How Booth Power and Internet Work at Convention Centers

Last reviewed October 15, 2026 by the ConventionVendor.com rental team.

Most large convention centers have exclusive providers for booth electrical and internet, either in-house departments or contractors appointed by the venue or show. Exhibitors cannot bring their own electrician or run their own line into the building.

Both services are ordered through the exhibitor service kit, usually on separate forms or portals. The order covers the service itself, and labor to run power to specific spots in the booth may appear as a separate line.

Rented equipment, including anything from ConventionVendor.com, plugs into the outlet you order. That is why the power order and the equipment list belong together.

Add up the wattage of everything that will run at the same time, then leave headroom for devices that spike, such as printers and fully loaded charging stations. The label on each device or its manufacturer's specifications gives the most accurate figure.

Electrical forms usually sell service by amperage or wattage, sometimes with a separate option for 24-hour power. Standard booth power is often switched off after show hours, so anything that must stay on overnight needs the 24-hour option if the show offers it.

Most electrical order forms ask for a floor plan showing where each outlet should land. Mark the spot behind each screen, under the counter, at the charging station, and at any kiosk, and note which device plugs in there.

If you leave placement blank, the provider usually delivers power to a default location, often at the back of the booth. Moving it after carpet is down takes time and may require additional labor.

In island booths, power may come up through floor ports or down from the ceiling, which makes the floor plan even more important. Ask the provider how power will reach the center of the booth before you finalize the layout.

Each connection type has a place, and many booths use two. The right choice depends on what stops working if the connection drops.

If several devices need Wi-Fi, ask the venue's internet provider whether it can supply an access point for the booth. Bringing your own router is often not allowed on the show floor.

A convention hall packs thousands of phones and laptops into one space, and every added hotspot or access point competes for the same radio channels. Enough of them can slow the venue network and other exhibitors' connections.

Exclusive contracts also play a part, since the venue's internet provider is often the only company allowed to sell connectivity in the hall. Our show Wi-Fi rules guide explains the typical policies and what to order instead.

When a demo stops working, the booth loses its main reason for visitors to stop. Put any demo that relies on the internet on a wired connection, and keep a cellular backup ready only if your show allows one.

Download videos and presentations to the device instead of streaming them, and keep an offline version of the demo for the worst case. A short recorded walkthrough on a USB drive can carry the booth through an outage.

Test the full setup on the show network during move-in. Corporate VPNs and firewalls sometimes block traffic that works fine at the office, and discovering that on opening morning leaves little time to fix it.