Key Details
About This Event
Licensing Expo 2027 (Tue May 18 – Thu May 20, 2027) brings 12,500+ retail & wholesale professionals, enterprise buyers, and exhibiting brands to Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Compare walkable corridor hotels, GSA $173/night per-diem options, 10x10 raw-to-turnkey booth cost benchmarks ($4,100 – $5,800 Raw -> ~$13.2k – $19.5k All-In), and private steakhouse client dining buyouts.
Who Attends
12,500+ AttendeesEssential Trip Planning Benchmarks for Licensing Expo
Fly into Harry Reid International Airport (LAS — 10–15 mins to Mandalay Bay Convention Center) and collect your badge the afternoon before Day 1 to bypass opening-morning lines.
Day 1 & Day 2 Main Expo Floor (10:00 AM – 4:30 PM) + Evening Corridor Private Dining Receptions.
Mandalay Bay Convention Center Self-Parking & Convention Valet: $0 – $20/day (Resort / Facility Schedule) • 7' 0" – 8' 2" garage; surface loading apron for box trucks (3–6 min walk to convention registration foyer).
Federal GSA Benchmark: $173/nt Lodging • $86/day M&IE. Smart business casual with cushioned footwear.
Walkable Convention Hotels, Private Dining Buyouts (8) & Local Suppliers
Select your target exhibit hall below to recalculate door-to-door walking minutes, skybridge or transit connections, and nearby buyout restaurants.
| Hotel Property & Transit Access | Commute to Bayside Exhibit Halls A–F | Show Rate vs. Off-Peak | Block Status | Room & Block Inquiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino (On-Site Headquarters)2–3 Min Indoor Concourse Walk to Bayside & Ballrooms Direct climate-controlled indoor walk past Border Grill straight into the 2.1M sq. ft. Mandalay Bay Convention Center. | 3 min | ~$335/nt Off-peak: $169/nt | Limited (<15%) | |
 Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas (Private Non-Gaming Floors 35–39)3-Min Private Express Elevator to Convention Wing Quiet non-gaming luxury sanctuary atop the Mandalay Bay tower with private ground-floor porte-cochère and immediate convention-level access. | 4 min | ~$620/nt Off-peak: $395/nt | Limited (<15%) | |
 W Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay Campus (All-Suite Tower)4-Min Indoor Campus Walk • 1,117 All-Suite Rooms Every standard room is a 725 sq. ft. living-room suite (formerly Delano)—ideal for hosting informal daytime badge-free client coffees. | 5 min | ~$375/nt Off-peak: $199/nt | Available | |
 Luxor Hotel & Casino (Indoor Mandalay Place Skybridge)6-Min Indoor Walk via Mandalay Place + Free TramPer-Diem Friendly Book the renovated Tower Rooms (not Pyramid) for fast elevator access directly at the Mandalay Place indoor shopping skybridge. | 7 min | ~$180/nt Off-peak: $79/nt | Available | |
 Excalibur Hotel & Casino (Free Mandalay Bay Express Tram)4-Min Free Express Tram Straight to Mandalay BayPer-Diem Friendly Lowest-cost GSA Per-Diem hack on the South Strip—the free overhead tram runs non-stop to Mandalay Bay in 3.5 minutes. | 9 min | ~$145/nt Off-peak: $59/nt | Overflow Block Open | |
 Park MGM & NoMad Las Vegas (100% Smoke-Free Resort)100% Smoke-Free Campus • Indoor Tram to ARIA & Bellagio Favorite among tech and healthcare attendees thanks to its completely smoke-free casino floor, Bavette's Steakhouse, and T-Mobile Arena plaza. | 11 min | ~$275/nt Off-peak: $139/nt | Available | |
 MGM Grand Hotel & Conference CenterSkybridge Walk / Las Vegas Monorail South Terminus Anchors the Las Vegas Monorail south station (linking directly north to LVCC) alongside its own 850,000 sq. ft. MGM Grand Conference Center. | 12 min | ~$270/nt Off-peak: $129/nt | Available | |
 ARIA Resort & Casino (CityCenter Executive Hub)5-Min Rideshare • Free CityCenter Express Tram Premier mid-south Strip C-suite anchor with Carbone, Catch, Jean Georges, and 500,000 sq. ft. of LEED Gold conference space. | 12 min | ~$420/nt Off-peak: $229/nt | Available |
Who Should Attend Licensing Expo (And Who Can Skip It)
- Enterprise solution providers, manufacturers, and B2B brands targeting 12,500+ retail & wholesale buyers.
- Sales & field-marketing teams booking walkable corridor deal suites and private steakhouse buyouts.
