Race simulator rental in San Diego
In shortAt the San Diego Convention Center the building sells no power and accepts no freight, and the local representatives of four unions set the final labor requirements for each event. The live documents disagree on whether exhibitor staff may self-install, so we plan to the strictest version and get the show's own rules in writing.
We ship rigs into San Diego and staff them. Freight to anywhere in the continental US is inside the price, and the price does not change by city.
San Diego reads like a relaxed, walkable harbor city and runs like a union town whose rulebook is settled event by event. The convention center sells no power, accepts no freight and has no truck yard on site, and since 07/01/2025 a city ordinance has required training cards from anyone who rigs overhead or runs 100 amp power distribution in the building.
Four unions hold the floor, and the rules are settled per event
The San Diego Convention Center has worked with union labor since it opened in 1989. In 2004 it formalized that in an Exclusive Jurisdiction Agreement with four unions: IATSE Local 122, IBEW Local 569, the painters' District Council 36 Tradeshow and Sign Crafts Local 831, and Teamsters Local 542. The venue's regulations say the jurisdiction covers move-in, installation, show production, dismantling and move-out of trade shows, convention exhibits, corporate events and theatrical events. A private company event is inside it, not outside it.
The sentence that matters most is the last one in the venue's union section. The local representatives of each union work with you to determine final union requirements based on your specific event. San Diego does not publish one rule set for every show. It settles each event, which is why we get the show's own labor rules in writing before we price an install here.
| Function | Who holds it | What it means for a simulator build |
|---|---|---|
| Exhibit installation and dismantling | The decorators' union, supplied through the show's official contractor | The contractor's Southern California rule allows one full-time exhibitor employee, one hour or less, no tools. A simulator build takes longer |
| Unloading and material handling | Teamsters Local 542 | Hand-carry only: one person, one trip, no dollies or hand trucks |
| Electrical | IBEW Local 569, ordered through the show's general service contractor | The building performs no event electrical service. See the electrical section |
| Stagehand, AV and production rigging | IATSE Local 122. The venue's preferred AV contractor holds production rigging and house sound exclusively | Rigging from the hall grid is limited to that contractor and approved contractors, under an ETCP-certified supervisor |
| Cleaning | Convention center employees, exclusively | Including booth vacuuming. A contractor caught cleaning can be asked to leave |
| Food and beverage | One exclusive caterer | No outside food or drink. Staff turn it away at the door |
| Internet, phone and data | One exclusive provider | Its guide and the contractor's sheet disagree on who may run booth cabling. See the network question |
| Security at docks, front drive and perimeter | The convention center, exclusively | Every dock move-in runs under the venue's own security staff |
Your own staff: three documents, three answers
Who may assemble a booth without union labor is the first question every planner asks. In San Diego the live documents give three answers, and several smaller rules disagree as well. Here is every version, and the one we plan to.
| Question | What the live documents say | What we plan to |
|---|---|---|
| Exhibitor staff installing their own booth | The venue exempts regular payroll employees of the licensee or show management, and says nothing about exhibitors. The June 2026 architecture conference at the building told exhibitors their full-time employees could install and dismantle with power tools, no limit stated. The same contractor's Southern California sheet, created 11/2025, allows one full-time employee, one hour, no tools | The one-hour rule, with union installers on the labor order until the show confirms otherwise in writing |
| Network cable inside the booth | The contractor's sheet says electricians install all data and coaxial cable in the booth unless the in-house provider does. The exclusive data provider's guide says you may supply your own switch and patch cables | Under-carpet data on the electrical order. Patching inside the rigs confirmed in writing |
| Late fire permit fee | The fire department's trade show guideline says $300 under 10 business days. Its permits page says $49 per day | File early, and neither applies |
| Crate storage in the hall | The venue allows it with fire marshal approval, up to 10 by 50 feet and 8 feet high. The fire department's guideline sends crates and boxes outside the building or into a two-hour rated, sprinklered storeroom | No crates in the booth. Empties go to the contractor |
| Multi-outlet adapters | The venue prohibits home-type cube taps. The fire department allows cube adapters that are listed and carry overcurrent protection | No cube taps at all |
| Loading docks | The facility guide says approximately 50. The venue's dock map numbers them 1 to 62 | Ask for the dock assignment by number |
| Garage spaces | The regulations say 1,900. The parking page and facility guide say 1,950 | Moot for the crew: no overnight parking either way |
Our crew is not your staff. Every self-install rule above is written for the exhibiting company's own employees. Our technicians are an exhibitor-appointed contractor. The June 2026 show required each such contractor to file documents and a certificate of insurance, pay a per-booth administrative fee, and follow all union labor requirements set by the convention center. That is the frame we plan San Diego in.
