Sponsor Rules & Policies

Contract for space

The application for exhibit space, observing these Rules & Regulations, constitute a contract for the right to sponsor/exhibit at the Cal-Lab Association 101st Annual Meeting. Sponsor/exhibitor also agrees to comply with the rules and regulations of the Swissôtel Chicago, IL. and any other contractors for this event. Requests for reasonable accommodations as provided by the ADA, must be received in writing in the Cal-Lab Association office by January 14, 2027.

Right of refusal and cancellation

Cal-Lab Association reserves the right to cancel this agreement when and if it discovers that the sponsor/exhibitor's product or service is not as described in this agreement or is incompatible with the purposes of the Cal-Lab Association. Contract may be cancelled if the sponsor/exhibitors demeanor is deemed inappropriate or disruptive by show management and/or Cal-Lab Association and/or for violation of these Rules & Regulations.

Taxes, licenses and permits

The sponsor/exhibitor shall be responsible for obtaining any permits, license or approvals required by local or state law applicable to their activities at the show. The sponsor/exhibitor is responsible for obtaining tax identification numbers and payments of all taxes and other fees that shall be due to any governmental agency in connection with their activity at the meeting.

Table assignments and table sharing

Table assignments will be made at least 30 days prior to the show. Table assignments are solely at the discretion of show management and/or Cal-Lab Association. Sponsor/exhibitors MAY NOT reassign, sublet or share assigned space or fraction thereof, with any person firm or entity without notification to and approval from Cal-Lab Association. Table sharing, as a general rule, is prohibited. Exhibit Manager reserves the right to alter the location of exhibits as shown on the original floor plan if it deems advisable and in the best interest of the show.

Firms and their representatives that are not assigned exhibit space are prohibited from soliciting business in any form in the exhibition and meeting areas. Violators will be promptly removed and may not be allowed to participate in future events.

Exhibit limitations

Exhibits may not project beyond the table space allotted and aisles must be kept clear for traffic. Exhibits may not obstruct the view or interfere with accessibility or traffic to other exhibits. Exhibits must be constructed and operated in compliance with Rules & Regulations as developed throughout this document, its attachments and amendments, and in the materials you will receive from the hotel.

Sound and effects

Cal-Lab Association and/or hotel reserves the right to determine at what point sound constitutes an interference with others and must be discontinued or modified. Sponsor/exhibitor agrees that it will not use any items in the exhibit space that creates any amplified noise, smell, or visual effect other than decorations without advance notification and written approval by Cal-Lab Association and Hotel. Examples of items that require advance approval include, but are not limited to: smoke or fog machines, dry ice, confetti cannons, candles, incense, or any other activity that generates smells. Sponsor/exhibitor will obtain any required Fire Marshall or other safety approvals and agrees to pay any expenses incurred by Cal-Lab Association and/or Hotel as a result of such activity, such as resetting smoke or fire alarms or unusual clean up costs.

Audio visual

Audio visual equipment and rental costs for same are not provided by Cal-Lab Association and will need to be ordered in advance if needed. AV contact information can be found on the Cal-Lab event page of the Cal-Lab website.

Fire, safety and health regulations

The sponsor/exhibitor agrees to accept full responsibility for compliance with city, county, state and federal Fire, Safety and Health Regulations regarding the installation and operation of equipment. All exhibit materials and equipment must be reasonably located within the space allotted and protected by safety measures necessary to prevent accidents to attendees. The sponsor/exhibitor further represents to Cal-Lab Association that the exhibitor has taken all steps reasonably necessary to ensure the sound engineering and structural integrity of its exhibit design and proper construction and safety of the exhibit itself, as erected.

Insurance

General comprehensive, liability and workers compensation insurance must be obtained by exhibitors at their own expense listing Cal-Lab Association as an additional insured. Proof of insurance must be submitted to Cal-Lab Association upon request.

