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The trade show booth design app built for deadlines

Arcadium is a free, browser-based trade show booth design app. Upload your graphics and trade show banners, draw any stand shape, generate AI visuals, test sightlines and visitor flow, and export builder-ready plans.

Start now. It's free

Trade show booth design created in 3D with Arcadium

Nothing short of amazing

"I immediately adopted Arcadium into a massive floor plan project I'm managing. Intuitive, simple, clean, and affordable."

Real Estate Professional

Architect's opinion

"As an architect, Arcadium is a fantastic tool for getting our three-dimensional ideas across to clients quickly. Other 3D software tools can be very time consuming and fiddly."

Architect

Excellent software for office design

"I used Arcadium to design an entire new office. It is wonderfully intuitive great tool and I would highly recommend it for any kind of interior design."

Software Engineer

Genuinely enjoyable, lightweight and user friendly

"I am a huge fan of Arcadium. I spent hours precisely measuring and placing furniture. And I enjoyed every second. Can't recommend this thing enough."

Software Engineer

Perfect, easy to use, a gem really

"I used it to do an interior design of a house. Very functional, precise numbers, measuring units etc. Lots of flexibility and possibilities."

Interior Designer

The best 3D floor plan tool I've used

"I love Arcadium. It's so easy to use compared to other 3D software. I can brainstorm ideas and try them out online to get a feel for the flow of the space."

Healthcare professional

Read more user reviews on G2

Nothing short of amazing

"I immediately adopted Arcadium into a massive floor plan project I'm managing. Intuitive, simple, clean, and affordable."

Architect's opinion

"As an architect, Arcadium is a fantastic tool for getting our three-dimensional ideas across to clients quickly. Other 3D software tools can be very time consuming and fiddly."

Excellent software for office design

"I used Arcadium to design an entire new office. It is wonderfully intuitive great tool and I would highly recommend it for any kind of interior design."

Enjoyable and user friendly

"I am a huge fan of Arcadium. I spent hours precisely measuring and placing furniture. And I enjoyed every second. Can't recommend this thing enough."

Perfect, easy to use, a gem really

"I used it to do an interior design of a house. Very functional, precise numbers, measuring units etc. Lots of flexibility and possibilities."

The best 3D floor plan tool I've used

"I love Arcadium. It's so easy to use compared to other 3D software. I can brainstorm ideas and try them out online to get a feel for the flow of the space."

Arcadium is now my go to tool

"I've now switched to Arcadium from Sketchup. It's far faster and easier to ideate and communicate with clients."

Exhibition stand design is a deadline business

A stand has to be signed off by the client, priced by the builder and shipped to the hall, usually inside the same few weeks. Most of that time goes on getting people to agree rather than on the design itself. And a flat elevation drawing is a poor way to get anyone to agree, because most clients can't read one.

That leaves most teams choosing between two bad options. Architectural CAD gives you the precision your builder needs, but it takes days to learn and a licence to buy, and it won't produce anything a client will say yes to without a render farm behind it. Sketches and mood boards get approval quickly, but they hide the problems that cost money on site: the demo station that blocks the aisle, the hanging sign that breaks the hall height rule, the graphic wall nobody can see from the main walkway.

Arcadium was built for exhibition stand design on that kind of timetable. It runs in the browser with nothing to install, you can have a stand concept up in an afternoon, and the drawings you hand your builder carry dimensions your fabricator can quote from.

Trade show display problems Arcadium catches before the build

The client approves a sketch, then changes their mind when they see the real thing on the hall floor
Sightlines were never tested, so the brand wall is invisible from the aisle that carries the traffic
Visitors bottleneck at the entry point because circulation was drawn in 2D and never walked
The builder quotes from an ambiguous drawing, and the variation costs land after the stand is already in build
Approval bounces around email attachments, and three people end up commenting on three different versions
Nobody checks the real trade show banners in place until they're printed at full size

Exhibition booth design modelled in 3D in Arcadium

How to design a trade show booth in Arcadium, in 4 steps

1. Set out the booth footprint

Start a new Arcadium project and set your units to metric or imperial. Import the organiser's floor plan as a PDF or image if you have one, then use the draw tool to trace your stand footprint, whether that's inline, corner, peninsula or island. Add the perimeter walls and set their height to the hall's build limit.

