What Capitol Exhibit does

Capitol Exhibit Services, Inc. (CESi) is a privately held custom exhibit design and fabrication company founded in 1988 in Springfield, Virginia and headquartered in a 110,000 square foot facility in Manassas, Virginia. The firm operates through two specialized divisions created in 2013: Capitol Museum Services (CMS), which engineers, builds, and installs permanent and traveling interpretive exhibits for museums, visitor centers, and corporate environments, and Capitol Tradeshow Services (CTS), which designs, fabricates, stores, ships, and installs tradeshow exhibits and corporate events. Core production capability is anchored on in-house CNC routers running MASTERCAM X9, AutoCAD shop drawings generated by a team of six detailers, large-format flatbed inkjet printing, vinyl plotting, cabinetmaking, and a staff of 50+ professionals spanning project management, design, fabrication, graphics, logistics, and warehousing.

The company's customer base is concentrated in the federal government and prestige cultural institutions. CESi has served as NASA Headquarters' designated exhibit house since 2000, handling an average of 40 events per year plus lobby display changes and Capitol Hill presentations, and completed high-profile work such as the 15,000 square foot David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Other long-standing clients include the National Archives, National Park Service, JFK Library, New York Hall of Science, Northrop Grumman, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Orbital Sciences, and Sallie Mae. Federal work is procured through GSA Schedule contracts.

Revenue is generated primarily on a project-fee, one-time basis for custom fabrication, supplemented by ongoing professional services for exhibit program management, refurbishment, modular exhibits with interchangeable components, graphic changes, and long-term storage. Government sales follow GSA contract pricing; commercial pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting government agencies, cultural institutions, and large enterprise accounts, supported by a website portfolio, LinkedIn, Facebook, and published case studies.

Name

Capitol Exhibit

Legal name

Capitol Exhibit Services, Inc.

Website

https://capitolexhibit.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Capitol Exhibit Services is a Manassas, Virginia custom exhibit fabricator with two divisions — Capitol Museum Services and Capitol Tradeshow Services — serving federal agencies (notably NASA since 2000), Smithsonian institutions, defense and aerospace firms, and cultural venues with design, fabrication, and installation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manassas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Exhibit Design and Fabrication: Project-based custom fabrication services for museums and tradeshows including design, fabrication, delivery, installation, on-site management, and long-term storage. Revenue generated through one-time project fees with full-service delivery.
2. Exhibit Management Services: Ongoing exhibit management including refurbishment of existing properties, graphic changes, and total exhibit management services.
3. Event Services: Trade show exhibit program management including exhibit design, fabrication, storage, shipping, installation and dismantle labor, and ordering of on-site show services. Average of 40 events per year for NASA.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Capitol Exhibit Services, Inc. (CESi) designs, fabricates, and manages custom exhibits for museums, tradeshows, visitor centers, and corporate environments. The company operates two divisions—Capitol Museum Services (CMS) for interpretive museum exhibits and Capitol Tradeshow Services (CTS) for trade show and event exhibits—delivering full in-house project execution from concept design through fabrication, installation, on-site management, and long-term storage.

