Huntington Place is equipped with ADA-accessible features for its guests. Parking spaces for disabled guests are available for both vehicles and vans. Wheelchairs are available on a first-come basis at the Information Desk on the 2nd level, Main Lobby, near the Joe Louis Statue. The North side of the venue is accessible from the street with elevator access off Congress Street, near the parking garage. The main entrance of the venue can be accessed from street level, near the Washington Boulevard circle drive. 

Guests with Disabilities/Wheelchair Access 

Wheelchair access is available for Roof Deck parking and the two front entrances on  Washington Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue as well as at the Atwater Atrium entrance. 

Public Entrances 

The venue has three main entrances in front of the facility along Washington Boulevard and one main entrance on Atwater Drive along the Detroit River. A drop-off lane is available at the two front glass entrances on Washington Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue. 

Air conditioning and heating will be turned on one hour before the event starts in the contracted event space(s).

Air conditioning and heating for move-in and move-out days is available at a pre-set fee.

The air wall/partition walls in the exhibit halls, meeting rooms and the ballroom are to be installed and removed by venue personnel only. Air walls will be set one time per event requirements. A labor charge will apply for any additional movement.

Anchoring or drilling the floor or walls anywhere throughout the facility is NOT permitted, without prior approval from venue management.

All rigging and hanging of loads that are attached to the building or any structure of Huntington place must be performed by qualified and trained riggers who are employees of the local union having jurisdiction (IATSE, Electricians or Carpenters) and are familiar with the house hang points, load limits, ruled, and regulations. This work will be performed under the supervision of the production company.

• Any rigging that includes trusses or motors should be submitted no later than 30 days in advance so a thorough review can be performed, and approval granted. The rigging plan will be reviewed by a certified rigger or structural engineer at an additional cost. If the plans are not submitted at least 30 days in advance, additional review charges will be charged.

• All rigging and hanging apparatus, hardware, fasteners, gears etc. must meet OSHA, ANSI regulations and must conform and be used per the manufacturer’s specifications. All homemade trusses must be accompanied by engineering specifications to be installed. Any truss NOT manufactured by an industry recognized truss company are considered “homemade”.

Anchoring or drilling the floor or walls anywhere throughout the facility is NOT permitted, without prior approval from venue management.

Events at the venue may incur additional ancillary charges for services not included in the rental agreement, with estimates provided in advance and settled after the event.

Many key services are offered on an exclusive basis through venue-approved partners, including cleaning, electrical (Freeman Electric), food and beverage (Sodexo Live!), internet, telephone, and ticketing (Premier Ticket Services Inc).

Complimentary Wi-Fi is available for basic use, while upgraded services can be purchased as needed. Valet parking can also be arranged with advance notice.

All services and special requirements should be coordinated in advance with your Event Manager.

Built-in house sound is available in select meeting rooms and ballrooms. Please see the list of meeting rooms below that are equipped with house sound. There is no patch fee for use of the built-in house sound, however DJs/bands are not allowed to patch into the system. A built-in PA system is available in the exhibit halls for making announcements only, it’s not suitable for meetings.

Premier Creative Group is the preferred in-house audio-visual provider for a full range of services. To access additional information regarding Premier Creative Group, please click here.

Other audio-visual companies will be required to comply with all AV contractor requirements as listed in the stagehand manual. For the stagehand manual, please click here. Huntington place stagehands are required for set-up, run of show operations, and tear down of all audio-visual equipment including booths. Exceptions are for booths of 400 square feet or less where an exhibitor’s full-time employees may do the work. Exhibitors requiring stagehand labor must place their orders with the AV provider selected by the event organizer. Please refer to the exhibitor kit provided by the event organizer. 

Following rooms have built-in house sound:

140A-G, 141, 142ABC 250, 251, 252, 258, 259, 260 310AB, 320, 321, 330AB, 331ABC 353, 354, 355, 356, 357 358, 359, 360 410AB, 411ABC, 420AB, 430AB Grand Ballroom AB

Equipment (TABLES, CHAIRS, STAGE, DANCE FLOOR, ETC.,) is available as inventory permits. The initial setup in meeting rooms is included in the rental fee. All building equipment will be setup and operated by authorized venue personnel.

Cleaning services are exclusively managed in-house by our Environmental Services Department. All cleaning requests from show management must be scheduled through your event manager.  Exhibitors must use our Online Exhibitor Ordering Portal. 

Exhibit Halls Cleaning for Trade Shows, Public shows, Sport events, Conventions 

Included in Rent: 

• During Load In and Load Out: Environmental Services staff will maintain restrooms and empty trash cans provided by the facility. 
• During Show Hours: Environmental Services staff will maintain restrooms and check/empty trash cans in the halls. 
• Overnight: While vacuuming prepaid booths/aisles, staff will empty small waste baskets for the booths that have ordered cleaning. Exhibitors must place the waste basket near the aisles.  

