National Hardware Show Booth Cost and Planning for 2026

If you’re concerned about efficiently managing your National Hardware Show booth cost while planning a successful exhibit, Cardinal Expo has you covered. The NHS is an enormous show, and exhibitors must bring their A game. This means maximizing your budget efficiency, catering to your audience, and creating a fun and engaging booth. Read on to learn more about performing your best at the National Hardware Show 2026.

Table of Contents:

• National Hardware Show Booth Costs: Maximizing Your Budget
• Consider Exhibiting Indoors, Outdoors, or Both
• Concentrate on Effective Booth Design
• Cater to the Audience for the National Hardware Show 2026
• Invest in Staffing
• Take Advantage of New Opportunities at the National Hardware Show 2026
• Get Ready for the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas with Cardinal Expo

National Hardware Show Booth Cost: Maximizing Your Budget

One of your first concerns is determining your National Hardware Show cost to exhibit. As mentioned previously, the NHS is a large and popular show. This means that the way you look at your budget should be different for this show compared to others. Here is a rough breakdown of the costs involved and what we recommend as a starting point:

• Exhibiting space: 10% of budget
• Staffing and travel: 25% of budget
• Exhibit design: 40% of budget
• Show services (electric, internet, etc.) and premiums: 25% of budget

The estimated turnout for the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas for 2025 was around 20,000 visitors and 2,800 exhibitors. This should give you an indication of how much you’ll want to budget for your National Hardware Show booth cost and other expenditures in 2026.

Big crowds often mean big buyers and opportunities, and the high exhibitor count means that there’s going to be a lot of competition. Fighting for attention is more difficult when attending a large show like the NHS, but also more rewarding. To take advantage of this show, you may want to consider spending more than you normally would for another smaller trade show. By budgeting for a bigger National Hardware Show cost, you can make more of an impact and get greater ROI.

Picking out the right exhibit booth size is a great place to get started, and Cardinal offers a wide range of customizable booth sizes, layouts, and designs. For the National Hardware Show 2026, you may want to consider something bigger, such as a 20×20 exhibit booth rental, a double deck exhibit rental, or a large and custom option. Or, if you want to take advantage of the indoor and outdoor spaces by exhibiting with multiple booths, you may want to opt for a couple smaller island exhibits instead.

Keep reading for more tips about exhibiting at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas or contact us now to discuss the right booth size for your business.

Consider Exhibiting Indoors, Outdoors, or Both

Since 2023, the National Hardware Show has had an outdoor component. The outdoors area is typically a place where attendees can go to relax, drink, eat, and, of course, check out new and exciting products. This is a great place to show off bigger and louder equipment, as well as outdoor products, such as:

• Weed whackers
• Lawn mowers
• Lawn products
• Gardening products
• Farming and ranching machinery
• BBQ and grilling products
• Sporting goods
• Other machinery

Not only that, but if you are able to have a booth indoors as well as outdoors, your brand can gain more visibility and attract more visitors. This can be especially useful if you have outdoor products to demo or display as well as products or services that might make more sense to showcase inside.

The NHS is a large show that covers a lot of ground, so it may be worth putting additional budget toward additional space and visibility in your National Hardware Show booth cost. Rather than getting one large booth, you could opt for two smaller island exhibits to make your presence feel bigger within a similar budget.

Something to consider with outdoor exhibits, however, is that they will require a higher investment in structural integrity than their indoor counterparts. For this reason, while investing in an outdoor booth location can be beneficial, you should only do so if you can take full advantage of the location.

At Cardinal Expo, we can create safe outdoor exhibition booths for the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas. We can provide anything from a lightweight kiosk to a colossal structure that can fit a truck or heavy equipment under its roof.

Concentrate on Effective Booth Design

Design is more than flashy marketing materials and cool graphics. Don’t overlook the layout of your booth and how it interacts with your products, the show itself, and the attendees walking by.

Ask yourself: what are you hoping to accomplish at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas? If you need to make connections, then it’s important to have space set up to encourage visitors to talk with your staff. Such spaces should make your staff seem open and available, rather than sequestered in a corner, seated in low furniture, or busy answering emails or taking calls. Be sure to budget accordingly for your National Hardware Show cost, including exhibiting space, the exhibit itself, staff, and furniture.

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Are you there to showcase your products? Which ones? Are you focused on best sellers or your latest line? In either case, you should focus on ensuring that those products are front and center, easily visible and accessible to anyone passing by your booth. 

The crowd will be dense, so it’s important that the show attendees can easily see your products. When budgeting for your National Hardware Show booth cost, factor in the appropriate amount of podiums, stands, and other structures to get your products above the heads of the crowd. Also consider lighting and other aspects of visual accessibility, ensuring that your booth space is well-lit with an emphasis on your products.

Cater to the Audience for the National Hardware Show 2026

As with any industry-specific trade show, the National Hardware Show 2026 is going to have a well-defined audience. Use that to your advantage!