Product overview

Capitol Exhibit Services, Inc. (CESi) operates as a custom exhibit design and fabrication company organized into two distinct divisions: Capitol Museum Services (CMS) and Capitol Tradeshow Services (CTS). CMS specializes in custom interpretive exhibits for museums, visitor centers, traveling exhibits, and corporate environments, serving clients in museums, science centers, libraries, and government institutions. CTS provides custom tradeshow exhibits and corporate event services for defense, aerospace, automotive, consumer products, and federal government sectors. Both divisions share a 110,000 square foot facility in Manassas, Virginia with over 50 professionals including designers, detailers, cabinetmakers, and graphics production specialists. The company offers full-service capabilities from concept design through fabrication, delivery, installation, on-site management, and long-term storage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Capitol Museum Services (CMS) Custom interpretive exhibit design, fabrication, and installation for museums, visitor centers, and corporate environments, serving sports, military history, natural sciences, cultural history, archaeology, hard science, and children's discovery markets. In operation for over 25 years.
• Capitol Tradeshow Services (CTS) Custom tradeshow exhibit design, fabrication, and execution services for defense and aerospace, automobile manufacturers, consumer products sectors, and Federal Government clients. In operation for over 25 years with international capabilities.
• Museum Exhibits Custom permanent and temporary museum exhibitions including interpretive displays, artifact mounting, case fabrication, and full installation services for museums and cultural institutions.
• Visitor Centers Design and fabrication of custom visitor center installations for cultural, educational, and governmental facilities.
• Traveling Exhibits Portable and modular exhibit solutions designed for transportation and display at multiple venues.
• Corporate Environments Custom interior environment design and fabrication for corporate settings, including office spaces, showrooms, and branded environments.
• Tradeshow Exhibits Custom trade show booth design, fabrication, storage, shipping, installation, and dismantle labor for events ranging from 10'x10' to 30'x100' configurations.
• Corporate Events Event design, coordination, and execution services including special events and Capitol Hill presentations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Handles approximately 40 events per year for NASA
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NASA HeadquarterscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000Designated exhibit house for NASA Headquarters since 2000. Handles NASA's trade show exhibit program at average of 40 events per year. Services include exhibit design, fabrication, storage, shipping, installation and dismantle labor, and ordering of on-site show services. Also manages special events, Capitol Hill presentations, and periodic changing of NASA's lobby displays at their headquarters in Washington, DC.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Moss: Moss is one of the largest custom exhibit and brand experience fabricators in North America, offering design-build, fabrication, logistics, and on-site services for corporate tradeshows and experiential marketing. Like Capitol Exhibit, Moss combines in-house fabrication with full-service program management for enterprise and government clients.
• Derse: Derse is a full-service custom exhibit and brand environment builder serving enterprise clients across industries, with in-house design, fabrication, and account management. Its end-to-end tradeshow and event model closely mirrors Capitol Exhibit Services' CTS division.
• The Trade Group: The Trade Group is a custom exhibit, event, and environmental design firm offering in-house fabrication, graphics, and warehousing. Its service scope, mid-market client mix, and vertical customization are highly comparable to CESi's CTS division.
• 3D Exhibits: 3D Exhibits is a custom exhibit and event marketing company providing design, fabrication, and on-site management for enterprise tradeshows and corporate events. Its boutique-to-mid-market positioning and full-service model parallel Capitol Exhibit Services closely.
• Exponents: Exponents is a custom tradeshow exhibit builder offering design, fabrication, logistics, and installation for enterprise clients. Its project-based, design-to-install service model is highly comparable to CESi's CTS division.
• Riggs International: Riggs International is a specialized museum artifact mounting and exhibit fabrication firm serving natural history museums, science centers, and cultural institutions. It is a direct competitor for the museum-side (CMS) work that Capitol Exhibit Services performs for Smithsonian-tier clients.

Broad incumbents

• Freeman: Freeman is the world's largest brand experience company, providing tradeshow exhibits, event production, and audiovisual services globally. It overlaps with CESi's tradeshow and event work but operates at vastly larger scale and a broader service portfolio.
• GES (Global Experience Specialists): GES is a major global provider of tradeshow and event services including custom exhibits, logistics, and on-site labor. While much larger, GES competes for the same tradeshow design-build RFPs that Capitol Exhibit Services' CTS division targets, especially for federal and enterprise clients.
• George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: George P. Johnson is a leading experience marketing agency building custom exhibits, brand activations, and event programs for global enterprise brands. It overlaps with CESi's enterprise tradeshow and event work but operates at significantly larger scale with agency-level creative services.

Emerging players

• Skyline Exhibits: Skyline Exhibits sources modular and custom exhibit solutions through a dealer network, competing for many of the same mid-market tradeshow RFPs as CESi. While its primary model is modular sales rather than full-service fabrication, it is a frequent competitor on custom-configured booth projects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Capitol-Tradeshow-Services-a-division-of-Capitol-Exhibit-Services-Inc/617191918346147
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/capitol-exhibit-services-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Capitol Exhibit