The useful clause is in the contractor's own sheet. When union labor is required, your company personnel may work alongside a union installer in Southern California on a one-to-one basis. It names your personnel, not an outside contractor, so we ask the show's contractor in writing whether it extends to our technicians before we quote the install.
Two linked documents are out of date. The calendar spreadsheet on the venue's calendar page is headed Updated 11/2020 and lists 2021 events, and the data provider's guide on its technology page says it was effective through 12/31/2025. The pages are current. Some of what they link to is not.
The building sells no power
The convention center provides no event electrical service. Its 2026 to 2027 pricing guide says venue staff do not perform event electrical work and that licensees coordinate it through their general service contractor. Its regulations reserve anything inside or attached to the building's panels, disconnects and motor control centers for venue staff or approved utility contractors. In practice the show's contractor sells your power and IBEW Local 569 installs it. There is no venue-exclusive electrical provider, which is the opposite of Orlando and Atlanta.
What is in the floor. Exhibit halls carry utility boxes on 30 foot centers, with 110 volt service on 30 amp breakers and 208 volt service on 60 amp breakers, single phase. The facility guide lists 120, 208, 227 and 480 volt service. The 227 figure appears nowhere else we read, so treat it as a misprint and ask the contractor what it can deliver.
What the electricians claim. The contractor's Southern California sheet gives the IBEW all cable distribution under carpet and through the booth structure, every connection and hardwiring of 208 volt and higher services, panels and motors, and all in-booth data cable unless the in-house provider runs it. A motion platform is a motor. A row of simulators sharing a leaderboard is in-booth data cable. Both belong on the electrical order.
What we could not find: any San Diego document that grants an exhibitor, or its contractor, the right to plug 120 volt equipment into a delivered outlet. Atlanta and Orlando write that permission down. San Diego does not, and an absence of a published rule is not a published permission. We price the electrician's connection rather than assume we can make it.
The cord rule that shapes a layout. The fire department's trade show guideline caps every cord at 1,200 watts, requires heavy-duty SJ cord or better at 16 gauge and three wire minimum, and bans splices. The venue adds one appliance per extension cord. We draw each rig's power plan so no single cord carries more than 1,200 watts, which is a drawing question weeks out, not a show-day fix.
A city law for the people who rig and run power
San Diego has a municipal ordinance aimed squarely at event setup crews. The Live Event Worker Safety Ordinance took effect on 07/01/2025 at five city facilities: Petco Park, Pechanga Arena San Diego, the San Diego Convention Center, the City Concourse and the Civic Theatre, plus city parks and the city-leased buildings inside them.
The triggers. Temporary setup, operation or teardown of non-permanent rigging that suspends audiovisual equipment overhead, or of a portable power distribution system that can distribute 100 amps or more. Freight handling is excluded.
The requirements. Every worker on that rigging or power, subcontractors included, needs OSHA-10, OSHA-10 General Entertainment Safety or Cal/OSHA-10. Supervisors need the 30-hour equivalent plus ETCP certification in their trade. The vendor confirms this before work starts, hands the names, courses and dates to the contracting entity, posts a notice and keeps the record for two years. Penalties include civil penalties and loss of future city permits. The definitions were amended on 06/15/2026, effective 07/15/2026, after the city's FAQ was written, so we read the current code text.
What it means for a simulator booth. A ground-supported row on standard circuits does not, on its face, meet either trigger. A hanging sign over the row, or a 100 amp distribution box feeding it, does. We found no document that says how the ordinance treats one exhibitor inside a licensed show, so if either element is in your design, ask the show before move-in which company is the live event vendor and who carries the cards.
