Comic Con Prep: Getting Your Booth Show-Ready In A Week

Con's in seven days and your booth is still a pile of prints in a closet. Relax, this is doable. Here's a realistic week-out plan that gets you show-ready without pulling an all-nighter on Thursday.

Days 7-6: Inventory and print run

Count what you actually have versus what you need. This is boring but it's the step that saves you from a Sunday scramble to reprint your best seller. Order your prints now, not Wednesday. Printers get slammed during con season and rush shipping isn't guaranteed.

Days 5-4: Test your display, don't assume it

If your booth kit has sat in a bag since last con, set it up at home before show day. This is where a no-tool build actually pays off, you can test the full layout in your living room in under 30 minutes and catch problems while you still have time to fix them. Check every shelf holds weight properly (the 35x35cm frosted panels are rated to 5kg per shelf), make sure nothing wobbles, and confirm your table fits the space, most con tables are the standard 180cm/6ft.

Days 3-2: Signage, pricing, and the boring admin

Print your price sheet. Charge your card reader. Print business cards if you're out. This is also when you should finalize your booth layout on paper, decide what goes at eye level (your best work), what goes in bins (prints people dig through), and what goes up top for visibility across the hall.

Day 1: Pack smart, not fast

Pack in the order you'll unpack. Frame and panels first since they go down first, then shelves, then stock, then the small stuff on top. A kit that packs flat travels light between shows, which matters even more if this is a back-to-back weekend. Do a final gear check against a written list. Don't trust memory the night before a con.

What if I don't have a week, just two or three days?

Cut the print run first if you have to. A smaller but well-organized selection beats a chaotic pile you didn't have time to sort. Setup and signage still need their time regardless of how compressed the schedule gets.

Should I bring backup panels or parts?

If you've got room in the car, yes. A spare shelf or connector costs you nothing to bring and saves your whole show if something bends in transit.

How do I know which kit size to bring?

Match it to your table. Most cons hand out a standard 6ft table, and the modular artist booth display kit is built to fit that exactly, so measure your actual booth space, not just what looks good at home.

Seven days is plenty of time if you don't waste the first three of them procrastinating. Browse the full kit range now if you're still deciding what to bring, not the night before load-in.