- Unrelated consumer retail vendors without B2B distribution or commercial buyers on the floor.
Concurrent Las Vegas Conventions
No overlapping mega-conventions exceed 25,000 attendees on the immediate adjacent dates, keeping off-corridor hotel rates and restaurant buyouts accessible.
Live From the Show Floor: Walkthrough Videos & Instagram Feed
Inspect real aisle traffic, booth builds, keynote crowds, and show-floor Reels before booking space or travel.
Top 5 Seminars at Licensing Expo Las Vegas Hitchcock Art LLC #licensingexpo #community #ai #seminar
Licensing Expo Las Vegas!
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Hosting an executive happy hour, investor dinner, or hospitality-suite reception alongside show week? Compare local venue buyout and catering proposals.
Verified Google Facility Reviews, Attendee Ratings & Exhibitor ROI
Combining authentic Google Maps facility reviews with verified Conventions.com booth-ROI and travel evaluations.
“Submit electrical, dedicated VLAN internet, and rigging before the 30-day advance cutoff at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, and rent 75" 4K monitors plus tension-fabric structures from a local Las Vegas EAC supplier to eliminate cross-country LTL drayage.”
“Peak decision-maker aisle traffic hits day 1 & day 2 main expo floor (10:00 am – 4:30 pm) + evening corridor private dining receptions.. Lock private dining rooms within a 10-minute walk of Mandalay Bay Convention Center at least 45–60 days before opening morning.”
“Fly into Harry Reid International Airport (LAS — 10–15 mins to Mandalay Bay Convention Center) and collect your badge the afternoon before Day 1 to bypass opening-morning lines. Wear broken-in shoes for 1,000,000+ net exhibit sq. ft. of floor coverage and pre-book evening client meetings near the main concourse.”
“The Mandalay Bay Convention Center, located at 3950 S Las Vegas Blvd on the south end of the Strip, is one of the largest privately owned convention venues in the world, offering 2.1 million square feet across three levels. A recent $100 million renovation added modern design, high density Wi‑Fi, and customizable LED displays, complementing its status as the largest solar‑powered convention center in the U.S. With direct access to Mandalay Bay, Delano, and…”
“We came here for Cosmoprof, and wow, we were truly impressed by this convention center. It’s modern, spacious, and very well organized. Definitely a 10/10 experience.”
“I'm always impressed with Conventions here. It's massive so you're never pressed for space. Catering services are excellent. And the overpriced food court is tremendously convenient. Ample security who are friendly and knowledgeable. I prefer Freeman BY FAR for events here. But GES, T3 and LVE are fine communicating, navigating and moving quick-ish, as well”
“Really an amazing place to go to a conference at. It is huge. I attended a Google Next conference and it was a great experience.”
“We attended HYROX to watch our kids compete. The convention center was the perfect size and we were incredibly impressed with the HYROX group that ran a very organized endurance competition. THEY WERE KIND and cheered on all competitors. The competition ran so smoothly and there were over 2000 competing. The professional photographers took amazing pictures of the competitors during the competition. We ate at Johnny Rockets while we were there.”
Ask Anything About Licensing Expo 2027 Specs, Union Rules, Hotels or Buyouts
Ask specific operational questions — hand-carry monitor limits, electrical & drayage rates, closest walkable hotels, or 30-person VIP dining buyouts.
Frequently Asked Questions (3)
Dates, credential pickup, exhibiting costs, labor rules, walkable hotels, and client dining.
Licensing Expo 2027 is scheduled for Tue May 18 – Thu May 20, 2027 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV (organized by Informa Markets & Licensing International).
A standard 10x10 inline space typically starts around $4,100 – $5,800 Raw, landing near ~$13.2k – $19.5k All-In once drayage, electrical, carpet, and graphics are included. Sourcing turnkey rental displays and 4K monitors from local Las Vegas EAC vendors cuts freight and decorator markups by 35%–50%.
Licensing Expo Historical Attendance & Booth Space Rate Trends
Year-over-year audited attendance and raw exhibit space rates across recent editions.
| Edition | Attendance | Raw Booth Space Rate | Edition Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 (Upcoming) | 12,500+ Attendees | $38 – $58/sf | Hosted at Mandalay Bay Convention Center (Las Vegas, NV) |
Planning Your Own Trade Show or User Conference at Mandalay Bay Convention Center?
Inspect hall-by-hall capacities (1,000,000+ net exhibit sq. ft.), union jurisdiction rules, headquarters hotel room-block capacities, show decorator RFPs, and 8 corridor buyout venues.