Outside the city the rule changes shape. Since 01/01/2023 California law has required the same 10-hour training for anyone setting up, operating or tearing down a live event at a public events venue, including state-operated fairgrounds. The Del Mar Fairgrounds are owned and operated by the 22nd District Agricultural Association as an institution of the State of California, and the state's guidance describes no rigging or 100 amp threshold. Plan on every crew member needing the card there.
Getting in: no freight, no yard on site, and a scale ticket
The convention center will not accept freight. Its on-site shipping office handles outgoing packages only. Freight goes to the show's official service contractor, addressed to the hall or room and the show contact, and may not arrive before the first contracted day. If an event has no official contractor and a shipment cannot be hand-carried, the venue requires the docks and union labor to receive it, wherever the room is. For a private event in a ballroom, that sentence sets the labor budget.
There is no truck marshaling on site. The show's contractor runs it, and the yard moved on 03/18/2025 from 2383 Faivre Street to 825 Energy Way, both in Chula Vista and 4.4 miles apart. A driver working from an old kit goes to the wrong lot. Leave the convention center by Harbor Drive and 28th Street to I-5, never through Barrio Logan, where trucks over five tons are barred from most streets and idling is not allowed.
Bring a certified scale ticket. A full truckload or dedicated shipment needs a certified truck scale weight certificate, or the driver is sent to the nearest public scale before unloading and again after. A dedicated simulator truck is exactly that shipment.
The docks sit on Convention Way off Park Boulevard, GPS address 573 Convention Way. West Docks 1 to 30 are straight on at the second stop sign and East Docks 31 to 62 are a right turn, with a security check-in at the entrance. Hand-carry is a different route: the June 2026 show told exhibitors to come through the main doors and the parking garage, and that rolling luggage is generally not permitted in the exhibit hall. Front entrance doors are 7 by 9 feet and hall doors 6 by 9, so nothing crated goes that way.
- Closed-toe shoes at all times in the halls and on the docks, and no one under 18 on the floor during move-in or move-out.
- Halls run at 50 percent lighting during move-in and move-out.
- No sawing, painting or welding without written approval, and no spray paint, adhesives, cement or anchors anywhere in the building.
| Space | Floor and height | Doors and access |
|---|---|---|
| Halls A to C | 350 lb per sq ft. 27 ft to truss, 40 ft to ceiling | Freight doors 20 ft wide by 16 ft high. Hall A sits at the Marriott end |
| Halls D and E | 350 lb per sq ft. 27 ft to truss, 39 ft to ceiling | Freight doors 23 ft by 16 ft |
| Halls F to H | 350 lb per sq ft. 36 ft to truss, 64 ft to ceiling | Freight doors 23 ft by 16 ft. Hall H adds an elephant door 23 ft wide by 30 ft high, the largest opening in the building. Halls B2 and G cannot be licensed alone |
| Ballroom 20, upper level | 40,706 sq ft, 30 ft ceiling, 150 lb per sq ft | About 200 booths as exhibit space. Everything arrives by elevator |
| Ballroom 6, upper level | 40,781 sq ft, 150 lb per sq ft. Ceiling 23 ft 8.5 in in the room table, 24 ft in the specification note | About 200 booths as exhibit space. Everything arrives by elevator |
| Sails Pavilion, upper level | 90,000 sq ft, 27 ft to the lighting encasement, 150 lb per sq ft | Access to two freight elevators. No haze, mist or fog machines |
The elevator gap is the reverse of Atlanta's. The facility guide publishes capacities: three freight elevators at 20,000 pounds, two freight and service cars at 10,000 and three service cars at 5,000. Nothing we read publishes a car's door or interior dimensions. For any upstairs build we ask for the assigned car by number, with its dimensions, in writing.
Fire: a permit for every show and a ceiling rule at 120 square feet
San Diego Fire-Rescue permits every trade show and exhibit. Its guideline E-1.5 says no show operates without an approved fire marshal permit, applied for at least 10 business days ahead with a floor plan showing covered or multi-level booths, their construction documents and any vehicle displays. Applications under five business days out may not be reviewed. The venue sets a far longer clock for lobbies and other common areas: a floor plan for fire marshal approval at least six months before load-in.
Ceilings. Booths that are multi-level, have multiple rooms with ceilings, or exceed 120 square feet with a ceiling need smoke detectors, as do vehicles and tents with more than 100 square feet of roofed area. The venue then puts a billable fire watch on any exhibit that needed detectors, for every hour the show is closed. A canopy over a simulator pod lands on two lines: detectors, and overnight fire watch.
