Expo

* The following applies only for sponsors that have an expo booth listed in their contract *

The VERGE 24 Expo will feature nearly 100 organizations applying their innovative technologies and services to address the climate crisis in the following areas: energy, buildings, transport, carbon markets, drawdown & land use, and industrial decarbonization. 


Join the VERGE 24 Expo to connect with attendees and promote your company's climate tech initiatives!


📆 Exhibitor Deadlines

Sept 6 - Reserve booth space, furniture & sign

Sept 12 - Submit F&B sample forms & Temporary Food Facility forms

Sept 27 - Submit rigging plans & spec sheets for heavy items

Sept 30 - Order extra booth materials & display labor

Oct 4 - Take zero waste survey, Submit trivia game question & Submit ground structure certifications

Oct 10 - Submit booth catering order forms


🔗 Quick Links

Booth Space & Location

All booths for this event will be located indoors in Halls 1, 2 and the Grand Ballroom of the San Jose Convention Center (see pictures below and virtual tour here). Trellis will be sending all exhibitors the expo floorplan to choose their booth location in late-July. 


Most booth spaces will be either 20'x20', 20'x10', or 10'x10' (with a height limit of 12' unless certification is obtained for taller ground structures - see the Expo Policies section below for details). Please see your sponsorship kick-off email for your assigned booth size. If you would like to upgrade your booth size, please let your customer success manager know. We are offering upgrades in increments of 100 sq. ft at $40 per square foot.


Please confirm if your company intends to use its booth space in the VERGE 24 Expo, if you'd like to upgrade the size, and if you need the complimentary furniture and logo sign listed in the Complimentary Booth Materials section below by 📆 Sept 6.


You can use the expo promo image and event copy here to promote your participation. If you have questions about your booth space, please contact your customer success manager. 

Grand Ballroom

Halls 1 & 2

Complimentary Booth Materials

Trellis provides the following booth items at no additional charge. Please see the Extra Booth Materials section below for extra items your team can purchase to make your booth unique and stand out from the crowd.

Furniture 

One bar table (36″W × 24″D × 41″H) with a storage shelf on the inside and two bar stools will be provided per booth (pictured below). If you do not need this furniture, please inform your customer success manager so we can save on resources.

Logo sign

A simple placard sign featuring your company logo will be provided and affixed to the front of your bar table (pictured below). If you do not need this sign, please inform your customer success manager so we can save on resources.

Pipe and drape 

Only booths that are up against another booth on the floorplan will have pipe and drape at the back. Booths that are only next to another booth on the left or right side (not the back) will NOT have pipe and drape (either at the back or the side). There other booth structures will be provided.

Flooring

Your booth space will have navy/gray carpet if it’s in the Grand Ballroom or gray marble floor if it’s in Hall 1 or 2 (pictured above). Exhibitors are allowed to install their own flooring if desired, but please note it cannot damage the venue flooring (a protective covering is strongly recommended for booths in the Grand Ballroom). Any damage expenses incurred will need to be paid for by the exhibitor. See the Extra Booth Materials section below for more details.

Power

A 500 watt outlet with one power strip (containing 6 power plugs) will be provided at the back of each booth, see the Extra Booth Materials section below for options on purchasing extra power if needed.

WiFi

Trellis will have our own WiFi network available to connect to at the event free of charge. If your booth display depends on fast and reliable internet, however, we recommend purchasing an ethernet cord or your own wireless network. See the Extra Booth Materials section below for more details.

Security

A security guard will be posted in the expo areas from Oct 28 - Oct 31 after event hours (7pm - 7:30am) as well as during exhibitor set-up and close-down.

Trivia Game Question (only for Foundational, Premier & Supporting Sponsors) 

High-level sponsors have the opportunity to participate in the VERGE 24 Expo Trivia Game, designed to boost traffic to booths during the event. Submit an industry or company related question to your customer success manager and they will add it as a question to our trivia game, which will be promoted to all attendees and hosted on the conference app, Whova. To answer the questions, attendees will be encouraged to visit the booths and converse with exhibitors. The attendee who submits the most correct answers will win a complimentary all-access pass to a future Trellis event. If you would like to participate, please submit the following to your customer success manager by 📆 Oct 4:


Booth Furniture

Booth Furniture & Logo Sign

Extra Booth Materials

To ensure exhibitors' exact needs are met, exhibitors are responsible for ordering any desired extra booth items. We recommend ordering everything through our partner vendors listed below but you are also welcome to use your own vendor if desired. Please note that all booth materials must be transferred to your booth via union labor (unless your team members plan on hand-carrying them from the parking garage without any equipment). Please see more details regarding union labor in the "Set-Up & Close-Down" section below.

Monitors, tablets & laptops

To order a monitor, tablet or laptop, please fill out and submit this online Order Form to FNTech (booth # not needed). All FNTech orders will be set-up on Monday, Oct 28 from 8-11am and picked-up on Thursday, Oct 31 from 12-2pm. The deadline to order within advanced rates is Sept 27. Please contact sponsorservices@fntech.com for any order questions. 

