Key takeaway
Exhibiting at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles: Logipass for build-up vans, drop-off on Avenue Ernest-Renan, end-2026 show dates, when hourly hire pays.
Exhibiting at Porte de Versailles is not the same job as visiting it. A visitor arrives, goes in, leaves. An exhibitor arrives for build-up with equipment, runs a stand for four to ten days, hosts clients, and leaves at breakdown at the same moment as everyone else. This guide takes those three moments one at a time: when the metro wins, when a van registered on Logipass is compulsory, and when a chauffeur on hourly hire becomes the right sum.
For an exhibitor, three venues in one
Paris Expo Porte de Versailles works as three zones. The forecourt and visitor entrances, on Place de la Porte de Versailles. The delivery areas, which a vehicle enters only with authorisation. And the halls themselves, where no vehicle moves: everything ends by hand or on a pallet truck.
A show week therefore has three transport sequences, rarely with the same answer: build-up, with equipment and time slots; open days, with a team in business clothes and clients to receive; and breakdown, when everyone wants out on the same evening.
The shows at the end of the year
Between now and December the big dates run back to back. The dates below are those published by Viparis or by the organiser. Your build-up and breakdown slots are in your show's exhibitor manual, and that document is the one that counts.
| Show | 2026 dates | Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Salon du Chocolat (hall 5) | 28 October to 1 November | General public |
| EquipHotel | 2 to 5 November | Trade |
| MIF Expo, the Made in France show (hall 7.2) | 12 to 15 November | General public |
| Tech Show Paris | 18 and 19 November | Trade |
| Salon des Maires et des collectivités locales | 24 to 26 November | Trade |
| Trustech | 1 to 3 December | Trade |
Two practical consequences. One show's breakdown sometimes overlaps the next show's build-up, so logistics slots go early. And hotels in the 15th arrondissement fill up in those weeks, so many teams stay further out and commute, which puts transport back at the centre of the budget.
Vehicles and equipment: Logipass first
Viparis requires every vehicle that needs the delivery areas to be registered on Logipass, during build-up and breakdown, and for deliveries while the show is open, at specific hours. Without Logipass, entry may be refused. You create an account, then an access request for the event.
Two useful bits of flexibility, written into the Viparis user guide: if you do not yet know the registration plate, you can file the request and correct it online until you arrive; if you do not know the exact time, pick an approximate slot on the same day and it is adjusted to your real entry. Parking in the delivery zone is limited to the time the delivery takes. If in doubt, the Logipass hotline answers on +33 1 40 68 11 30.
At build-up
The van is for the stand, not for the people. Once it has left the dock, the team arriving as reinforcements has no reason to come by car: Porte de Versailles station is served by metro line 12 and trams T2 and T3a.
At breakdown
This is the sequence everyone underestimates. On the last evening hundreds of exhibitors load at once, the late slots go first, and finishing after the last metro happens. A team that wraps up at 11 p.m. with cases of samples should have its ride home booked in advance, not be hunting for one on an app in the rain.
Open days: drop-off, pickup and the hours to avoid
The simplest drop-off is on Avenue Ernest-Renan, which runs along the site without blocking the main road: it is the point we also give for the Paris Motor Show, when the venue takes several hundred thousand visitors in a week. At that scale the last 400 metres matter more than the first ten kilometres.
Three rules for an exhibitor: arrive before the public opening, which sets off the first wave; avoid leaving at the exact moment the halls close; and give the chauffeur a precise pickup point, a number and a street, rather than "outside the show", which means nothing on a site this size.
For the team landing on the day, a Paris airport transfer with flight tracking avoids the worst case: the product demo that starts without the person giving it. The fare is fixed, €125 from CDG and €105 from Orly in an E-Class, and the chauffeur follows the real flight.
Five ways to move a stand team
For a team of four staying in central Paris, on a typical show day:
| Option | Strengths | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Metro 12, tram T2 or T3a | Unbeatable at rush hour, frequent, one ticket per trip | Standing, packed at opening time, nothing bulky |
| Taxi on demand | No booking | Queues in the evening, meter running in traffic |
| Ride-hailing on demand | Price shown before you get in | Fares that climb as the halls empty, vague meeting point |
| Van registered on Logipass | Essential at build-up and breakdown | Useless on open days, low emission zone, a driver tied up |
| Chauffeur on hourly hire | Car that waits, several stops, V-Class for up to seven | Book ahead for show dates |
An honest reading: if your team stays at Montparnasse and travels light, line 12 wins, full stop. Hourly chauffeur hire becomes the right sum as soon as there are samples, late finishes, clients to carry or several round trips in the day. It costs €85 an hour in an E-Class and €100 in a V-Class, three hours minimum, so €255 for the minimum in a sedan. The same reasoning runs through our guide to MICE ground transport that matches the venue.
Greater Paris low emission zone: are your vans allowed in?
Porte de Versailles sits inside the Greater Paris low emission zone. Parliament voted to abolish low emission zones in spring 2026, in the economic simplification law, but the Constitutional Council struck that article down on 21 May 2026 (decision no. 2026-903 DC) on procedural grounds: the zone remains in force.
For an exhibitor the translation is simple. A recent rental van raises no question. If you build the stand with the workshop's old diesel van, check its Crit'Air sticker and the exemptions in force with the Métropole du Grand Paris before build-up day, not at the dock.
Clients and guests: a dedicated shuttle
The stand is only half the show: the other half is the clients you bring to it. The set-up that works well at an EquipHotel or a Salon des Maires is one dedicated vehicle running hotel, stand, lunch and stand, with a single chauffeur who knows the drop-off points. That is the scope of PrivateDrive's event transport in Paris.
To size it: between the morning drop-off, the midday shuttle and the evening pickup, eight hours of hourly hire come to €680 in an E-Class. Set that against a salesperson hunting for a car twice a day. For how visitors and delegations experience the same shows, see our guide to trade show transport at VivaTech, the Paris Air Show and SIAL.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need authorisation to drive in during build-up?
Yes. Viparis requires every vehicle using the delivery areas during build-up and breakdown, and for deliveries while the show is open, to be registered on Logipass. Without it, entry may be refused. The plate can be corrected online until you arrive.
Where should a team be dropped off on open days?
On Avenue Ernest-Renan, which runs along the site without blocking the main road. Agree a precise point with your chauffeur, a number and a street, rather than "outside the show".
What if breakdown finishes after the last metro?
Book the ride home in advance. With cases of samples and equipment, a chauffeur booked for your finishing time is the only option that depends neither on a taxi queue nor on a fare that climbs as the show empties.
How much is an airport transfer for a team arriving for a show?
With PrivateDrive, €125 from CDG and €105 from Orly in an E-Class, a fixed fare with flight tracking. A V-Class takes up to seven people with their suitcases, €145 from CDG.
Does the Greater Paris low emission zone still apply in 2026?
Yes. The abolition voted in spring 2026 was struck down by the Constitutional Council on 21 May 2026 on procedural grounds. Check your van's Crit'Air sticker and the exemptions with the Métropole du Grand Paris before build-up.