, at any show in the country. You show up. That's it.

What 100% turnkey means here

We design it and manage the build. Custom exhibits — islands, inlines, backlit lightboxes, double-decks and modular systems, 10x10 through 40x40 and beyond — fabricated to your spec by one of the largest exhibit manufacturers in North America. Rentals too, if owning isn't right yet — see trade show booth and exhibit rental.

We store your property. Your booth, your crates, your counters and your graphics live in secured warehouse space in Northeast Ohio between shows. They get inspected, repaired and re-kitted so the next show starts with working hardware instead of a surprise. Storage is billed monthly on the space your property actually occupies — we quote it once we know what you own.

We manage the shipping. Booking, tracking, delivery windows and the paperwork that goes with them — to any city on your calendar. You don't chase a carrier.

We handle drayage and show logistics. Material handling, advance warehouse versus direct-to-show, EAC filings, target dates. This is the part that quietly eats exhibit budgets, and it is ours to manage, not yours to learn.

We set it up and tear it down, with union labor. Nationwide, at every major venue. Our crews are on the floor for install, on call during the show, and back for dismantle.

We rent you the rest. Carpet and flooring, furniture, counters, lighting, AV — ordered, delivered and set with the booth. One order, one invoice, one phone number.

We refresh the graphics. Most years you don't need a new booth, you need this year's message on last year's hardware. That's a fraction of the cost of rebuilding.

One vendor, one invoice, every line itemized

We won't pretend a trade show program is a single price. Storage depends on how much space your property takes up. Freight and drayage change with every venue, every date and every crate weight. Labor depends on the hall, the rules and the hours. A booth going to one show in March and a different one in September has two different cost lines, and you should be able to see both.

So you get one vendor and one invoice, with every component itemized — exhibit, graphics, freight, drayage, labor, furniture, storage. You can see what each piece costs, question any of it, and drop anything you'd rather handle yourself.

If you've ever compared two exhibit quotes and found the cheaper one cost more by the time the show closed, it's because the second one left the logistics off the page. We put them on the page.

How payment works

On a custom exhibit build, 50% of the total is due to schedule the order and put it into the production calendar. The remaining 50% is due before it ships to your first show.

We say this up front because the deposit is the part that surprises people, and because it explains why the calendar matters. Nothing enters fabrication until the first payment lands, so a March show and a September decision are not the same conversation as a March show and a January decision.

What it takes off your plate

Count what a show actually costs you internally today: someone sourcing the booth, someone arranging freight, someone reading a 60-page exhibitor manual to find the target date, someone finding warehouse space the other 50 weeks of the year, someone standing on the floor at 7am hoping the crate arrived.

With a turnkey program that list becomes one email with your show schedule on it.

What we need from you

Less than you'd think. Which products you want and the artwork direction, then the show details — the name of the show, the dates, the venue and city, your booth number and size, and your assigned setup window. Once we have that, we take it from there.

Wherever your shows are

Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland — it's the same program and the same point of contact. Union crews at every major venue, freight and warehousing built on a national logistics network, and exhibit fabrication that ships to whichever dock your show uses.

Exhibitors often assume a regional partner means regional coverage. It doesn't. It means you get one person who knows your booth and your history, instead of a different account rep in every city.

If one of your shows is in Cleveland, we are forty minutes away. For the Global Polymer Summit coming to Cleveland in September 2027, there is a show-specific page with the dates and the exhibitor timeline.

Already know your booth size?

Before the program conversation there is usually a narrower question: what actually fits in the space show management assigned you. The height rules are stricter than most exhibitors expect and they do not loosen as the booth gets wider, so we have set the answer out footprint by footprint, with finished sizes in inches and today's prices:

10x10 booth displays and kits — the 8-foot back wall and 4-foot aisle limits, which back walls clear them, and why the show moved your banner stand.
10x20 booth displays and kits — the same two limits across 20 feet, why combining two booths buys you no relief at the aisle, and what a 1,700 lb crate costs in drayage against a 78 lb one.

Rent or own?

The honest answer depends on one number: how many shows you do a year.

One or two shows — rent. Ownership doesn't pay back at that frequency. Here is what is available to rent, from 10x10 inlines through 40x50 islands.

Three or four shows — this is the crossover, and it's worth a real conversation. Over three years, storage, refurbishment, graphics updates and depreciation on an owned booth routinely rival the original purchase price.

Four or more shows with a consistent footprint — own it. And because we store, maintain and ship it for you, you get the economics of ownership without the warehouse, the forklift or the phone calls.

That last point is the one most exhibitors miss. The main reason people rent is that owning is a hassle. We remove the hassle, which changes the math.

If you want the buy-or-rent arithmetic on a specific footprint rather than in general, it is worked out on the 10x10 page and the 10x20 page, where the gap between the cheapest wall that fills the space and the architectural version is a real number instead of a principle.

Who you're working with

DG Creativ is based in Stow, Ohio, with more than two decades in the display and exhibit industry behind it.

You deal with us directly. Not an account coordinator, not a ticket queue. When something goes wrong at 6am on move-in day, you'll be calling the person who quoted the job.

How it works

Send us your show schedule — which shows, what dates, what booth sizes you've been assigned.
We design to your space and budget. You see real options built around your footprint, not catalog pages.
You approve, we build. Fabrication, graphics, crating.
We run the show. Freight, drayage, EAC filings, install, on-site supervision, dismantle, furniture and carpet.
It comes back to storage — inspected, repaired, ready for the next one.

Common questions

What does a turnkey trade show program include?
Exhibit design and build management, graphics, storage between shows, freight booking and tracking, drayage and material handling, EAC filings, union installation and dismantle, on-site supervision during the show, and rental carpet, furniture and lighting. All through one vendor on one invoice, with each component itemized.

Is a turnkey program quoted as a single price?
No, and you shouldn't want it to be. Storage is priced on the space your property occupies, and freight, drayage and labor change with every venue, every date and every crate weight. You get one invoice with every line itemized, so you can see what each piece costs and drop anything you'd rather handle yourself.

How far ahead do I need to order a custom trade show booth?
Six to twelve months before the show. Custom builds need design, engineering, fabrication and freight scheduling, and the production calendar fills. Rentals and portable displays move much faster.

What are the payment terms on a custom exhibit?
50% of the total to schedule the order and enter the production calendar, and the remaining 50% before it ships to your first show.

How much does drayage cost at a trade show?
Material handling commonly runs $110–185 per hundredweight with a 200 lb minimum, so a single light crate can cost $220–370 to move from the dock to your booth before anyone touches a tool. Crate weight and packing strategy are where exhibitors quietly lose money.

Do you store exhibits between shows?
Yes, in secured Northeast Ohio warehouse space. Properties are inspected, repaired and re-kitted between events. Storage is billed monthly based on the space your property occupies.

Should I rent or buy a trade show booth?
One or two shows a year, rent. Three or four is the crossover and worth a real conversation. Four or more with a consistent footprint, own it — particularly when storage, maintenance and shipping are handled for you.

Do you handle union labor for install and dismantle?
Yes, nationwide, at every major venue. Crews are on the floor for install, on call during the show, and back for dismantle.

What do you need from me to get started?
Which products you want and your artwork direction, plus the show name, dates, venue and city, your booth number and size, and your assigned setup window.

Start here

Send us your show schedule or call 330.968.0678. We'll come back with what each show on your calendar actually needs, itemized show by show.