How to Set Up the Perfect 3D Print Booth

Setting up a booth to sell 3D prints is a key way to make money with 3D printing. A lot of people aren’t sure how to set up a good 3D print booth so I decided to write an article on the process.

Setting up a booth is great because it’s an opportunity to showcase your creations, engage with potential clients, and grow your brand.

Whether you’re attending a trade show, local festival, or craft fair, creating an eye-catching and functional booth is still vital to standing out.

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Find out how big the available booth spaces are
Identify your target demographic
Design your booth before setting up
Do a mock setup for your booth
Create a checklist for the booth & event
Set up your booth early
Create an eye-catching display
Take a picture of your booth and display it on your social media pages

1. Find Out How Big the Available Booth Spaces Are

First, you need to call the event organizers to find out how big the available booth spaces are and how much they cost.

The most common booth sizes you can expect from most event organizers are the 10x10ft and 20x10ft spaces.

Once you know how much space you’re working with, you can plan the layout and design of your booth.

Remember that booth spaces usually charge different fees depending on their size and the expected foot traffic for the event.

In this article I have linked pictures from a Facebook group called 3D Printing Side Hustle Group so I’d highly recommend joining up to view them.

For example, Kevin said he paid a $55 booth fee for this space.

Another user said knowing the location before the event began was important.

He learned this the hard way after being on the long end of a turn blocked by a sidewall from the booth next to him with no cell service.

2. Identify Your Target Demographic

Next, you should find out who you’re going to sell to. Is it women, gamers, men, older people, families, or everyone? This will also help you plan your booth layout and design.

As John from How to Craft Fair in the video below says, you want your booth identity to mirror your target demographic. So, everything, including your signage, banners, and backdrops, should be presented in a way that will appeal to them.

For example, if you want to attract families and kids, you can display bright and colorful 3D prints. However, if you want more serious buyers, like gaming or tech lovers, you can go for prints with sleeker and more intricate designs, like D&D minis or articulated dragons.

HyBee3D says you will know what suits your demographic after your first event. In his case, he went with many different models to see which one would sell.

Things like toothpick shooters and fidget spinners didn’t sell for him. However, he discovered that people love cute, quiet, flexy stuff.

3. Design Your Booth Before Setting Up

Now that you have a target demographic, you can start mapping out where everything will be. This includes tables, display items, and maybe a small 3D printer setup. You should do all this with the flow of traffic in mind.

You want the tables, shelves, risers, and anything else you have in your setup to be positioned so that customers can easily move into and out of your booth. Your space should not feel squeezed because then, people will avoid it.

Jacob Barnes, who did his first craft fair bazaar, recommends positioning your booth to face outward because people may be hesitant to come inside when it faces inward.

On the other hand, Rhys Oldfield prefers his tables facing inwards unless they are on a corner. You will need to give people a reason to come in. For him, running a couple of Voron 3d printers with lights all over them draws a crowd and does the trick.

John from How to Craft Fair recommends first finding out where your booth will be positioned relative to other vendors’ booths. Do you have a center spot or a corner spot? Is there a wall behind, or are you in the middle?

After that, design your booth with the flow of traffic in mind. You should also place your best-selling items where you think the highest traffic flow will come from.

4. Do a Mock Setup for Your Booth

So, you already have a perfect design for your booth setup. It’s time to get an idea of how it will look at the event on the big day. How do you do this?

Set everything up in your backyard, driveway, or garage, and do a dry run. If there are any issues with your current setup, this would be the perfect time to correct them.

For example, if your layout makes it difficult for people to move into and out of your booth, you can experiment with different setups until you find one that works.

John from How to Craft Fair suggests timing yourself when doing these practice runs. This helps you become more efficient in getting your setup done so you’re not scrambling at the event.

He also suggests having family or friends visit and give you honest feedback on how your setup looks. Their input can help you make final tweaks that will make you stand out more.

Gina Moen from the 3D Printing Side Hustle Group on Facebook says she always does mock-ups at home before a show. This is because they help her visualize and plan the event better.

5. Create a Checklist for the Booth & Event

Before you head out to set up your 3D print booth, make sure you’ve got everything covered with a handy checklist. Here’s how to do it:

Begin by listing all the items you’ll need for the event at least a few days in advance. This gives you time to think and add anything you might have forgotten.
Break down your checklist into categories to make it easier to organize. For example, you can have the following sections:

Display Items: Include all the things you need to showcase your prints, such as the prints themselves, display stands, tablecloths, and banners.

Tools & Supplies: Think about practical items like tape, scissors, extension cords, a power strip, and any tools for last-minute fixes.

Marketing Materials: Don’t forget business cards, brochures, or flyers, as well as any special offers or pricing signs.

Personal Essentials: Remember things like a water bottle, snacks, hand sanitizer, and your phone charger.

Imagine setting up your booth step by step to help you identify items you might need that don’t immediately come to mind. For example, if you plan to hang a banner, you’ll need to bring some string or hooks.
Highlight the must-haves you can’t do without, like your 3D prints, payment system, and marketing materials. These should be the first things you pack.
Go through your checklist the night before the event to ensure you haven’t missed anything.
As you pack up for the event, check off each item on your list. You’ll be more relaxed knowing you haven’t forgotten anything.

