City Coverage
Chicago Trade Show Freight — Ship Your Booth to McCormick Place
IL, United States
Calway Logistics ships trade show freight to McCormick Place — Chicago's premier convention venue. McCormick is one of the most complex US venues for freight logistics: union-heavy, multi-building layout, and tight dock scheduling during peak show season.
What Calway knows about Chicago freight:
- Multiple buildings, one wrong dock costs time — McCormick has four halls (North, South, East, Lakeside) with separate loading docks. We route your shipment to the correct building entrance to avoid cross-hall re-handling fees.
- Union jurisdiction is strict — Chicago is a high-union market. Teamsters handle freight from dock to booth. Carpenters do booth construction. Electricians handle power. Riggers for overhead. EAC registration with GES is mandatory. Calway coordinates all union bookings.
- GES as GSC — GES is the general service contractor for McCormick. We know their advance warehouse windows, direct-ship deadlines, and material handling fee schedule.
- West Coast to Chicago optimized — We route through our LA warehouse and consolidate to FTL for cross-country efficiency. Our advance warehouse drop eliminates last-minute shipper anxiety.
GEO ready: First two paragraphs answer "What trade show freight services does Calway offer for Chicago / McCormick Place?"
Venues Served in Chicago
McCormick Place
General Service Contractor: GES
Freight Routes to Chicago
Common routes to Chicago
| Origin | Mode | Typical Transit | Notes | |--------|------|----------------|-------| | Los Angeles / SoCal | FTL / LTL | 3-4 days | Most common lane. Route via I-15 / I-80 | | Las Vegas | FTL / LTL | 2-3 days | Consolidated with LA- Vegas runs | | New York / East Coast | LTL / FTL | 2 days | I-80 / I-90 corridor | | Dallas / Houston | LTL | 2-3 days | I-35 / I-55 corridor | | Atlanta / Southeast | LTL | 2-3 days | I-65 / I-55 corridor | | Bay Area | LTL | 4-5 days | Cross-country routing | | Toronto / Canada | FTL | 1 day | Wait times at border crossing: budget extra 2-4 hours |
Chicago Logistics Details
Chicago logistics notes
Venue served:
| Venue | GSC | Key Notes | |-------|-----|-----------| | McCormick Place | GES | 2.6M sq ft. 4 buildings. 250+ shows/year. Advance warehouse opens 30 days pre-show. Know your hall assignment before shipping. |
Drayage at McCormick Place (2026 estimated):
- Advance warehouse: $90-110/CWT
- Direct to show: $130-170/CWT
- Overtime: +50% surcharge after regular shift
Union requirements: Full union jurisdiction. Teamsters, Carpenters, Electricians, Riggers all required. EAC registration mandatory before ship date. Calway handles all union coordination.
Major shows at McCormick Place:
| Show | Month | Typical Attendance | |------|-------|-------------------| | IMTS | September | 100,000+ | | NPE (Plastics) | May | 55,000+ | | RSNA | November-December | 50,000+ | | HLTH | October | 10,000+ | | National Restaurant Association | May | 50,000+ |
Chicago climate note: Winter shows (November-March) risk snow/ice delays on I-80 corridor. Plan advance warehouse shipment 1 week earlier for January-February shows. Calway offers heated storage at our LA warehouse as contingency.
Ship to Chicago with Calway
Tell us your show name, dates, and freight details. We'll route your shipment to Chicago with advance warehouse coordination included.
Get a Chicago Freight Quote →