The audience will primarily be made of construction industry professionals, builders, and other people who occupy that space. The booths these individuals like to visit are rough, loud, and hands-on. The NHS gets a wide variety of attendees in the home improvement field, including:

• Big-box retailers
• Online retailers
• Building and lumber retail
• Independent retailers
• Wholesalers
• Distributors
• Manufacturer representatives
• Store service representatives
• Warehouses, chains, supermarkets, and drugstores
• Product development and R&D professionals
• Licensing professionals
• Facility managers
• Builders, contractors, and remodelers
• Designers
• Architects
• Electricians
• Plumbers
• Media and influencers

A big draw for the National Hardware Show is that attendees get to go and experience the industry’s new gadgets for themselves. According to the NHS, 83% of attendees go to see what’s new and interesting in the home improvement industry. Over half (56%) of attendees are responsible for purchasing decisions in multiple categories.

Have tools and other equipment out for display and use, ensure that your booth personnel are educated on the specifics of each device, and perform live demos to show how they work.

Additionally, you’ll want to ensure that your booth design and all associated marketing materials reflect the spirit of the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas and the style of experience you’re looking to create. Your marketing materials should be big, loud, and in-your-face. Getting the attention of individuals in a crowd of 20,000 people isn’t a passive affair. Your outward-facing materials should be attention-grabbing enough to make people want to stop by your booth over any of the other 2,800.

If you’re lost on incorporating design into your National Hardware Show booth cost, Cardinal Expo has you covered. Coupled with your booth rental, Cardinal Expo’s professional designers will help you perfect your booth design, creating an attention-grabbing experience sure to draw attendees from the crowd. 

Invest in Staffing

Training salespeople is a must. Competently trained, engaging, and professional staff are worth every single penny they contribute to your National Hardware Show booth cost.

There’s no point to going to a trade show with the intention of selling your products if you don’t invest in salespeople who will actually deliver. Your salespeople should be skilled in engaging with attendees, knowledgeable about your products, and, of course, good at selling.

It doesn’t stop at training, however. Ensure that your people have the tools they need to succeed:

• Construct interactive activities that your salespeople can engage with attendees over.
• Plan for the space and materials they’ll need to perform compelling, eye-catching demonstrations.
• Give them opportunities to provide premiums and show-exclusive deals, and let them get to work. 

Take Advantage of New Opportunities at the National Hardware Show 2026

National Hardware Show 2026 will be the trade show’s 81st year, and the NHS promises it will be more efficient than ever. By looking at recent years as well as announcements for 2026, we’ve compiled the latest advice for exhibitors to make an impact at the show.

Product Development, Sourcing, and Buying by Appointment

NHS has announced that in 2026, it will be unveiling a new event to streamline the product development, sourcing, and buying process. With pre-set curated meetings between buyers, manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers, it will be easier than ever to connect with relevant brands from around the world and establish profitable relationships.

Showcasing Innovation

National Hardware Show continues to emphasize innovation with a variety of show areas dedicated to new products, services, solutions, and brands:

• NEW Product Zone: A space for sharing the latest new products on the market.
• NEXT Powered by the United Inventors Association: A stage with inventor pitch panels, educational sessions, and more dedicated to new inventions.
• Shop Global: An area for small and mid-size businesses outside the U.S. to share their offerings.
• Lowe’s Into the Blue: A new event introduced in 2025 where owners, suppliers, and entrepreneurs can apply for a chance to meet with Lowe’s at NHS and pitch their game-changing products, factory capabilities, or manufacturing capabilities.

Focus on Education

In 2025, NHS demonstrated continued attention to their educational opportunities with a refreshed lineup of topics for the conference, such as:

• Remodeling trends
• Artificial intelligence
• Merchandising tactics

Keep an eye out for ways to share your knowledge with attendees in 2026, particularly around hot topics and emerging trends.

Networking Opportunities

Networking remains a central component and benefit of the National Hardware Show. Consider participating in these popular events (and keep an eye out for any new ones):

• Rage Room: A new hardware activation lounge introduced in 2025 as a place where attendees can show off their strength and de-stress by smashing old hardware.
• VIP Reception: An event for VIP buyers and sponsors to network in a unique, intimate setting.
• After Dark: A popular partnership that allows participants to continue networking after hours with special access to tourist attractions.
• Influencer Mixer: An exclusive networking event for content creators in the industry.
• Backyard Beer Garden: An outdoor space where attendees can unwind each day over happy hour drinks and live music.

New Product Categories

New product categories for exhibitors were introduced in 2024, including:

• Gift
• Hobby
• Craft
• Sporting Goods
• Services & Solutions

Consider which product category best fits your business among the latest options available in 2026. If your company straddles several categories, it may be worth getting two smaller exhibits instead of one larger one, allowing you to segment your offerings for multiple highly targeted audiences.

Get Ready for the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas with Cardinal Expo

If you’re looking for a way to maximize your investment at the National Hardware Show 2026, Cardinal Expo is here to help. We have the industry knowledge and skills to help you get the most out of your budget.

Whether you’re renting a booth for this expo, need help with design, want to streamline logistics and offload your booth’s management, or all of the above, Cardinal Expo has the resources you need. Contact us below to see how we can help you.