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BOOTH GUIDE

Booth layout basics
Start with these eight steps.

Published by BOOTHROOM · Reviewed: 2026-10-09

Laying out a booth is less about arranging merch attractively and more about dividing a fixed area between your goods and the people using it. Not everything fits on the table, back items disappear behind the front row, or there is nowhere to handle payments without clearing space first — problems that usually surface only on the day of the event. The eight steps below are an order of operations for catching them in advance.

1. Fix your table dimensions first

Every layout decision starts from three numbers: width, depth, and height. A single-person table at a doujin event usually falls somewhere around 90–120 cm wide, 45–60 cm deep, and 70–75 cm high, but this varies by event and venue, so always confirm the figures in the organizer's guidelines. If they are not published, check past attendees' photos or ask the organizer directly.

If you have two or more spaces, the gap between tables becomes another variable. Some events let you push them together while others require a set separation for aisles, and that gap changes how much width you can actually use. The BOOTHROOM simulator lets you set height 65–90 cm, width 60–240 cm, depth 40–120 cm, and table gap 0–100 cm, so enter the figures you were given before you start placing anything.

2. Divide the height into three tiers

Different heights can separate displays on a small table. For practice, compare a front row below 10cm, a middle row at 10–30cm and a rear row above 30cm. These are starting ranges; obstruction depends on product dimensions and viewing position. Check actual views.

The reference point here is the eye level of someone walking past. A standing visitor's line of sight is far above the tabletop, so your headline item laid flat on the surface is effectively invisible. The more you want an item seen, the higher it should sit — on a riser or a stand, closer to eye level.

3. Each type of merch has a place that suits it

For a doujinshi the cover carries all the information, so stand it upright or tilt it so the cover faces out. Stacked flat, only the top copy's cover reads and the rest becomes a block of paper. The same goes for postcards and prints: they only register once they are propped up in a stand or display file.

An acrylic stand only reads from the front, so angle it toward the aisle and keep tall items out of its line. Small, high-count items like keyrings and badges are better hung on a mesh panel or an acrylic fence than spread across the table — going vertical shows the whole range at a glance while using almost no surface area.

4. Leave room for hands and money

The most commonly forgotten element in a layout plan is the payment area. Leave roughly 15–20 cm along the front edge of the table completely empty. That is where you hand items over, bag them, and set down cash or a card reader.

Fill that strip with merch and you will be clearing and rebuilding the display for every customer, and the layout will drift apart over the day. If more than one person will be working the booth, check in advance that your arms will not collide over the same spot.

5. Count banners and backdrops outside the table

X-banners and foam boards occupy floor or rear space rather than the tabletop. Check separately that the feet fit inside your allotted booth width and that there is room to stand them behind you. Anything protruding into the aisle is likely to get a request to move it mid-event.

For a fabric backdrop, the first question is whether there is anywhere to hang it. Some events prohibit attaching anything to walls, so find out in advance whether you need to build your own frame from freestanding poles and a top crossbar. The height and width of that frame is another number that has to fit inside your booth footprint.

6. The space you and your chair occupy

People often sketch the table and leave themselves out of it. But your booth space includes the chair, your knees when seated, and the bag and stock boxes at your feet. The tighter the space you are given, the more that volume dictates everything else.

Stock boxes left loose at your feet catch you every time you stand, and are hard to reach when a queue forms. Push them under the table but keep them within arm's reach from a seated position, and put whatever sells fastest in the top box.

If two or more of you will be working the booth, check that two chairs fit side by side and that one person can step back and out. You need to be able to leave for the bathroom or a meal without climbing over each other.

7. Laying out for photographs

Photos of your booth outlive the event as promotional material. Plenty of people decide where to visit from booth photos posted before and after, so how well the setup photographs is itself a layout criterion.

The element that most often ruins a head-on shot is the background. When neighbouring booths and the aisle show up behind yours, the eye scatters and the merch disappears into the noise. A single plain surface behind you visibly lifts every photo.

Lighting matters too. Venue lights usually come straight down from the ceiling, so glossy acrylic and laminated prints pick up a hard reflection along the top. Tilting them slightly or turning them off-axis from the light cuts the glare.

8. Prepare two layouts, not one

It is not unusual for the actual table to differ from the guidelines: 10 cm narrower, one side against a wall, or a neighbour's display spilling over the line. A single perfectly calculated layout collapses entirely in those situations.

So it is safer to lock down only three things that absolutely must sit where you planned, and to hold the rest as a priority order you can adjust on site. Those three are usually your headline item, the payment area, and the price tags.

In BOOTHROOM you can build several versions at different table sizes and save each one. Preparing two — the size you were told, and one step narrower — removes most of the on-site panic.

Final checklist before the event

• Confirmed the table width, depth, height, and spacing from the organizer's guidelines
• Everything you prepared actually fits within the real table area
• Heights step upward toward the back so the front row never hides the back
• Your headline item sits close to a passerby's eye level
• Empty space remains at the front of the table for payment and packing
• Banners and display structures stay within your allotted booth width
• The finished layout is saved as an image you can refer to on the day

This guide offers planning suggestions. Examples use hypothetical conditions, not field trials or evidence of increased sales. Follow the organizer’s current dimensions, height limits, wall attachment and aisle rules.