Unoccupied space

Cal-Lab Association reserves the right, should any rented exhibitor's space remain unoccupied one (1) hour prior to the published opening time of the exhibits, to use space for such purpose as it may see fit without liability on its part. This clause shall not be interpreted as affecting the obligation of the exhibitor to pay the full amount specified in the trade show contract. Failure to make payment of the full amount specified for exhibit space by January 22, 2027 constitutes cancellation by the sponsor/exhibitor.

Setup, exhibit hours and teardown

Setup is 2:00–3:45 PM on Thursday. Exhibit hours are 3:45–5:45 PM on Thursday. Teardown begins at 5:45 PM and must be completed by 8:00 PM on Thursday.

Early breakdown and outbound shipping

Sponsor/exhibitor agrees to remain in the exhibit area until the official close of the exhibit area as published. Dismantling must begin at end of show and be completed by 8:00 PM. Items to be shipped must be properly packaged and labeled by the sponsor/exhibitor with proper arrangements made for outbound shipping. UPS Store handles all packages/freight shipped to/from the Swissôtel. UPS Store Exhibitor Kit for instructions for inbound and outbound packages/freight for the Cal-Lab meeting will be sent at a later date.

Default by sponsor

The sponsor/exhibitor shall be in default if it fails to pay the required fees by the scheduled date under this agreement or breaches any term of this contract.

Hold harmless

The sponsor/exhibitor will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Cal-Lab Association and its sponsors, the city of Chicago, the Swissôtel, and their respective owners, directors, officers, employees, agents and representatives, against all claims, actions, demands, or liability of whatsoever kind and nature, including but not limited to judgement, interest, reasonable attorneys' fees, expert witness fees, and all other related costs and charges arising out of sponsor/exhibitor's activities related to the exhibition or any breach of the sponsor/exhibitor Rules and Regulations, claims of property or personal injury caused by or attributed in part or in whole to any action or failure to act whether by negligence or otherwise, on the part of the sponsor/exhibitor or any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, representatives or contractor, excluding liability caused by the sole negligence or willful misconduct of Cal-Lab Association, its sponsor and their respective owners, directors, officers, employees, representatives and agents.

Excused non-performance and force majeure

If, for any reason beyond the reasonable control of Cal-Lab Association, including but not limited to, acts of God, governmental restrictions or regulations on travel (including travel advisory warnings), war, strikes, labor disputes, accidents, government requisitions, facility availability, commodities or supplies, inability to secure sufficient labor, civil disturbance, terrorism or threats of terrorism as substantiated by governmental warnings or advisory notices, curtailment of transportation, disaster, fire, earthquakes, hurricanes, extreme inclement weather, epidemics, shortages or disruption of the electrical power supply causing blackouts or rolling blackouts, or any other comparable conditions, Cal-Lab Association is unable to fulfill its obligations under this agreement, the parties may terminate this agreement without liability and Cal-Lab Association may retain the earned portion of the sponsor/exhibitor registration fee required to recompense it for expenses incurred up to the time of termination of the event. Any remaining unearned exhibit fees will be returned to the sponsor/exhibitor.

Additionally, if any part of the facility is damaged or if circumstances beyond Cal-Lab Association's reasonable control make it impossible or impractical for Cal-Lab Association to occupy or continue to occupy the assigned exhibit space location during any part of the entire event, the sponsor/exhibitor will only be charged a pro-rata exhibit space rental fee for the period that the exhibit space was or could have been occupied by the exhibitor. Furthermore, in no event will Cal-Lab Association, the city, the facility or their respective owners, directors, officers, employees, agents and representatives be liable for any consequential, indirect, special or incidental damages of any nature or for any reason whatsoever.

Limitation of liability

The sponsor/exhibitor assumes the entire responsibility and liability for all damages or losses to Cal-Lab Association, the facility, persons or property that occur as a result of the negligence or any actions of the exhibitor or its officers, employees, agents, representatives, invitees and guests during the entire exhibition period including setup and teardown. The sponsor/exhibitor agrees that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, Cal-Lab Association, the city of Chicago, the Swissôtel and any of their respective officers, agents, employees or representatives will not be held liable for any loss or damage to any exhibits or materials, goods or wares belonging to the sponsor/exhibitor, and they are released from liability for any damage, loss or injury to person or property of the sponsor/exhibitor or its officers, employees, agents, representatives, invitees and guests, resulting from fire, storm, water, acts of God, air conditioning or heating failure, theft, mysterious disappearance, bomb threats or any other cause.

