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Why PACK EXPO Matters for Packaging, processing, and converting Brands
PACK EXPO International brings 45,000+ attendees and 2,600+ exhibitors to Chicago, IL for 2026 (October 18–21, 2026).
It’s where packaging and processing equipment manufacturers, food and beverage machinery brands, and CPG packaging suppliers meet retail buyers, distributors, and industry decision-makers - a concentrated few days of the year that drive a disproportionate share of annual distribution outcomes.
For exhibiting brands, the show floor is revenue. But the show floor only matters if your booth, displays, and samples are actually on it when doors open.
That’s what makes trade show shipping a different kind of freight problem. Miss the target move date, pay penalty drayage or lose the show. Let a temperature-sensitive sample shipment sit warm on a dock, lose the booth’s sampling strategy.
Book freight with a generalist who doesn’t coordinate with the venue’s drayage operation, get surprise invoices and last-minute chaos at move-in.
Venue Logistics and Shipping Requirements
PACK EXPO is held at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. McCormick Place in Chicago is the largest convention center in North America and handles some of the most demanding trade show freight in the country.
For PACK EXPO International specifically, the sheer volume of heavy running machinery moving through drayage simultaneously makes target move dates especially tight - early booking is essential, and most exhibits require advance warehouse delivery to stage properly.
The venue operates under strict union labor rules and the show’s general contractor manages drayage and on-site handling.
Get a PACK EXPO shipping quote with all venue and drayage costs upfront.
Heavy Freight and Machinery Shipping for PACK EXPO
PACK EXPO exhibits include some of the heaviest and most complex freight at any trade show in North America - running machinery, custom packaging lines, full-scale demo equipment. Exhibit shipments regularly run into full truckloads of crated machinery weighing tens of thousands of pounds.
Full truckload (FTL) and heavy haul are standard modes. For food brand exhibitors showcasing packaging concepts alongside product samples, Freightzy can coordinate both dry FTL for the equipment exhibit and refrigerated LTL for sample product as a single coordinated shipping program.
One logistics partner. One coordinated program. Booth freight and samples handled as a single shipping relationship from pickup through booth delivery.
Cross-Border Shipping to PACK EXPO from Canada
Canadian packaging equipment manufacturers and food machinery brands use PACK EXPO International as their primary U.S. market entry point.
Freightzy’s cross-border FTL program handles heavy machinery freight from Ontario origins into McCormick Place, managing CBSA export clearance, U.S. Customs entry, and ATA Carnet documentation for temporary import of exhibit equipment.
Freightzy’s PACK EXPO Trade Show Shipping Service
Freightzy provides end-to-end trade show freight management for PACK EXPO exhibitors, including managed execution and scheduling, venue and contractor coordination.
Both LTL and FTL freight modes, refrigerated shipping for temperature-controlled samples, cross-border documentation and clearance for Canadian exhibitors, real-time tracking and status updates, and proactive issue resolution if anything threatens the schedule.
Talk to a cross-border trade show specialist - Contact Us.
