Get Fixed-Price Quote
NRF exhibitor series · 02 · Budget tool

The NRF booth cost calculator

The whole number for the Javits — what the show bills you, what the venue bills you, and a fixed price for the booth itself.

Most Big Show budgets break in the same place: the exhibit house’s quote is presented as the total, and the Manhattan show-billed lines arrive in January as surprises. This tool estimates every line for your footprint at both advance and floor rates, beside the fixed, all-inclusive booth price we publish for New York. Adjust any assumption you have better numbers for.

Estimate your NRF budget

Footprint in, total out

Edit planning assumptions

Your NRF estimate

Booth space (the show)—
Material handling · — cwt—
Electrical — circuits, distribution, labour—
Wired internet—
Rigging—
Cleaning & lead retrieval—
Show-billed lines at ADVANCE rates—
Same lines at FLOOR rates—
Missing the advance deadline costs—
Fixed booth price — design, build, graphics, furniture, freight, labour, install, dismantle, PM—
Total at advance rates—

Show-billed lines are planning estimates built from typical Javits billing and the assumptions above; they have not been checked against the current NRF exhibitor services manual, which governs. Booth prices are the published New York range for that footprint on the New York booth rentals page; the fixed price of a specific design is exact and does not change. Labour is inside the fixed price and is not a show-billed line here.

See 20×20 booths with NRF prices
How to read the estimate

Two numbers matter more than the total: the spread, and what is fixed

The advance-to-floor spread

The line marked "missing the advance deadline"

Every venue-billed service carries two prices. For a January show that line is the cost of a design change made after Thanksgiving, an electrical order filed over the holidays, or a truck that misses its target time. It is the most avoidable money in the budget and the most commonly lost.

Drayage is a weight problem

Hundredweight × rate

Material handling is billed per hundred pounds, so the structure's weight is a budget line before it is a design choice. A lightweight modular build with crated freight to the advance warehouse can be a fraction of the weight of a heavy custom property — the same square footage at a fraction of the drayage.

Why meeting space costs more here

Enclosed rooms at the Javits

Enclosed rooms add structure, ceiling and lighting that must be approved, powered and staffed by the trades. At a meeting-heavy show like this one they are usually worth it — but they belong in the plan in June, not in a change order in December.

We quote higher and cost less. An exhibit house that leaves the show-billed lines out of the conversation is not quoting the show — it is quoting the booth. The number to compare is the total.

The NRF exhibitor series

Everything we know about exhibiting at the Big Show

01 · GuideNRF Big Show exhibitor planning guideThe whole cycle for a January show, worked back across the holidays. 02 · ToolNRF booth cost calculatorJavits show-billed lines and a fixed booth price, in one number. 03 · VenueThe Javits Center for NRF exhibitorsThe exhibit level, the marshalling building and Manhattan freight. 04 · ProofRetail technology booth designsCommerce booths we have built, and what each one solved. Show pageNRF Big Show booth rentalsEvery booth with its New York price, plus live show dates. City pageNew York booth rentalsFixed-price exhibits for every show at the Javits Center.
Questions about NRF costs

Budget FAQs

How accurate are the show-billed estimates?
They are planning figures for sizing a budget, based on how Javits services are typically billed. They have not been matched to the current edition's exhibitor services manual, so treat them as a starting point. Once you share your booth, we calculate every line for that exact design at the current edition's rates before you sign anything.
Why is labour not a separate line?
Because in our model it is inside the fixed booth price — installation, dismantle, supervision and coordination with the general contractor. In New York that matters more than anywhere: labour is the line that most often grows on the show floor, and with us it is part of the number you approve.
Why does the booth price show a range?
Because this page does not know which design you will choose. Every booth we publish for New York has its own fixed price within the range for its footprint. Pick a design on the NRF Big Show booth rentals page and that price is exact and holds.
What does the space rate depend on?
Position, corner premiums, NRF membership status and sponsorship tier, and it changes by edition. The default is a planning figure; replace it with the rate on your contract and every total updates.
How do I keep drayage down at the Javits?
Ship less weight, crate it, and send it to the advance warehouse inside its window. The biggest lever is the structure itself: a pre-engineered modular frame weighs a fraction of a traditional custom build and installs in hours, which also shortens the labour call.
Does the calculator cover off-floor spaces — suites, showrooms, dinners?
No; those are priced separately. We build hotel suites, meeting spaces and satellite activations around the show under the same fixed-price model, managed by the same project manager as the booth.
Fixed pricing · Pre-built & photo-approved · Full-service support

Replace the estimate with an exact number.

Send your footprint and position. Within 24 hours you'll have design concepts, one fixed booth price, and every show-billed line calculated for that booth at the current edition's rates.

Get my fixed NRF quote Read the planning guide

Or call us directly — (800) 379-8451