Not Included in Rental:  Show management and exhibitors are responsible for obtaining the following cleaning services: 

• Aisle carpet vacuuming 
• Booth vacuuming  
• Aisle monitoring during open event days 
• Hard surface cleaning 
• Plastic carpet cover removal 
• Large plastic barrel rentals 

The licensee and their General Services Contractor must hire porter service (through the Operators Event Manager assigned to the event) to maintain trash levels during load in/out and are responsible for removal of exhibit materials, crates, carpet, carpet padding, plastic sheeting, etc. Building trash compactors or dumpsters must not be used by general service contractor or exhibitor appointed contractors. General service contractors must order their own dumpsters to remove any exhibit materials, carpet, carpet padding, plastic sheeting etc. 

Click here for cleaning rates  

Exhibit Halls rented solely for Banquets: General cleaning will be provided at no additional cost. Carpet Vacuuming is not included and must be ordered separately at the prevailing rate. 

Meeting Rooms/Grand Ballroom/Atrium Cleaning: When used for exhibits, exhibit hall rules will apply. One thorough cleaning is included each evening during the event days. Environmental Services staff will maintain all rest rooms and empty trash cans as needed throughout the day. 

CRATES

Crate storage requires specific approval from Event Manager.  If crate storage is not allowed in the halls or loading dock areas, crates need to be stored in the trucks. 

The following rules and guidelines will apply to all crate storage arrangements: 

• The venue reserves the right to require that Show Management provide 24-hour fire watch security in the crate storage areas and/or provide supplementary fire extinguishers. 
• Crates and materials cannot be stored in exhibit booths or service aisles. 
• Pedestrian egress routes in the dock areas must be maintained. 

Room and Hall Specific Guidelines

Crate Storage within the Meeting Rooms/Ballroom(s) 

Crates cannot be stored in any of the meeting rooms, ballrooms or service hallways. If you have crates that you need to store, please refer to the General Contractor or your Event Manager to secure a location for those crates. 

Crate Storage within Hall(s) A, B, C, & D 

If Fire Marshal approval is received and no additional instructions are provided, storage of crates within the exhibit halls will be permitted. Crates may be stacked up to 20 feet high and 25 feet wide. An 8-foot clear aisle must be maintained between stacks. Crates must be placed at least 5 feet from any wall or partition. All exits and direct exit routes must remain clear. No materials may be placed within 10 feet of any doorway in a way that could obstruct an emergency exit. 

Crate Storage within Hall E 

Crates may be stacked at a maximum of 10 feet high and 25 feet wide. There must be an 8-foot clear aisle between stacks of crates. Crate storage in the Hall E loading dock or the adjacent gravel area is NOT allowed under any circumstances. 

Crate Storage in the Loading Docks & Truck Wells 

Crates may be stored on the loading dock and in the truck well areas only, with prior approval. No crates may be stored above the exhibit hall restrooms on the dock platforms (the area between the truck wells and exhibit hall walls. Crates can be stacked at a maximum of 20 feet high by 25 feet wide. There must be an 8-foot clear aisle between stacks of crates.   

DELIVERIES & FREIGHT

The venue does not have a warehousing facility and cannot accept advance freight shipments. Arrangements may be made directly with the official show General Contractor for advance shipments to their warehouse or may be consigned to them during the permit period. 

A POV (privately owned vehicles) lane service can be arranged through your General Contractor to allow exhibitors to unload their vehicles on the loading dock. Please consult your General Contractor for more details and rates. Exhibitors may park in one of our parking facilities and transport items (hand carry or by using their own dollies or handcart) to and from their booths via the public entrance of the exhibit halls. Material handling equipment is not available. There is no unloading permitted in front of the facility or on Atwater Street. 

Show Management and General Contractors will coordinate the storage of trucks at an alternate location. 

MOVE-IN, MOVE-OUT

Hand Carry Loading/Unloading

Loading/unloading is NOT permitted in the front of the facility. Please use Congress Street. For small items that can be hand carried in or brought in by dollies or small hand carts, please park your car in one of the Huntington Place parking facilities and use the elevators for all unloading. Flatbed carts are not allowed for unloading. Huntington Place is unable to provide carts for loading and unloading purposes.

Loading Docks

Access to venue docks for Halls A, B, C, and D is from the ramp located on Second and Congress Street. Loading dock access for Hall E is from Atwater Drive on the river level of the facility. Please note, Hall E loading dock area does not have truck wells and all unloading and loading is done on flat surfaces only. Please click here for a directional map of the loading docks and other venue parking facilities. There are drive-in ramps to each exhibit hall, so that if needed, the trucks may drive into the exhibit halls. Huntington Place does not provide parking on the loading docks. Use of any area other than the truck wells must be assigned and approved by your Event Manager. Access to the loading dock by vehicles other than freight or delivery trucks requires advance arrangements to be made. All trucks must arrive the day of scheduled move-in.