Extra power

A 500 watt outlet with one power strip (containing 6 power plugs) will be provided, complimentary, at the back of each booth. Please fill out and submit this online Order Form to Edlen Electrical Services if your team needs more power for your booth (booth # not needed). All exhibitor power will be set-up on Sunday, Oct 27. The deadline to order within advanced rates is Oct 8. If you have any questions on your order, please contact exhibitorservices-sanjose@edlen.com.

Ethernet cords

Trellis will have our own WiFi network available to connect to at the event free of charge. If your booth display depends on fast and reliable internet, however, we recommend purchasing an ethernet cord or your own wireless network by filling out and submitting this Order Form from Team San Jose to techservices@sanjose.org (booth # not needed). The deadline to order within advanced rates (Incentive pricing) is Sept 26.

LeadCapture

Track, score, and export leads during VERGE 24 with LeadCapture. LeadCapture is a smartphone app that allows you to scan event badge QR codes and electronically transfer the information to your lead retrieval system, eliminating the hassle (and paper waste) of managing business cards. Please see this Order Form for more information and to sign-up. There is no deadline to order. Directions on how to use LeadCapture once purchased can be found here.


Custom flooring, extra furniture, union labor, and more

Please order through our event decorator, Freeman, via this online Order Form. Please contact Freeman via live chat, phone or email here for any questions. If you are having trouble logging in, please contact exhibitor support at (888) 508-5054 for US/Canada or 1 (817) 210-4869 for international. The show ID is #531914. All Freeman orders will be set-up on Sunday, Oct 27 from 8am-4pm and closed-down on Thursday, Oct 31 from 12-4pm, unless otherwise requested. The deadline to order within advanced rates is Sept 30.

Expo Schedule & Passes

The VERGE 24 Expo will be open for attendees to visit throughout the event (starting at 7:45am on Oct 29). Although booths will be accessible throughout the event, we encourage your team to only staff your booth during the following times so they can also participate in content sessions (if their pass allows).


Each exhibitor gets 2 Sponsor All-Access Passes (in addition to the ones granted in your contract) to register exhibitor staff with. Please see the Registration page for information on registering these passes. Team members or vendors that are solely onsite to set-up/close-down your booth do not need to register.

Monday, Oct 28

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM: Set-Up Time

Tuesday, Oct 29

7:45 - 9:00 AM: Breakfast & Expo

11:30 - 1:15 PM: Lunch & Expo

2:45 - 3:15 PM: Networking Break & Expo

4:45 - 6:45 PM: Reception & Expo

Wednesday, Oct 30

7:45 - 9:00 AM: Breakfast & Expo

10:00 - 10:45 AM: Networking Break & Expo

11:45 AM - 1:15 PM: Lunch & Expo

2:45 - 3:15 PM: Networking Break & Expo

5:30 - 7:00 PM: Reception & Expo

Thursday, Oct 31

7:45 - 9:30 AM: Breakfast & Expo

10:30 - 11:00 AM: Networking Break & Expo

12:00 - 4:00 PM: Close-Down Time

Set-Up & Close-Down

Load-in/load-out - Loading dock

All exhibitors transporting booth materials by truck should load-in and load-out their materials at the event venue's Hall 2 loading dock. You do NOT need to schedule load-in/load-out times for this event as Freeman will have your driver meet them at a nearby marshaling yard and then escort them to the loading dock once a bay becomes available. Please just make sure to arrive within the allotted set-up/close-down times (9am-4pm on Oct 28 for set-up and 12-4pm on Oct 31 for close-down). 


All exhibitors using the loading dock must use union labor to unload and transfer their materials to their booth. This service will be provided automatically upon arriving at the loading dock. Exhibitors will be charged for this service via Freeman. See this Material Handling page for pricing details.


Please send your driver the Hall 2 loading dock directions (includes the marshaling yard and loading dock addresses and directions on accessing the expo floor from the dock). Your booth can be located onsite by referencing the exhibitor floorplan, which will be emailed to your team in late-July.

Load-in/load-out - Parking garage

Exhibitors transporting booth materials by van or car (that is less than 6'8" inches tall) AND are able to hand-carry their materials to their booth (without any use of equipment - e.g. dollies) can load-in and load-out their materials at the event venue's parking garage. Exhibitors using the parking garage and hand-carrying their materials do NOT need to use union labor or schedule load-in/load-out times. Please just make sure to arrive within the allotted set-up/close-down times (9am-4pm on Oct 28 for set-up and 12-4pm on Oct 31 for close-down). 


Please send your team the parking garage directions (includes parking fee rates, the garage address and directions on accessing the expo floor from the garage). Your booth can be located onsite by referencing the exhibitor floorplan, which will be emailed to your team in late-July.

Setting-up/closing-down your booth

All exhibitors must hire union labor for all booth installation and dismantle labor unless your installation/dismantle does not require the use of tools, more than one person and can be accomplished in 30 minutes or less. The handling or setting out of merchandise to be displayed does not require union labor and may be done by the exhibitor. Fill out the Freeman Display Labor order form by 📆 Sept 30 to hire union labor for setting-up/closing-down your booth within advanced rates. If your booth set-up/close-down requires heavy equipment, such as a forklift, please fill out the Forklift Labor & Equipment order form by that date as well. Exhibitors that plan on hanging signs should fill out the Hanging Signs Labor & Equipment order form by that date.