2. Build the structure

Add the elements that make it a stand: graphic walls, reception counters, product plinths, a raised platform or deck, storage, meeting furniture, screens and lighting. Type sizes into the dimension labels rather than dragging, so every element matches a part the fabricator can build.

3. Apply your graphics and trade show banners

Upload the client's logos, print artwork and material samples into Arcadium as custom textures, then apply them to the walls, counters, banners and floor. Set the lighting so the stand reads the way it will under hall lighting, not studio lighting.

4. Test it, then send it

Walk the stand in first-person view from every open aisle and fix whatever blocks the view or the flow. Generate AI visuals for the client deck, switch to top-down and elevation views with dimensions for the builder, then share the Arcadium link for approval.

Booth design floor plan drawn to scale in Arcadium

What Arcadium gives you for exhibition booth design

Draw any booth shape

Arcadium traces curved reception counters, angled walls, hexagonal towers and raised decks, so your booth design is never limited to a rectangle.

Import the show floor plan

Bring the organiser's plan into Arcadium as a PDF, JPEG or PNG and trace your stand over it, so the footprint matches the space you booked.

Upload graphics and banners

Drop client logos, trade show banners and print-ready artwork into Arcadium and apply them to walls, counters and displays.

Custom materials and textures

Upload fabric, carpet, timber and brand colours as reusable Arcadium textures and apply them to any surface on the stand.

Exact dimensions

Type sizes straight into every dimension label, in metric or imperial, so each element of the booth design matches a fabricated part.

Plan and elevation views

Switch the same Arcadium model to a top-down plan or front, side and back elevations with dimension and area labels for the builder.

Cross-sections

Cut through the stand to show internal structure, storage voids and how a double-decker or enclosed meeting room is built.

First-person walkthrough

Walk the booth at eye height from each open aisle and see what a visitor sees before anything is fabricated.

AI visualisations

Arcadium turns your 3D layout into photorealistic exhibition booth design imagery in minutes, without a render queue behind it.

3D object library

Dress your trade show displays with Arcadium's free screens, seating, counters, lighting and props, plus AI model generation for anything missing.

Share one link

Client, account manager and contractor open the live 3D stand in a browser. Nothing to install, and one current version rather than five.

Export for fabrication

Send the geometry itself to your builder as .glb, .stl or .obj when they need to work from the model.

Who uses Arcadium for trade show design

Exhibition stand designers

Get from brief to a visual the client will respond to in one sitting, then produce the dimensioned drawings your fabricator quotes from, all inside Arcadium.

Event and experiential agencies

Pitch three stand concepts in the time it used to take to render one, and share a live Arcadium link with the client instead of chasing PDF versions around an email thread.

Booth builders and fabricators

Turn a client's rough sketch into a measured Arcadium model before you quote. You price what you will build, and ambiguity in the booth design stops costing you variations.

In-house marketing and brand teams

Arcadium shows stakeholders what your trade show displays will look like with the real brand assets on them, and gives your build partner something more precise than a mood board.

Event producers and show organisers

Arcadium scales from a single expo booth design up to convention stand design across a whole hall. Lay out aisles, test circulation, and give exhibitors a clear picture of their space in context.

Retail and pop-up designers

Short deadlines, client sign-off, and the same problem of proving that a shopper will walk into the space rather than past it.