Structures and seismic. A temporary special event structure over 400 square feet, including a ground-supported platform, stage or canopy, needs its own permit, and a raised deck under a multi-sim row crosses that quickly. Production drape not hung from truss that runs over 14 feet high or 10 feet wide in a continuous line must be tied off under seismic safety rules.
Materials. Aisles are 10 feet minimum, drapes and signs must be flame resistant and can be field tested with a match, and the venue wants a flame-retardant certificate posted or ready in the booth.
Vehicles: the two documents agree. Unlike Atlanta, both live San Diego documents give the same fuel rule: no more than a quarter tank or five gallons, whichever is less, with the cap locked or taped and the battery disconnected or the starting system made inoperable. The venue adds a drip pan from motor to differential and no movement during show hours. An electric vehicle has its battery disconnected or ignition fuse pulled, and the fire department bars charging inside the building: charge on the dock or outside.
Where corporate events actually happen
Much corporate simulator work in San Diego is not a booth in Hall C. It is a ballroom, a resort lawn, a ballpark or a fairground, and each answers to a different authority.
| Venue | Scale | What matters operationally |
|---|---|---|
| Convention center ballrooms and Sails Pavilion | Two ballrooms of about 40,700 sq ft, plus the 90,000 sq ft Sails Pavilion | 150 lb per sq ft floors reached by freight elevator. Carpeted areas used for substantial displays need protective carpet over the venue's. Without an official contractor, freight still needs union labor at the dock |
| Downtown headquarter hotels | Four hotels from 511 to 1,628 rooms | We could not read their event-space specifications. Get freight elevator, dock and floor load figures in writing before designing around a ballroom |
| Town and Country Resort, Mission Valley | Over 200,000 sq ft of event space, including the 40,027 sq ft Golden State Hall | Two loading bays and a drive-in ramp for large installations. The most vehicle-friendly hotel hall we found published |
| Hotel del Coronado | Southpointe Ballroom 15,130 sq ft. North Beach 70,000 sq ft. The Crown Room has a 30 ft pine ceiling | In the City of Coronado, so San Diego's ordinance and fire guideline do not govern it by their own terms. Ask the local fire authority what it requires |
| Petco Park and Pechanga Arena San Diego | City-owned facilities | Both are named in the city ordinance. We did not find published load-in specifications for either |
| Del Mar Fairgrounds | State-owned, run by the 22nd District Agricultural Association | State live event training law applies, and an exclusive catering operator staffs the race meet and seasonal events |
| Balboa Park museums, San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld | City-leased facilities inside city parks | Named in the city's FAQ as covered by the ordinance |
The calendar, and three weeks in July
| When | What | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/13 to 11/15/2026 | TwitchCon | Convention center, 21,000 | Already inside our two-week booking cutoff as of today |
| 02/08 to 02/18/2027 | Intersolar, the rural electric cooperatives, then WEST 2027 | Convention center, 4,357, 9,000 and 8,000 | Three shows in 11 days, the last two overlapping. WEST is the Navy and defense audience |
| 04/16 to 04/18/2027 | Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach | Long Beach, Los Angeles County | Organizer confirmed. A Historic F1 Challenge is added for 2027 |
| 05/10 to 05/24/2027 | A private 11,000 show, HYROX San Diego, then the urologists | Convention center, 11,000, 35,000 and 18,000 | The heaviest spring stretch by listed attendance |
| 06/05 to 06/16/2027 | Marathon fitness expo, then the water works association | Convention center, 35,000 and 13,000 | Two large shows in 12 days |
| 07/12 to 07/16/2027 | Esri user conference | Convention center, 21,000 | Opens the July stack |
| 07/21 to 07/25/2027 | Comic-Con, preview night 07/21 | Convention center, 135,000 | Organizer confirmed. Almost four times the next largest listed event |
| 07/30 to 08/01/2027 | NASCAR San Diego Weekend | Naval Air Station North Island, Coronado | O'Reilly Auto Parts Series 07/31, Cup Series 08/01 |
| 08/22 to 09/02/2027 | American Chemical Society, then optics and photonics | Convention center, 17,000 and 4,000 | Back to back |
Three weeks in July 2027 are the window to avoid. Esri runs 07/12 to 07/16. Comic-Con runs 07/22 to 07/25 with preview night on 07/21. Five days after it closes, NASCAR's Cup Series races a street circuit at Naval Air Station North Island, a weekend that sold out in its first year. That is a 21,000-person conference, the city's largest convention and a major race inside 21 days.
