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An Introduction To Show Floor Layout


In order to layout the show, start with the most recent or current version of the floor plan.
The next step is to determine if you are in the correct part of the facility (the correct hall in a
convention center, the correct room in a hotel, etc.). Next you need to take the plan and compare
it to the facility. Look for landmarks; columns, doors, loading docks, lobby doors, electric boxes,
fire hoses, etc. Use them to orient yourself and the plan to the facility. Sometimes the plan will
be marked north, south, east, and west. It may also have a legend that could be used to orient
yourself.

This is important because you need to mark the floor correctly. It is essential for the work
that follows. Strange as it may seem, people have been known to mark the floor backwards or
sideways because they did not have the plan facing correctly when starting to mark the floor.

Once that is established, the floor marking crew will begin. This typically will be a small
group armed with 300' tape measures, 25-35' tape measures for the smaller runs, marking chalk,
and line tape. Sometimes a scale ruler and magnifying glass can also be helpful. The chalk is
used to put both preliminary measurement marks and booth space marks. Booth line tape is a
thin, usually 1/4" wide tape available in a variety of colors. It comes on rolls from at least 100' in
length to as much as 500' in length. It is used to mark the outer edges or perimeter of the booths. There are three different booth types called in-line (or linear), island, and peninsula. The
standard booth is the in-line (or linear) booth. These booths are connected to each other in a row.
An island booth is surrounded on all four sides by aisles, just like an island is surrounded by
water. A peninsula booth is attached to other booths on one side and surrounded by aisles on the
other three sides, like a peninsula is attached to land on one side and surrounded by water on the
other three sides

The chalk will be used to mark the booths as follows:



Floor marks:
1.

Back wall or floor marks which denote where the pipe and bases go
2.

Perimeter marks or corners for island and peninsular booths
3.

Hash marks small marks that show where the line tape goes for inline booths
4.

The line tape will be used to mark the booths front lines


Now that we have discussed the basic marks and booth types, we can actually begin to
mark the floor. Starting with the basic floor plan and utilizing the aforementioned marks, we can
begin. Sometimes the plan will have all the necessary dimensions, more often it won't. You need
to go to either the scale or the legend to determine the booth size. For most convention center
shows, the booths are in 10' increments. That is 10' deep by 10' wide or multiples of each. For
most hotel shows, the booths are 8' deep by 10' wide or multiples of that. However, this is not an
absolute. The booths can be any size the association decides.



Knowing the size of the booths and working with the plan, the next dimension you need
is the overall length and width of the room. Sometimes the plan will have these dimensions, most
of the time they won't. Even if they do, assume that the measurements are incorrect.

Take the overall length of the room, in this case 60'. Figure out how many rows of booths
are needed, in this case the booths are 10'. There are four rows in this example. There are two
aisles. Therefore if the room is 60' overall, and there are four rows of 10' deep booths, then there
are two aisles of 10' each.

60'(overall) - 40'(four rows of 10' deep booths) = 20' (for two aisles of 10' each)



Next, measure the overall width of the room, for this example 60'. The rows of booths
contain four 10' booths each equaling 40'. The overall room which is 60' minus 40' (four 10'
booths) = 20'. There are two aisles to be divided up from the 20', so each aisle is 10'.

With these calculations, we can layout the tape measure and put chalk marks at the 0, 10',
20', 30', 40', 50', and 60' marks.

Next, go to the other side of the room and do the same. Now you will have chalk marks
on both sides of the room at matching 10' intervals. Now, lay the tape measure out in the
opposite direction along the chalk marks.

Since you have a 10' aisle, your first booth mark will be at 10. Then, since the booths are
10' wide, your subsequent marks will be every 10' after that (10', 20', 30', 40', and 50').



The first mark will be a single end of bay mark because it denotes a single row of booths
facing away from the wall and it is the end booth on the row.

The next mark will be a single "T" because, again, it is a single row of booths facing
away from the wall and it is a single booth separated from the others by a side rail. The next two
marks at 30' and 40' will be the same. At the 50' mark, we will put another single end of bay
mark to end the row of booths.



Next, we move the tape over 30' because the booths are 10' deep. Then place a mark at
the 10' aisle, then another at the 10' deep booth, which puts us at the next set of back wall marks.

There is a 10' aisle so your first mark is at 10' - T (a double end of bay) then at 20', 30',
and 40' T (double tee divided 10' booths every 10'), then another double end of bay at 50' the end
of the row.



Now, move the tape over 30'. (Again, the booth rows are 10' deep and the aisle is 10'.)

Example: 10' booth + 10' aisle + 10' booth = 30'.

Put the tape on the chalk marks and the first mark will be at 10' (single end of bay mark).
Place a single tee at the 20', 30', and 40' points and place a single end of bay mark at 50'.

This is how a completed floor should look. There are chalk marks for the back wall and
line tape for the front of the booths. You are ready for the next step that involves the booth
equipment: pipe and drape, carpet, tables, etc.














Practical Methods

When working in convention centers or facilities with concrete floors, it is advisable to
soak the chalk in water first. This makes the chalk adhere better to the concrete and the marks
last longer than dry chalk. Do not use wet chalk on carpeted surfaces. The wet chalk is too
difficult to remove from the carpet after the show is over. On carpet, use only dry chalk or in
some cases masking tape for marking. This depends on the facility you are working in. Some are
very sensitive about their carpet, hence the masking tape. It is less invasive than the chalk.

Line tape is used to define the borders of booths. In-line booths use line tape to show the
front line. Peninsula and island booths use line tape around all borders.

When using line tape, make sure it is straight. Use two people to put it down. Have one
person hold the end and the other person walk out to the next appropriate mark with the roll.
When the second person reaches the mark, have the first person put the end of the tape down on
the mark and step on it to hold it. Then the person with the roll needs to pull the tape tight so it is
straight. When there is sufficient tension on the tape, put it down on the mark. Step on it to make
sure it sticks and have each person walk toward each other stepping the tape down as they go.
Move to the next set of marks and repeat until all the line tape is down.

Where line tape crosses the aisle, it needs to be cut out and removed. Use a knife to cut
and pull tape up in an aisle.

As stated before, most plans are not 100% accurate and in a lot of facilities the walls may
not be exactly straight. The electrical boxes are usually laid out in grids, 30' x 30' or 40' x 40', or
some other dimension, which tends to work better from the walls. Every attempt should be made
to keep the electrical boxes in the booth spaces so that power is available without having to run
cables across aisles. This is not possible all the time but should be done whenever possible.
Power cables in aisles get run over by forklifts" which slows down the freight operation and
makes lumps under the aisle carpet which can create a trip hazard. Also, in the case of in-line
booths, the electrical source should be as close to the back wall as possible. This eliminates the
large electrical panels from being in the middle of a booth. Usually youll hear about i