Prior to the first move-in day, your Event Manager will schedule a facility inspection. At the conclusion of the event move-out, a final inspection will identify and specify any damages resulting from the event. Notify the Event Manager of any damages that may arise throughout the course of the show.

In the event of reported damage, Show Management will be given a damage report and photographs (when applicable). The cost of repair of damages is the licensee’s responsibility and the venue will make all the repairs.

DECORATIONS

A service provider of your choice may provide decorations, flowers, chair coverings, specialty linens, etc. All decorations must be removed at the conclusion of the event. There will be an additional fee for the disposal of any items left behind. Nailing and/or taping to facility walls, pillars, lecterns, tables, chairs, etc., is strictly prohibited. However, painter’s blue tape can be used if needed to affix signs to the walls and doors. Use of helium balloons and lit candles is prohibited. Only paper confetti is permitted with prior approval from your Event Manager. An additional fee will be charged for balloon drops and confetti clean-up.

HAZERS & FOG

Haze, fog, or any artificially created smoke has the potential of setting off the facility fire alarm system. Use of hazers and fog machines must be approved by Venue Management. Approval requires full show dry run, including electronic and hard copies of fluids SDS sheet. Only water-based products will be allowed. A fire watch, at client’s expense is mandatory when smoke and/or hazer machines are used inside the facility 16 which may interfere with the facility’s fire alarm system. Please contact your Event Manager on the cost of a fire watch.

SAND, DIRT & OTHER LOOSE MATERIALS

Sand, dirt, and other loose materials may not be brought into the facility without prior approval from Venue Management. A deposit of $10,000.00 is required prior to move-in and will be applied against any damage or cleaning assessments. All floor ports in the exhibit areas and areas of unloading must be covered with heavy plastic and completely secured on all sides by venue approved waterproof tape. No brick, stone, and other similar materials may be cut on premises unless a vacuum is used to prevent dust and debris from entering air or remaining on the floor. These materials may not be glued or otherwise adhered to the facility floor except with facility approved tape.

Exhibitors with pools, hot tubs, etc., must supply own hoses and Show Management is responsible for having a pump on hand in case water must be emptied from exhibit in emergency situations. All such exhibits must use liners.

Removal of leftover materials is the responsibility of Show Management. Failure to Leave the exhibit area in a clean condition, as determined by Venue Management, will result in cleaning being billed to Show Management. Any damage to the facility is the responsibility of Show Management.

DIRECT SELLING

Huntington Place does not collect any fee from merchandise sales. The sales tax implications are left for the vendor/exhibitor to arrange directly with the State of Michigan and local authorities. Please visit the the State of Michigan’s Department of Treasury website for more information: Michigan Tax  

GRATUITIES

Thank you for your thoughtfulness, however, it is against our policy for any employee to accept gratuities or gifts.

INSURANCE

Insurance is required for all events. Please see your license agreement for details. Please click here to view our Insurance Requirements.

Drones are not permitted on the premise without prior written approval from the venue. For detailed information, please contact your Event Manager. 

Huntington Place requires Show Management to provide the Event Manager with accurate move-in/move-out times and up-to-date show agenda/event schedule 45 days prior to your first move-in day. The intended use of the lobby areas, atrium, docks, storage areas, staging areas, etc., must be approved in advance by your Event Manager. This includes the placement and location of signage and other decorations such as headers, drapery, and kiosks. All General Contractor access is restricted to the times and dates on your lease agreement. 

General Contractors should verify intended floor marking and other work schedules with Show Management and your Event Manager. Upon publication, no later than 45 days prior to the first move-in day, copies of all instructions to Exhibitors, including the Exhibitor Manual must be furnished to the Event Manager. Show Management, General Contractors and Exhibitors shall not ship or deliver material to the facility before the first move-in day. Early shipments will not be accepted. 

FIRE DEPARTMENT REQUIREMENTS

For a complete list of the fire department requirements Click Here

FIRST AID / EMT

A temporary first aid station can be erected onsite. Large events need to reserve space for a first aid station. For a list of preferred vendors, please contact your Event Manager. All events with an expected attendance of 2500 or more, must provide a venue approved EMT onsite during the show hours. The venue has AED’s (Automated External Defibrillators) throughout the facility. Please click here for locations.

PUBLIC SAFETY

The Public Safety Department is responsible for providing security in designated public areas, including concourses, hallways, and back-of-house spaces such as loading dock entrances. Show Management is responsible for securing their rented spaces. 