Attorney fees and costs

Should any litigation arise out of this contract, the sponsor/exhibitor shall pay all costs and reasonable attorneys' fees incurred by Cal-Lab Association and/or its sponsors if Cal-Lab Association and/or its sponsors are the prevailing parties. This provision shall extend to the cost and attorneys' fees incurred both at the trial and appellate level.

Security

Neither Cal-Lab Association nor the Swissôtel provides security. All personal property left in the function space is at the sole risk of the owner, and attendees are responsible for safekeeping of their personal property.

Authority to sign

The exhibitor agrees that they have the authority to enter into this agreement and bind the company or party for whom they sign, and abide and be bound by all of the terms and conditions, exhibitor rules and regulations stated in this entire agreement or any amendments to the aforementioned. All points not covered herein are subject to the decision of Cal-Lab Association.

Governance

The sponsor/exhibitor further agrees that Cal-Lab Association will have full power in matters of interpretation, amendment, and enforcement of all sponsor/exhibitor rules and regulations. In all instances, the decision of Cal-Lab Association shall be final. All rights and privileges granted to the exhibitor under this agreement and any subsequent amendments are subject to and subordinate to the master agreement between Cal-Lab Association, its sponsors and the facility.

Cancellation by the sponsor or exhibitor

Cancellations must be received in writing. Cancellations received before December 2, 2026 shall be entitled to receive a full refund less a $150 administrative fee. No refunds will be made after December 2, 2026.

No show means no refund.

Payment deadline

Failure to make payment of the full amount specified for exhibit space by January 22, 2027 constitutes cancellation by the sponsor/exhibitor.

Default

The sponsor/exhibitor shall be in default if it fails to pay the required fees by the scheduled date under this agreement or breaches any term of this contract.

Cancellation by show management

The amount of the refund, if applicable, will be determined by Cal-Lab Association within 30 days following the close of the show. Cal-Lab Association reserves the right to cancel this agreement when and if it discovers that the sponsor/exhibitor's product or service is not as described in this agreement or is incompatible with the purposes of the Cal-Lab Association.

Who may staff your table

Your employees may staff your table. For distributors, you may request ONE representative from the manufacturer as one of your table representatives.

Badges are required for entry into the exhibit area. Badges may not be switched or given to another employee of your company or to another company.

Guests are not permitted

Cal-Lab remains a MEMBERS ONLY meeting. Your invitation to exhibit is issued ONLY to your company, and ONLY your company may do business at the Cal-Lab meeting.

Guest badges for representatives from other companies and/or dental laboratories are not allowed. Violation of this policy could result in additional fees and/or elimination from consideration for future meetings.

Badge limits

A maximum of six badges applies per company, counting all badges whether complimentary or paid. Your sponsorship includes two complimentary full registrations. Additional full registrations are $495 each. Exhibit-only badges for employees are at no additional charge and allow access to the exhibit area only; they do not include access to the meeting room or lunch.

Company divisions

If your company has a division under another name, domestic or international, that may have representatives register onsite, that information must be submitted to the office two weeks prior to the show or onsite badge requests may be denied. Please do not assume that we will recognize their company name as one of your divisions.

Onsite badge requests

For all onsite badge requests, a business card bearing your company name will be required. Payment for any additional full registrations is required. The Thursday lunch option is not provided for onsite registrations.

Photography at the meeting

It is customary that photos be taken during the course of the meeting including, but not limited to, exhibit hours. By completing this registration, you agree to allow such photos to be used for Cal-Lab promotional purposes either on the website or in printed materials without compensation or further approval.

Company representatives

You understand and agree that your company and/or company representatives' photos could be used in highlights and/or promotional materials without compensation and/or further approval.