From a 6ft Table to a Full Booth: Sizing Up From Base to Duo Max

Nobody buys their forever display on the first purchase, and you shouldn't try to. Most artists start smaller than they think they need and grow into a bigger setup as their show schedule fills up. Here's what that growth path actually looks like, table size by table size.

Year one: proving it out on a single table

If you're just starting, you're probably working a single 6ft table, maybe even a half table, at a handful of local shows while you figure out what sells and whether tabling is worth the time investment. This is not the moment to buy the biggest kit available. Shapeshift Base (46 panels, from $699) covers a full 180cm/6ft table with a fixed 105cm/41in build height, plenty of vertical presence without paying for scale you're not using yet. It's also the lowest-friction entry into the panel system if you've never built one before, since fewer panels means a faster, less overwhelming first build.

Year two or three: the table fills up, or you add a second one

This is usually where the upgrade conversation starts, not because Base broke or wore out, but because your inventory grew and the table's looking crowded, or you're getting invited to bigger shows with more real estate. Shapeshift Duo (70 panels, $949) is the natural next step. The 24 extra panels give you room to build taller (105-175cm/41-69in instead of a fixed height) or wider without starting from scratch, and the two-tone colour option (8 primary x 8 secondary) means you can refresh your booth's look without buying an entirely new kit. A lot of artists who upgrade from Base to Duo keep using their Base panels as an add-on or a second small table rather than retiring them, since the connector system carries over.

Booth-level: when a table isn't the unit anymore

Eventually, for artists doing enough volume or getting into bigger conventions, you stop thinking in tables and start thinking in booths, corner spots, double-wide spaces, or a full 10x10. That's Shapeshift Duo Max territory (92 panels, $1,399), built for 360cm/12ft double tables and corner setups, with build height stretching to 350cm/138in for genuine multi-level builds. Remember most conventions still cap total booth height around 175cm regardless of what your kit can physically reach, so check your event's specific rules before planning a display around the kit's full range rather than what's actually allowed in the hall.

The sizing path at a glance

What actually carries over when you upgrade

The panels are 35 x 35cm (half-square 35 x 17.5cm) across every tier, and the connector system is shared, so upgrading doesn't mean learning a new build from scratch. Everything you already know about assembly transfers directly. What changes is scale and, if you go Duo or Duo Max, the option to bring in a second colour. None of it locks you out of reusing your original kit as a supplement rather than something you have to sell off.

If you're trying to decide where to start, be honest about your actual show schedule this year, not the one you're hoping for in three years. It's genuinely fine to start at Base and upgrade later. Buying Duo Max for a single half table you table twice a year is paying for square footage you'll never use.

Curious what a Shapeshift kit actually looks like in person? Head to the Artist Booths homepage to see the full lineup and find the one that fits your table.