What Comic-Con does to the building. During Comic-Con 2026, Harbor Drive between First Avenue and Park Boulevard was closed to all vehicles, and only badge holders could reach the front drive, sidewalks, terraces or the garage under the building. The 2027 hours are not published. Plan on the same. Inside the show, inline booths include standard electricity, island booths include none and need the organizer's floor plan approval, and setup crews need the exhibitor badge type that allows access outside public hours.
What it does to hotels. Comic-Con sells downtown rooms in a spring sale with a randomized virtual waiting room and a two-room cap per booking, and its own page says rooms sell out in minutes. A downtown crew block that week is not something you buy late.
Outdoors, check the city first. The city's special events office warned that 2026 dates were subject to public safety staffing constraints and listed impacted dates, including all five Comic-Con days. The 2027 list is not out. And the venue's pricing guide names holidays that may carry extra fees, including Cesar Chavez Day and the day after Thanksgiving.
Where to stay
| Hotel | Connection | Tier | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton San Diego Bayfront | East end of the building, beside Hall H and the 2,000-space garage on the corner of Harbor Drive and Park | Headquarter hotel, 1,190 rooms | Crews working Halls F to H, the elephant door and the East Docks road |
| Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina | West end of the building, beside Hall A | Headquarter hotel, 1,360 rooms | Teams in Halls A to C |
| Grand Hyatt San Diego | West of the Marriott, toward Seaport Village | Headquarter hotel, 1,628 rooms, the largest on the map | Big blocks and a client suite |
| Omni San Diego Hotel at the Ballpark | Beside Petco Park, inside the half-mile ring | Headquarter hotel, 511 rooms | Client hosting on a game night |
| The Pendry | Gaslamp Quarter, inside the half-mile ring | 317 rooms | A client dinner without leaving the building. Lionfish is inside |
| Embassy Suites San Diego Bay, Downtown | Toward Seaport Village, between the half-mile and one-mile rings | 337 rooms, all suites | A crew of three to five on a multi-day install |
| Town and Country Resort | Mission Valley, out of downtown | 671 rooms, with its own 40,027 sq ft hall | A crew with a truck, in the area Comic-Con's early bird hotel sale serves by shuttle |
Count the rooms with care. The facility guide says over 13,000 rooms within walking distance, the In Brief says nearly 14,000, and the hotel map totals about 14,636, a figure that includes hotels 1.5 miles out and two listed as opening soon. The four headquarter hotels hold 4,689 rooms between them, and those sell first.
Getting around: the trolley, the ferry and Harbor Drive
- The airport is three miles away, 10 to 15 minutes by car according to the venue, and it is building a new Terminal 1. The venue tells travelers to allow extra time. We did not confirm the new terminal's opening date.
- The trolley stops twice in front of the building. The Santa Fe Depot is about a one-mile walk, for the Pacific Surfliner to Los Angeles and the COASTER north to Oceanside.
- A ferry leaves from the back of the convention center for Coronado, about 15 minutes, which puts a Coronado reception in reach without a car.
- Harbor Drive is the pinch point. The Park Boulevard crossing project's second phase runs from 2027 to late 2028, with about a week of single-lane closures at Harbor and Park. A planned bikeway segment will cut Harbor Drive to one lane each way between Park Boulevard and Cesar Chavez Parkway once it starts. A new COASTER platform across from the building is expected to start construction in late 2026 and open in early 2028.
- The garage under the building is owned by the port and run by an outside operator, with no in-and-out privileges and no overnight or RV parking. A 2,000-space structure sits beside the Hilton Bayfront.
The vehicle rule that matters most is the overnight one. A crew van cannot live in the convention center garage. Book crew hotels with parking, or plan the van around the structure next door.
