10x10 Trade Show Booths

What a 10x10 has to do in 100 square feet

A 10x10 is a billboard first and a meeting space second. Attendees walking a packed MCCNO hall give each inline booth a second or two of attention, so the back wall headline and the brand mark do most of the work.

Inside the footprint you are usually fitting a back wall, a counter or small workstation, literature, and one or two staff. Crowd more than that and the booth stops feeling like an invitation and starts feeling like a wall.

We design the approach deliberately. Tall, simple graphics up high for the aisle read, product or proof at eye level for the people who slow down, and a clear lane to step in without feeling boxed.

Portable, modular, or custom inside the same footprint

A pop-up or tension-fabric portable 10x10 sets up in under an hour, travels in two or three cases, and suits teams flying into Louis Armstrong International for a single show. It is the lowest-labor path through a New Orleans move-in.

A modular aluminum-frame 10x10 costs more up front but takes graphic swaps, shelf changes, and counter reconfigurations across a season of shows. For exhibitors running several dates a year, the per-show cost drops fast.

A custom 10x10 makes sense when the brand look has to be exact and budget allows. We fabricate locally, which means a panel that arrives scuffed gets fixed the same morning rather than waiting on a replacement shipment.

Move-in at a New Orleans inline space

Inline 10x10s usually move in through the general contractor's marshaling and drayage flow, with cases or a small crate delivered to your booth number. Hand-carry rules vary by show, so we confirm what the exhibitor manual allows before deciding how the booth arrives.

MCCNO instructs exhibitors to order internet, electrical, plumbing, and telecommunication services directly from its exhibitor-services team. We place those orders against your booth number early, since advance-rate deadlines save real money over show-site pricing.

Downtown hotel shows at the Marriott on Canal Street or the Sheraton run differently again, with house AV and tighter freight paths. A 10x10 in a ballroom is a different logistics picture than the same booth in Hall D.

How the footprint changes the job

Booth type is one of the biggest drivers of how an exhibit behaves. An inline booth, island, portable display, modular system, or double-deck build all ask for different choices around structure, graphics, and traffic flow. That difference needs to be clear before design decisions start hardening.

Booth format affects visibility, labor order, and utility planning from the first drawing. In buildings such as The Fillmore New Orleans, the right choice depends as much on freight access and aisle behavior as it does on square footage. The build has to respect the footprint, the brand goal, and the way the space will actually be used once the hall opens. That context helps a planner decide whether the form factor is actually right for the show floor instead of just visually appealing in a rendering.

Sightlines, staffing, and content

The booth shape is only the start. The real question is how sightlines work from the aisle, how the content reads under show lighting, and how the staff will move once attendees are actually in the space. That is what turns booth type into a real operating choice.

When the project involves Exhibitor-Appointed Contractor Coordination, the booth layout and the delivery scope should be read together. That keeps the creative idea and the working plan from drifting apart.

• Traffic flow from aisle to interior
• Branding and messaging zones
• Structural load and finish choices
• Lighting, power, and AV support
• Storage, reset, and staff movement

Install order matters

A booth that looks clean on paper still has to survive install. That means power, rigging, flooring, and crew sequencing all need to be mapped before the team gets to the floor. The more complex the booth type, the more important it is to understand the work order early.

The venue also matters. A format that works in one hall can become much harder in a property with tighter access, stricter rules, or a different utility path. That is why venue-aware planning matters even at the format stage.

Choosing between portable, modular, and custom

The smartest booth choice is the one that fits the goal, the labor plan, and the venue conditions at the same time. Sometimes a portable system is right because the schedule is tight. Sometimes a modular or custom build is the better call because the brand needs more control over sightlines, content, or hospitality.

The key is to show the tradeoffs honestly so the booth choice supports the rest of the project instead of creating unnecessary complexity.

Frequently asked questions