In this video, John from How to Craft Fair perfectly breaks down the Craft Fair checklist that he uses to prepare for his events.

You can use this Craft Fair Checklist that John from How to Craft Fair recommends. It’s available on Etsy for a small fee.

6. Set Up Your Booth Early

Trust me, there’s no better feeling than arriving early at an event. It lets you arrange everything at your own pace to avoid the last-minute rush.

It’s even better if the organizers of the event offer early/pre-show setup days. You should take full advantage of that because it will simplify things on the day of the event.

Another advantage of setting up early is that you have a chance to sell your items to other vendors before the event opens to the public.

Melissa asked Rob in the 3D Printing Side Hustle Group on Facebook how long it took him to set up his booth since some organizers limit the time to 1 hour. Rob replied that it took him 5 hours, and he was in no rush since he did it the day prior.

When setting up, you should always ensure that your booth is:

Accessible
Clean & Tidy
Within the Required Boundaries
Use Canopies for Outdoor Events

Accessible

You must arrange everything properly so customers can move safely and comfortably around your booth while checking out your displayed items. They can fall over and injure someone if they’re not stable or secure.

Someone who commented on John’s How to Set Up Your Craft Fair Booth video on YouTube stressed that you should consider wheelchair accessibility in the setup. This is because his husband, who uses a wheelchair, has often been unable to access booths to view products.

Clean and Tidy

Nobody wants to come to a disorganized booth, so try to make it as neat as possible. If possible, store your boxes, tools, and anything you will not be using underneath your table.

After that, pull the tablecloth down to hide everything under it. However, ensure that the cloth is not rolled up on the bottom, as this might become a tripping hazard.

Within the Required Boundaries

I cannot stress this enough: stick to the space the event organizers have assigned you. Don’t squeeze into your neighbors’ booths—no one likes a booth hog!

You should also avoid encroaching on aisles, as the customer experience depends on how easily they can move around from one booth to the next.

Use Canopies for Outdoor Events

If you’re setting up your 3D print booth at an outdoor event, you’ll need a canopy to protect your items from damage. For example, rain can destroy your 3D printer, while too much sunlight can cause your PLA prints to warp.

Choose a strong and easy-to-set-up canopy, and customize it with your brand logo to make it more professional and inviting.

Check out this canopy by Scott Helstrom, which sheltered him while it was raining at an outdoor event.

7. Create an Eye-Catching Display

Now, to make your booth draw the attention of people passing by, you need to:

Showcase a variety of products
Use the appropriate signs and banners
Add color, contrast, and texture
Use your vertical space
Use tablecloths correctly
Add a backdrop
Have good lighting

Showcase a Variety of Products

The more items you display, the better your chances of making a sale. Mix it up by displaying prints of different sizes, colors, and styles.

You never know who might be interested in them. However, you should try to display your best prints at the front or somewhere they can be seen.

Dustin, from the 3D Printing Side Hustle Group on Facebook, said that these 3D printed Oreos brought people to his booth. Many people who stopped and walked back to ask about them purchased something for $5-$20.

Use the Appropriate Signs and Banners

A good example is Stephen Smith from the 3D Printing Side Hustle Group on Facebook, who had a large banner at the center of his booth with a logo he designed and the name of his business, 3SX 3D Printing.

You can also place smaller signs in your setup, such as:

Sign displaying your return policies
Sign or QR code with a link to your social media or Etsy shop
Sign for payment types you accept
Price signs or labels

All these will make your potential customers trust you more.

Add Colors, Contrast, and Texture

Use bright colors and contrasting textures to make your booth pop. A visually stimulating display will catch the eye of passersby.

For example, if you have bright multicolored prints, you can choose a contrasting color like black or grey for your tablecloth to make your prints more pronounced.

Andrew Henderson’s booth perfectly shows how contrasting colors can help to brighten your setup.

Use Your Vertical Space

Don’t just think horizontally! Use shelves, risers, racks, stands, or hanging displays to maximize your space and display more products rather than laying everything on the table.

Use Tablecloths Correctly

A good tablecloth can make a huge difference, so ensure you get a wrinkle-free one that fits your table.

These from Tony Blair from the 3D Printing Side Hustle Group on Facebook look fantastic. He got them from Amazon for $8 apiece.

Add a Backdrop

Most outdoor events have pretty distracting backgrounds, so to keep the focus on your 3D prints, you can add a solid wall backdrop with the same color as your tablecloth.

Have Good Lighting

Good lighting can make your prints appear better and cleaner. So, consider a good lighting setup, especially if you’re attending an event that runs through the night.

Check out this excellent lighting by Blair Oyler at his booth setup for a small music festival, complete with LEDs, tent lights, two marine batteries, and an old UPS.

Once your booth is all set up, take a few pictures and share them on your social media pages. You can post it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or WhatsApp. This will let your followers know where to find you.

It is also a great way to give your brand extra exposure. Remember to tag the event and use relevant hashtags!