Taking a client out
NASCAR San Diego Weekend, 07/30 to 08/01/2027. The Cup Series races Sunday 08/01 on the 16-turn, 3.4-mile Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Air Station North Island. The first edition in 06/2026 sold out. Tickets and start times are not published yet, and NASCAR intends to take the race to a different military installation in 2028, so 2027 may be the last year to host clients at it here.
K1 Speed San Diego. Indoor karting on Main Street downtown, about a mile from the convention center by its own description, with corporate events and full buyouts. It opens at noon Monday to Friday and 10:00 AM on weekends, so a weekday morning team session does not work. It runs to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
USS Midway Museum. On the bay, open every day from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, last admission 4:00 PM, closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. That 4:00 PM cutoff is the trap for a group leaving the floor at close.
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, 04/16 to 04/18/2027. IndyCar's street race in Los Angeles County, with trackside suites and VIP club tickets, and a Historic F1 Challenge added for 2027. A travel day, not an after-show outing.
Check the day before you book the name. Verified on 11/04/2026:
- Addison, the three-Michelin-star room at The Grand Del Mar, serves Tuesday to Saturday only, last seating 8:30 PM, and it is a drive north, not a walk from the Gaslamp.
- The Marine Room in La Jolla is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Groups of 10 to 16 book with it directly.
- Herb & Wood opens evenings only and closes at 9:00 PM Sunday to Thursday.
- Lionfish, inside the Pendry on Fifth Avenue near Petco Park and the convention center, takes group dining, private events and buyouts.
A Monday night rules out both destination rooms. Use Lionfish for the arrival night and save the drive for midweek.
A race town on a Navy base, for now
San Diego is an honest case. We did not find a permanent road course or oval hosting a national series in San Diego County. Southern California lost its NASCAR oval when Auto Club Speedway in Fontana was torn down in 2023 for a warehouse complex, and AP reported in 07/2025 that the half-mile track planned for the remaining land had stalled and was unlikely to be revived.
What changed is a street race. On 06/21/2026 NASCAR ran its first Cup race in San Diego County, on a temporary circuit at Naval Base Coronado, the first NASCAR events ever held on a military installation. Local reporting put attendance above 100,000 over three days, with 67 percent seeing their first NASCAR event. It returns 07/30 to 08/01/2027, then is expected to move to another installation in 2028.
That 67 percent is the hook. A large share of the local audience met stock car racing for the first time in 2026, and a simulator is how they get to drive it. The convention floor adds a second hook: TwitchCon, Comic-Con and an anime convention are all on the venue calendar, and WEST brings the Navy and defense audience that hosts the race.
And the honest limit. The nearest permanent major race is the street race in Long Beach, in Los Angeles County. If a client wants real laps on a real track the same week, San Diego is the wrong market for that, and a simulator is the better call.
Names to get right. The Coronado track is the Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Air Station North Island, part of Naval Base Coronado. The Long Beach race is the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Fontana superspeedway no longer exists, so do not offer it as an outing.
Livery, and the marks that catch July activations
Comic-Con is a registered trademark. The organizer's own site states that Comic-Con, its logo, Comic-Con Museum and WonderCon are registered trademarks of San Diego Comic Convention. An activation that week can say where and when it runs. It should not put Comic-Con in its name, its livery or its hashtag.
The race weekend is sponsor titled. The event carries a presenting sponsor and the circuit carries another company's name. NASCAR marks and both sponsor names belong to others, and a client livery that borrows them needs a license we cannot grant. We found no published guidance on Navy insignia in commercial activations, so we do not use them.
Also off the table: the convention center's logo, the city seal and every professional franchise mark.
The direction we would take instead. The bay and the light: a Pacific navy base around #14324A, sail white #F4F6F7 and a late-sun coral #E8735A for accents. The venue calls the Sails Pavilion its architectural centerpiece, and a generic tensile-sail line evokes it without touching the venue's logo.
Proof, stated honestly
We have not published a named San Diego case study and we will not imply one. When we do, it will name the client, the venue and the number they measured.
What you can check today is the research: the venue's regulations revised 05/05/2026 and its own guides, maps and sample license, the fire department's guideline and permits page, the city's ordinance and FAQ, a June 2026 show's exhibitor FAQ, the contractor's Southern California labor sheet, and organizer and series pages, all read on 11/04/2026.