Shipping & Storage

Freeman will be working with all exhibitors on their shipping and storage needs, including shipping booth materials to and from the event venue and storing materials during the event. Exhibitors are responsible for coordinating all shipping and storage services and making payment directly with Freeman. Please see below for more information.


Freeman contact info

Shipping packages to the event

You can either ship your packages to Freeman’s advance freight warehouse or the show site. Find directions on these options here. Below are a few highlights:



All packages shipped through Freeman will be delivered directly to your booth. All packages will be delivered in advance of exhibitor set-up on Oct 28. If you do not see your packages at your booth when you arrive, please see Freeman at their service desk (behind the pipe and drape at the back of Hall 2) to locate your packages.

Storing materials during the event

Any materials that you cannot store at your booth (both small and large) need to be stored by Freeman in a secure truck at the venue’s loading dock. If you’d like to order this storage service, please see Freeman at their service desk (behind the pipe and drape at the back of Hall 2).

Shipping packages after the event

If Freeman stored any of your booth materials during the event, they will deliver them back to your booth at the start of exhibitor close-down. All exhibitors must fill out and submit the Outbound Paperwork in advance. Once you are done packing-up, please leave your sealed packages at your booth and affix shipping labels to each package. Any packages left at the event venue after 4pm on Thursday, Oct 31 that are left unsealed or don’t have any pick-up scheduled or shipping labels attached will be taken by Freeman and accrue storage fees. You can purchase outbound packaging materials and supplies at the nearby FedEx Office if needed.

Expo Policies

👷 Union labor: This venue is unionized, so your team will likely need to use union labor to transfer items to/from your booth as well as set-up/close-down your booth. There are limited exceptions to this policy. Please see the Set-Up & Close-Down section above for more information.


#️⃣ Booth numbers: Booth numbers will be assigned for this event and they will be visible on the expo floorplan, which will be emailed to all exhibitors in late-July. The floorplan will be displayed on an onsite monitor, on the event website's Expo page, and on the conference app for attendees to reference during the event.


📐 Booth size and weight: Most booth spaces will be either 20'x20', 20'x10', or 10'x10' (with a height limit of 12' unless certification is obtained for taller ground structures). Please see your sponsorship kick-off email for your finalized booth size. Note all booth materials must fit within your booth space. Materials that are 100 pounds per square foot or more (e.g. vehicles) need to be pre-approved by the venue. Please send a spec sheet (including a description of the item, the dimensions and weight) to your Trellis customer success manager by 📆 Sept 27 for review. 


🔨 Rigging and ground structures policies: If your team plans on hanging materials from the ceiling or building tall structures (above 12’), please review the expo rigging and ground structures policies. Submit your rigging plan to Team San Jose at teamsanjosereview@stagerigging.com, tfoster@sanjose.org, and swehrle@sanjose.org by 📆 Sept 27. If you plan on building a tall ground structure, please submit your structural integrity certification to Team San Jose at edeguzman@sanjose.org, tfoster@sanjose.org, and swehrle@sanjose.org by 📆 Oct 4. See this page to hire labor and equipment for rigging or building ground structures.


🎁 Giveaways: In order to reach our zero waste goal, Trellis is implementing a strict zero-waste policy for this event. Please review the Zero Waste section below for guidelines on acceptable giveaways and other booth materials. Exhibitors can use the conference app (to be available here under the “More” tab one month before the event) to share digital (rather than printed) materials with attendees. 


🍩 Food & beverages: Food and beverages can only be served at booths in sample sizes and only with prior written approval by the venue and the Santa Clara County Health Department (unless ordered through the venue's catering department). If you are looking to serve your own f&b (not the venue's f&b), please fill out this F&B Sample Form and this Temporary Food Facility Form and email it to your customer success manager by 📆 Sept 12. Your customer success manager will then share it with the venue who will review and share it with the County Health Department if approved. To order f&b from the venue's catering department, please click here. The Booth Catering Order Form must be submitted to esm@sanjose.org by 📆 Oct 10.

Zero Waste

Since 2015, Trellis has been pursuing the goal of generating as close to zero waste as possible, from set-up to close-down, for its events. We're continuing this challenge for VERGE 24. All stakeholders - Trellis, venue staff and exhibitors - will work together to send as little waste to the landfill as possible through procurement, planning, education, and sorting.


Exhibitor Requirements

All exhibitors are required to review the Zero Waste Guidelines and take the Zero Waste Survey by 📆 Oct 4 to ensure compliance with the event’s waste management policies. 


If you have any questions or concerns regarding the guidelines please reach out to zerowaste@greenwaste.com, our zero waste partner for this event.

Activations

Activations are custom branded spaces at the event venue that the sponsor and Trellis co-create together. If you have an activation in your contract, please note the following differences from a regular expo booth:



All other booth information and rules on this page, including union labor requirements, taking the zero waste survey, and the set-up and close-down procedures apply to activations. If you have any questions on your activation, please reach out to the Trellis team member coordinating activations (wylie@greenbiz.com).