Exhibiting at IFT FIRST
IFT FIRST — the Institute of Food Technologists’ Annual Event and Expo — is the leading food-science and innovation show, bringing more than 15,000 professionals and 1,000-plus exhibitors together across ingredients, processing, packaging, food safety and sustainability. It is held at McCormick Place in Chicago, its consistent home in recent years (2024, 2025 and 2026 all Chicago). 2026 ran July 12–15; 2027 lands in mid-July, with exact dates not yet published.
IFT FIRST is part trade show, part scientific conference, and in recent editions the scientific programming moved directly into the expo hall — so the booths sit in a research-meets-commercial environment. Exhibitors are ingredient houses, equipment and packaging suppliers, and food-tech companies, and many run sampling or tasting alongside the technical sell.
Booths for an ingredient-and-tasting show
Most IFT exhibitors blend a technical product story with sampling. A 10x10 carries a focused ingredient or solution with a tasting or demo counter; a 20x20 island supports a fuller portfolio with multiple tasting stations and a meeting corner; a 30x30 runs a flavor or formulation showcase with a theater and private meeting space. Where tasting is involved, the booth needs the same counter, refrigeration and back-of-house discipline as a food show, layered onto a technical, credible presentation.
Because the audience is food scientists and R&D buyers, accuracy and substance carry weight — the booth should make the technical story easy to engage with, not bury it under spectacle.
McCormick Place logistics
McCormick Place is North America’s largest convention center and runs on a four-union model (Carpenters, Decorators, Electricians, Riggers) with steward sign-off at each phase, plus drayage tiered by weight and material category. Our project managers coordinate every steward sign-off and confirm the drayage tier before crating, so there’s no surprise material-handling invoice. We pre-build and inspect in Las Vegas, ship 5–7 days, and the install replicates an approved build.
For a Chicago show where labor jurisdictions and McCormick’s drayage tiers add cost and risk, the warehouse pre-build is what protects your install window.
Pricing for an IFT FIRST booth
Chicago is an 85% city on our cost model. A turnkey IFT booth runs from about $11,400 for a 10x10 to roughly $101,200 for a premium 30x30 island, all-inclusive, with tasting-counter and refrigeration planning included where you sample.
Every quote is one number: design, build, graphics, freight, install, dismantle and McCormick paperwork — no separate drayage surprise.