What we could not confirm: any San Diego document granting an exhibitor or its contractor the right to plug in at 120 volts, the dimensions of any freight elevator car, which dock numbers serve which halls, how the city ordinance treats one exhibitor inside a licensed show, and the tourism authority's citywide calendar, which blocked our requests. We marked each one rather than guessed, because an absence of a published rule is not a published permission.
San Diego questions
Can our own staff set up the simulators at the San Diego Convention Center?
It depends on which live document governs your show, and they disagree. The venue exempts regular payroll employees of the licensee or show management and is silent on exhibitors. The June 2026 architecture conference at the building told exhibitors their full-time employees could install and dismantle with power tools. The same contractor's Southern California sheet allows one full-time employee for one hour or less, without tools.
We plan to the one-hour rule, because a simulator build always runs longer. Note too that our technicians are an exhibitor-appointed contractor, not your employees, so they follow whatever the show and the local unions set for contractors.
Who decides the union requirements for our booth?
The unions, event by event. The venue's 2004 Exclusive Jurisdiction Agreement covers IATSE Local 122, IBEW Local 569, the painters' Tradeshow and Sign Crafts Local 831 and Teamsters Local 542, and its regulations say each union's local representatives determine final requirements for your specific event. The jurisdiction expressly includes corporate events, so a private launch in a ballroom is inside it. We get the requirements in writing before we price the install.
Can our technicians plug the simulators in?
We could not establish it, and we will not guess. No San Diego document we read grants an exhibitor or its contractor the right to plug 120 volt equipment into a delivered outlet. The contractor's Southern California sheet gives electricians all under-carpet and in-booth distribution, any connection of 208 volt service or motors, and in-booth data cable.
A motion platform is a motor and a networked row is data cable, so both go on the electrical order. The building sells no event power. The client supplies power under our terms, which here means an electrical order through the show's contractor.
Can we bring the rigs in on a dolly or hand truck?
No. The contractor's Southern California rule is one person, one trip, without dollies, hand trucks or other mechanical equipment, and a June 2026 show at the building added that rolling luggage is generally not permitted in the exhibit hall. A crated simulator is freight. It comes through a dock door and the contractor moves it.
Does the city's Live Event Worker Safety Ordinance apply to a simulator booth?
Not to a plain row, on its face, and certainly to some designs. Since 07/01/2025 it has covered non-permanent overhead rigging and portable power distribution of 100 amps or more at the convention center, Petco Park, Pechanga Arena San Diego and other city facilities and parks. Workers need OSHA-10 or an equivalent, and supervisors need the 30-hour course plus ETCP certification.
A hanging sign over the row or a 100 amp distribution box brings it in. No document we found says how it applies to one exhibitor inside a licensed show, so ask the show who the live event vendor is.
Can we put a car in the booth?
Yes, and San Diego is consistent about it. The venue and the fire department both say no more than a quarter tank or five gallons, whichever is less, cap locked or taped, battery disconnected or starting system disabled. The venue adds a drip pan under the drive train and no movement during show hours.
Electric vehicles have the battery disconnected or ignition fuse pulled and may not be turned on during event hours, and charging inside the building is barred. A vehicle with more than 100 square feet of roofed area also needs smoke detectors.
Does a canopy over the simulators need approval?
Yes, from 120 square feet. The fire department requires smoke detectors in booths over 120 square feet with a ceiling, and the venue then bills a fire watch for every hour the show is closed. A temporary structure over 400 square feet, including a platform or canopy, needs its own permit, and the covered booth's construction documents must be in the show's fire permit floor plan.
How far ahead does the fire department need our booth details?
The show's fire permit is due at least 10 business days before the event, and applications under five business days may not be reviewed. A simulator in a lobby or other common area is on the venue's longer clock: a floor plan for fire marshal approval at least six months before load-in.
The fire department's own documents disagree on the late fee, $300 in its guideline and $49 per day on its permits page. We plan to neither by getting the design to the show early.
Where does our truck go, and what does the driver need?
Not to the convention center first. There is no marshaling on site. The contractor's yard moved on 03/18/2025 to 825 Energy Way in Chula Vista, so check the address in your kit.
The driver needs a certified truck scale weight certificate for any full truckload or dedicated shipment, or gets sent to a public scale before and after unloading. Docks are on Convention Way off Park Boulevard, West Docks 1 to 30 and East Docks 31 to 62. Leave by Harbor Drive and 28th Street to I-5, never through Barrio Logan.
