Plants for your event at the McEnery. We're seven minutes away.
The Preserve is a San Jose plant shop that rents plants for trade shows, conferences, and keynotes at the McEnery Convention Center. Our shop sits a seven-minute drive from the loading dock, so your greenery arrives fresh, on your move-in schedule, and swaps are easy if anything changes.
Past clients include
What we take care of.
You tell us the hall, the booth, and the look. We make sure the plants show up inside your move-in window, hold up for the whole run, and disappear before move-out closes.
Delivery & install
We work your show's move-in schedule and dock times, and place every plant to your floor plan or booth layout. Being seven minutes away makes tight windows workable.
On-site styling
Before doors open we walk the space with you and move anything that isn't sitting right. Exhibit halls always read differently once the booths are up.
Pickup & teardown
We strike inside your move-out window and haul everything back to the shop. Nothing for your team or your general contractor to deal with.
Insured & papered
Fully insured, with Certificates of Insurance sent ahead to the venue or your show management in whatever format they ask for.
Spaces we green at the McEnery.
About 520,000 square feet of meeting and event space in the middle of downtown San Jose, with entrances on West San Carlos, Almaden, and South Market.
Also nearby
The closest plant shop to the convention center, by a wide margin.
Our shop and greenhouse stock sit at 130 Stockton Avenue, about a seven-minute drive from the McEnery docks. That distance is the difference between "we'll fix it tomorrow" and "we'll fix it before doors." Late booth changes, an extra pair of trees, a swap the morning of day two — for us those are short errands, not logistics.
Who we work with at the McEnery.
Show & Conference Organizers
Registration statements, mainstage greenery, lounges, and speaker-room touches for multi-day programs — planned once, delivered to your production schedule.
Exhibitors
Booth packages from a single statement plant to a fully planted island booth. Send your booth number and exhibitor manual; we work to the show's rules, not around them.
Corporate Event Teams
Galas, product launches, and company milestones in the ballrooms — greenery that photographs beautifully and holds up through a long night.
Agencies & Producers
You run the show file; we slot into it. One contact, one proposal with photos of the actual plants, one invoice.
How it works, in four steps.
Tell us about the event
Dates, hall or room, booth number if you have one, and the look you want. A floor plan or the exhibitor manual helps us quote around real dock times.
Get a proposal
An itemized proposal with photos of the actual plants, suggested placements, and one clear price including delivery.
We install & style
Our crew works your move-in window and fine-tunes the space with you before doors open.
We pick everything up
We strike inside your move-out window. The plants ride seven minutes home and go back into rotation.
McEnery questions.
What planners and exhibitors ask us about working the convention center.
Do you deliver to the San Jose McEnery Convention Center?
Yes. The McEnery is our home venue — our shop is at 130 Stockton Avenue, about a seven-minute drive away. We deliver to the dock during your show's move-in window, install to your floor plan, and strike inside move-out.
Can you work within our show's move-in and move-out schedule?
Yes. Convention work runs on the show's schedule, not ours. Send your exhibitor manual or production timeline with your request and we'll build the plan around the real dock times, including early-morning calls and overnight strikes.
Do you coordinate with show management and general contractors?
Yes. For exhibit-hall work we coordinate with your general contractor's schedule and follow the show's rules for deliveries and materials. Tell us who's running the floor and we'll take it from there.
Can you provide a Certificate of Insurance for the McEnery?
Yes. We're fully insured for every event and send COIs directly to the venue or show management, with whatever additional-insured language they require. Include the requirements with your request and the paperwork is handled before load-in.
What does plant rental cost for a McEnery event?
Pricing is per plant, and one rental price covers your event for up to three days. There's a $1,000 minimum per event. Delivery and setup are billed separately, and because the venue is a short drive from our shop, McEnery delivery is as simple as it gets. Booth packages typically land between $1,000 and $4,000; full-floor and mainstage builds run larger — our biggest to date was $40,000 across a convention floor.
Will the plants last a three-day show without watering?
Yes — that's exactly what we prep for. We choose hardy material for exhibit-hall light, water and groom everything before delivery, and one rental price covers up to three days. We don't staff on-site watering during the show, and with our shop minutes away, a swap is easy in the rare case anything flags.
Can you handle a booth and our offsite party in the same order?
Yes, and it's common during conference weeks. One proposal can cover your booth at the McEnery plus a dinner or reception at a downtown hotel or venue nearby. One delivery team, one invoice.
How far ahead should we book for a McEnery show?
Four to six weeks is ideal, and big shows are worth booking as soon as your booth is confirmed. Because we're local, we can often say yes to rush requests during show week — ask, and we'll tell you straight away what's possible.
What if a plant gets damaged mid-show?
We swap it. Healthy backups live at our shop seven minutes away, so a replacement can usually happen before doors open the next day.
How do deposits and payment work?
A 50% deposit up front so we can source the exact plants and planters your event needs, and the remaining 50% one week before the event. No deposit is taken before you've seen and approved the proposal.
Still wondering something? Just ask →
Tell us about
the show.
Booth, ballroom, or the whole floor — fill out the form or email us directly and we'll reply with next steps and a proposal timeline.
Heads up: we have an order minimum of $1,000 per event.Prefer email?
friends@shopthepreserve.com