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

The RSAC booth cost calculator

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

Most RSAC budgets are wrong in the same place: the exhibit house’s quote is treated as the total, and the show-billed lines arrive later 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 San Francisco. Adjust any assumption you have better numbers for.

Estimate your RSAC budget

Footprint in, total out

Edit planning assumptions

Your RSAC 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 recent editions and the assumptions above; the exhibitor services manual for the current edition governs. Booth prices are the published San Francisco range for that footprint on the San Francisco 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 RSAC 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, and at Moscone the gap is wide. That line is the cost of a design change after the advance-order deadline, a late electrical order, or a truck that arrives outside its window. 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 third the weight of a heavy custom property — the same square footage at a fraction of the drayage.

What is fixed and what is not

The booth price versus the venue lines

The booth price on this page is a published, fixed, all-inclusive number for the footprint. The show-billed lines cannot be fixed by any exhibit house — but they can be calculated for your exact booth and filed at advance rates, which is what we do before you commit.

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 RSAC exhibitor series

Everything we know about exhibiting at RSAC

01 · GuideRSAC exhibitor planning guideThe whole cycle for Moscone, worked backwards from show week. 02 · ToolRSAC booth cost calculatorShow-billed lines and a fixed booth price, in one number. 03 · VenueMoscone Center for RSAC exhibitorsHalls, heights, docks and the San Francisco freight route. 04 · ProofRSAC booth designs by footprintSecurity booths we have built, and what each one solved. Show pageRSAC booth rentalsEvery booth with its San Francisco price, plus live show dates. City pageSan Francisco booth rentalsFixed-price exhibits for every show at Moscone.
Questions about RSAC costs

Budget FAQs

How accurate are the show-billed estimates?
They are planning figures built from recent editions of the exhibitor services manual and the way the venue bills. They are meant to size a budget, not replace the manual. 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. With most exhibit houses it is an estimate that grows on the show floor; 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 San Francisco has its own fixed price, from the entry to the flagship end of each footprint. Pick a design on the RSAC booth rentals page and that price is exact and holds.
What does the space rate depend on?
Hall, position, corner premiums and sponsorship tier, and it changes by edition. The default is a planning figure; replace it with the rate on your space contract for a precise number.
How do I reduce drayage at Moscone?
Ship lighter, ship crated and ship to the advance warehouse. Weight is the multiplier, loose or padded freight is billed at a higher class, and direct-to-show deliveries outside target times attract overtime and special-handling charges.
Does the fixed price change if I add a meeting room or a second demo station?
Design revisions are unlimited until you approve, and the price is locked before design starts — so changes made in the concept phase cost nothing. After approval, a materially larger scope is quoted as its own fixed number rather than surfacing as a change order.
Can you estimate a footprint that isn't listed?
Yes. Peninsulas, split islands and anything above 30×40 are quoted directly — send the floor plan and we will return concepts, a fixed price and the show-billed lines within 24 hours.
How does RSAC compare with other security shows on cost?
San Francisco is among the most expensive convention cities for labour and material handling, and RSAC space rates sit at the top of the security calendar. The booth itself costs what it costs anywhere; the venue lines are where RSAC is dearer, which is why filing them at advance rates matters more here than at a Las Vegas show.
Fixed pricing · Pre-built & photo-approved · Full-service support

Turn the estimate into a number that holds.

Send your footprint and position and we will return design concepts, one fixed price and every show-billed line for that exact booth within 24 hours.

Get my fixed RSAC quote Read the planning guide

Or call us directly — (800) 379-8451