Which hall suits a large build with a vehicle?
Hall H, at the east end beside the Hilton Bayfront: 36 feet to the truss, a 64 foot ceiling, and the building's only elephant door at 23 feet wide by 30 feet high. Every hall floor is rated 350 pounds per square foot.
Upstairs is different. The ballrooms and the Sails Pavilion are rated 150 pounds per square foot and everything reaches them by freight elevator. The venue publishes elevator capacities up to 20,000 pounds but no car dimensions, so we ask for the assigned car by number.
Can we run our own network for a leaderboard?
Partly, and the documents disagree. One provider holds internet, phone, cable TV and event radio exclusively. Its exhibitor guide allows your own switch and patch cables in the booth and says a personal hotspot will work subject to carrier capacity. The contractor's Southern California sheet says electricians install all data cable in the booth unless the in-house provider does. And the provider's guide linked from the venue was effective only through 12/31/2025.
We put under-carpet data on the electrical order and confirm in writing what may be patched inside the rigs.
What insurance certificate will the building ask for?
The venue's sample license requires the licensee to carry at least $2,000,000 per occurrence in general liability and $2,000,000 in auto liability, plus workers' compensation, and to name three additional insureds: the convention center corporation, the City of San Diego and the San Diego Unified Port District. Expect a San Diego certificate to name all three.
Our general liability is $6M per occurrence and $8M aggregate. If your company is the licensee for a private event, the venue also wants a list of every contractor at least 30 days before the first move-in day, so we need to be on it by then.
When should we avoid booking San Diego?
07/12 to 08/01/2027. Esri runs 07/12 to 07/16, Comic-Con runs 07/22 to 07/25 with preview night on 07/21, and the NASCAR Cup weekend runs 07/30 to 08/01. Comic-Con closes Harbor Drive in front of the building to vehicles and sells downtown hotel rooms by randomized queue.
Two smaller squeezes: 02/08 to 02/18/2027, with three shows in 11 days, and 05/10 to 05/24/2027, the heaviest spring stretch by listed attendance. TwitchCon on 11/13/2026 is already inside our two-week booking cutoff.
Is there a racetrack near San Diego?
Not a permanent one that we found hosting a national series. Auto Club Speedway in Fontana was torn down in 2023. San Diego has a temporary street race instead: the 16-turn, 3.4-mile Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Air Station North Island, back for 07/30 to 08/01/2027 before an expected move in 2028.
The nearest permanent major race is the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, 04/16 to 04/18/2027. For karting, K1 Speed is downtown on Main Street, opening at noon on weekdays.
Does a San Diego booking cost more than anywhere else?
Not from us. A half day of 4 service hours is $5,479 per rig and a full day of 8 hours is $5,919 per rig, including delivery, setup, one on-site technical event manager per simulator, teardown and insurance. Freight to anywhere in the continental US is inside the price, and the price does not change by city. Setup after 4:00 PM the day before is free, and early setup from 12:00 to 4:00 PM the day before is $500.
What San Diego adds is the second invoice: union installation, electrical, material handling, cleaning and catering are billed by the show's contractor or the venue. The client supplies power, tables, chairs and TV stands. Rush terms: signed 3 to 4 weeks out adds $300 per staff, 2 to 3 weeks out adds $600 per staff, and inside two weeks we do not take the booking.
Where should we take a client to dinner?
Check the day first. Verified on 11/04/2026: Addison at The Grand Del Mar serves Tuesday to Saturday only, last seating 8:30 PM, and is a drive north. The Marine Room in La Jolla is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Herb & Wood opens evenings only and closes at 9:00 PM Sunday to Thursday.
For the arrival night, Lionfish inside the Pendry is a short walk from the convention center and takes group dining and buyouts. Save the destination room for midweek.
Nationwide
Freight is already inside the quote.
- $6MLiability per occurrence
- $8MAggregate
- 24 hrsTo a fixed quote, in writing
- $0Travel surcharge, anywhere in the continental US
Get a quote
Tell us about your event. A fixed quote within 24 hours.
Send us the building, the hall or room, and the dates. In San Diego the labor answer is settled per event, and we will get your show's version in writing before anything is signed.
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