Securing Your Meeting Rooms 

The venue can provide key cards for meeting rooms that will be put on limited access, up to 4 key cards per room. Additional keys can be purchased beyond the 4 per room. Please click here for the cost of key cards. This service can be ordered from your Event Manager at least two weeks prior to your event. Under certain conditions, the venue may require you to hire private security.  

Minimum Contracted Security Requirements 

The following minimum security staffing levels apply during move-in, event days, move-out, and overnight periods: 

Exhibit Halls: 

• A minimum of two (2) security officers per hall, during both daytime and overnight hours, for the entire contracted period. 

Grand Ballroom & Public Event Spaces: 

• One (1) or more security officers, based on the event scope and areas requiring coverage. 

Meeting Rooms: 

• Limited-access key cards may be provided at a nominal fee to secure meeting rooms. Requests must be submitted to the Event Manager at least 21 days prior to the event. Under certain conditions, the venue may require a security officer to be posted inside the room. 

A detailed security schedule must be submitted to the Event Manager no later than 21 days prior to the first day of move-in. Huntington Place reserves the right to require additional security staffing based on event type, attendance, or assessed risk.  

Contracted Security Providers 

Any hired security firm must be licensed and bonded in the State of Michigan and approved by venue management. When private security is retained: 

• The security firm or its designated representative must notify Venue Public Safety and obtain venue-specific security guidelines, including firearm restrictions. 
• The firm must maintain continuous contact with a Show Management representative during the event for emergency coordination. 

All incidents occurring within leased space must be reported immediately to Venue Security at 313-877-8281. A Public Safety Supervisor will complete an incident report and submit it to Public Safety Management within eight (8) hours of the occurrence. 

Facility Security Protocols 

• Chain-locking of doors is strictly prohibited. 
• Exterior exhibit hall roll-up doors and loading dock exit doors must remain closed except during active move-in or move-out. 
• Keys for freight roll-up doors will be issued to Show Management security upon request at the start of move-in. 

During public show hours, ticket takers and doormen must be hired through the venue’s exclusive provider and stationed at all entrance, exit, and emergency doors. Security guards may supplement this staffing but may not replace required ticketing personnel. 

Armed Security 

If armed security is requested, only Detroit Police Department officers may be utilized. These arrangements must be coordinated through the Operator’s Director of Public Safety and Security via the Event Manager. 

• Minimum staffing: three (3) officers and one (1) supervisor 
• Minimum engagement: four (4) hours 
• All charges are billed directly by the Detroit Police Department 

Event Screening 

Event screening requirements apply to all public events, defined as events open to the general public (ticketed or free), including but not limited to concerts, sporting events, and special events. This does not apply to business conferences, trade shows, or corporate events where attendees are credentialed. 

All guests and staff may be screened using one or more of the following methods: 

• Walk-through magnetometers (metal detectors) 
• Hand-held security wands 
• Visual bag inspections 

When screening is required, the event organizer must hire appropriate security personnel. The Operator’s Director of Public Safety will determine required staffing levels based on screening method and areas secured.  

Huntington Place reserves the right to require screening for any event—public or private—presenting elevated risk indicators.  

Emergency Procedures 

In the event of an emergency, visual strobes will be activated, followed by an audible voice announcement providing instructions, including evacuation procedures if necessary. Venue Security personnel will be stationed at strategic locations to assist with orderly evacuation. 

FLOOR MARKING & TAPING

The venue does allow the use of Sure tape PC 628 Gaffers tape or approved equal. Floor marking with paint or high residue tape is prohibited on all surfaces. Any tape used must be approved by your Event Manager. Licensee, and General Contractors are responsible for the removal of all tape and residue marks from the exhibition hall floors, lobbies, ballroom, and meeting room floors. Any residue marks/tape left on the floor after the move-out will be removed by the venue’s Environmental Services department and billed to Show Management. 

Additionally, all cable cords must be taped down or enclosed in ADA approved cable ramps for safety of our guests.

FLOOR LOADING 

Exhibit Halls 

General exhibit hall floor loading is 300 lbs. per square feet (or an HS20 Highway Loading); specific floor areas have reduced capacity of only 220 lbs. Loading more than 300 lbs. per square feet can be accommodated depending on the location, physical dimensions, and adjoining loading. However, Show Management must receive approval from the venue. The approval process requires plans of equipment or display footprint showing weight distribution per square feet and size of base plate (if one is being used). The plan must be signed and stamped by a State of Michigan registered professional engineer. In some cases, it may be necessary to also show adjoining exhibit floor loading on this plan. Request for approval of excess loading must be submitted to the venue a minimum of 60 days prior to the first move-in day. For heavy equipment, please contact your Event Manager.