Book and Trade Fair | Exhibit Options | Application Form | Important Deadlines | Sponsorship | Advertising | Past Participants |

CAA 114th Annual Conference Book and Trade Fair 

Thank you for considering the CAA 114th Annual Conference to promote your business or organization! CAA organizes the largest conference in the world for professionals in the visual arts and higher education.      

At CAA’s Annual Conference, connect directly with our conference attendees and membership to ensure your business or organization gains visibility with thousands of professionals in the visual arts and higher education. See why global art suppliers, publishers, universities and colleges, foundations, magazines and journals, art materials manufacturers, distributors, digital-image resources, advanced study programs, membership organizations and other services for visual art professionals make CAA’s Annual Conference a must on their calendars. Whether you choose to exhibit at our Book and Trade Fair, participate as a sponsor, cohost an event, or place an ad on our website, there is a marketing option that is right for you.      

The February 18–21, 2026, in-person conference will take place in Chicago, and there will be a virtual component offered online. Over 275 panel discussions and events are planned for the conference program.   

All exhibitors for the in-person conference will also receive a virtual exhibit for the online conference platform. Conference exhibitor content will be available there for further access on-demand through to April 10, 2026, along with on-demand recordings of the conference program of sessions. This will provide eight weeks for marketing and promotion to CAA membership. The extended time frame for the conference broadens exhibitor opportunities for connecting with CAA’s highly engaged and motivated membership.       

FACTS & FIGURES    

The annual conference includes over 275 panel discussions, faculty and alumni events and special events.   

Our surveys show approximately 80% of attendees visit the exhibitors and 51% of CAA attendees spend more than $1,000 at the in-person conference.   

Approximately 2/3 of CAA members are women. 85% of attendees are based in the U.S. 15% of attendees are foreign-based.     

The 2026 conference will take place in-person at the Hilton Chicago Hotel, one of the city’s top conference destinations, within walking distance or convenient public transportation to world-renowned cultural attractions such as the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art, the Field Museum, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago Architecture Center, and National Museum of Mexican Art along with Chicago’s Bridgeport, Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Pilsen, River North, West Loop and Wicker Park gallery districts. 

The in-person Book and Trade Fair, February 18–21, offers Standard 8’ x 10’ exhibit booths with prime placement for sponsors. Also offered are Enterprise exhibits for qualified not for profit and entrepreneurial exhibitors. The exhibit hall is centrally located next to conference registration where all attendees must check in, guaranteeing high visibility and immediate access to the exhibits in-person.    

The virtual conference online platform exhibits, February 17 – April 10, 2026, is a full engagement environment offering virtual exhibit booths that include the following features:     

• An introductory text description of your organization of up to 400 words.    
• Your organization’s logo.     
• 10 images for promoting your publications, products, programs or services. File size 150 mb per file in Jpeg format.   
• 10 URL hyperlinks to your main website or other locations with your content.    
• 5 PDF files containing your promotional information. File size 150 mb.    
• 5 pre-recorded MP4 format videos to promote your publications, products, programs or services. File size 1 GB.    
• Live chat and appointment request function that enables attendees to request to meet you online.    
• Lead capture with enhanced statistical data from visits to your exhibit page.    
• Uploading your content to the virtual exhibit booth is made easy through the Exhibitor Upload Portal, a user-friendly website allowing you to populate your virtual exhibit with all of your promotional assets in an easy step-by-step process.    

The Exhibit page of the virtual conference online platform will be prominently featured in the online conference app, with multiple prompts to encourage attendees to visit.    

Important Dates

February 18–21, 2026: In-person exhibits at the Hilton Chicago Hotel 720 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Ill 60605.   

February 17 – April 10, 2026: Virtual, online exhibits. After February 21, the virtual exhibits will be accessible through April 10, 2026.   

The exhibit booth rental fees include both your booth at the in-person book and trade fair plus a virtual exhibit booth online for no additional cost. If you are interested in exhibiting only in the virtual part of the conference, please contact Paul Skiff, CAA Senior Consultant for Conference, at: pskiff@collegeart.org / 212-392-4413.

Exhibitor Price List

Standard 8’ x 10’ Exhibit Booth $1,550       

Standard Corner 8’ x 10’ Exhibit Booth $1,660    

Additional Standard 8’ x 10’ Exhibit Booths $1,450    

Enterprise Exhibit Booth $775 for qualifying exhibitors     

Enterprise Exhibit Booth for Individual Authors $580    

Enterprise Exhibit Booth for Student Organizations $580  

For more information, please contact Paul Skiff, CAA Senior Consultant for Conference. Find Book and Trade Fair applications here.