Elevation and plan views of a trade show stand design in Arcadium

Why designers choose Arcadium over heavyweight CAD for stand design

What matters	Traditional CAD & 3D packages	Arcadium
Time to first concept	Days, plus licence and training	An afternoon, in the browser
Client-ready visuals	Separate render engine or outsourced	AI visuals from your own model in minutes
Getting sign-off	Emailed PDFs and version confusion	One shared link to a live 3D stand
Your graphics and banners	Possible, but fiddly UV work	Upload artwork, apply to any surface
Sightlines and visitor flow	Manual camera setup per view	Walk it in first person
Builder handover	Full CAD documentation	Dimensioned plans, elevations and .glb/.stl/.obj
Cost to start	Per-seat annual licence	Free, with no download

Top-down booth design plan with dimensions in Arcadium

Standard trade show booth sizes and how to lay them out

Most exhibitions sell space in standard increments, and Arcadium handles all of them, from a 10x10 inline booth design up to a 30x30 island. Below is what each size gives you and the layout mistake to avoid in it. Height limits, hanging sign rules and line-of-sight restrictions vary by hall, so check your show's exhibitor manual before you build.

Booth size	Type	Open sides	How to lay it out
10 x 10 ft (3 x 3 m)	Inline	1 side	One hero graphic wall, one demo point. Keep the front 3ft (1m) clear so staff never block the aisle.
10 x 20 ft (3 x 6 m)	Inline	1 side	Split into a demo zone and a meeting zone. Storage behind the back wall, not in the visitor path.
20 x 20 ft (6 x 6 m)	Island	4 sides	Hanging sign or tower for long sightlines. Open all four corners rather than boxing one off for storage.
20 x 30 ft (6 x 9 m)	Island / Peninsula	3–4 sides	Room for a closed meeting space. Put it on the low-traffic edge and keep the busy aisle side open.
10 x 30 ft (3 x 9 m)	Perimeter	1 side	Long back wall, usually with a taller height allowance. Plan it left to right so it reads in order as people walk past.
30 x 30 ft+ (9 x 9 m+)	Island	4 sides	Multiple entry points and an internal circulation loop. Model the loop in Arcadium before you commit to the build.

Checking sightlines on a trade show display in Arcadium's first-person view

Check these in Arcadium before you send the booth design to your builder

Footprint matches the contract. Your stand number and dimensions agree with the organiser's floor plan.
Nothing breaks the height limit. Including hanging signs, towers and anything sitting on a raised deck.
Sightline rules respected. Check every shared boundary. Most shows cap the front section and allow full height only at the rear.
Entry points are wide enough. Two people should pass comfortably, and the aisle edge stays clear.
The brand message reads from the aisle. Verify it in Arcadium's first-person view from the busiest walkway, not from a plan view.
Power, cable runs and storage are drawn in. Left off the drawing, they turn up as variation costs during the build week.
Every banner and graphic has a print dimension. Your printer needs millimetres, not a proportion of a wall.
Staff have somewhere to stand. A position that does not block the visitor's first three metres.

Exhibition stand design terms, briefly

Inline booth

A stand in a row with neighbours on both sides and one open side facing the aisle. All your visibility comes from the back wall and the front edge.

Corner booth

An inline stand at the end of a row, open on two adjacent sides. Usually worth the premium, since you pick up traffic from two aisles instead of one.

Peninsula booth

Open on three sides with a back wall against another stand. Usually two or more standard units combined.

Island booth

Aisles on all four sides. Highest visibility and the hardest to design, since it has to read well from every direction. Worth modelling in Arcadium before you commit to anything.

Shell scheme vs space only

Shell scheme is a pre-built booth with walls, fascia and lighting from the organiser, so you are dressing a given box. Space only is bare floor, and every wall, deck and structure is yours to design and build.

Sightline rules

Most shows restrict how tall you can build near a shared boundary so you do not wall off your neighbour. Typically the rear third can go full height and the front is capped. Check your exhibitor manual for the figures.

Start your trade show booth design today

Build a stand concept in Arcadium, test the sightlines and send it for approval. It runs in the browser, and the free plan needs no credit card.

Start now. It's free

Expo booth design visual generated in Arcadium

Not just trade show booths

The same Arcadium tools work anywhere you need a space designed, visualised and approved quickly:

Office Floor Plans

Office Floor Plans

Plan workspaces, zones and circulation in 2D and 3D, then walk them before you commit.

Floor Plan Creator

Floor Plan Creator

Draw measured floor plans to scale and switch to 3D instantly.

3D Modeling

3D Modeling

Build custom structures and shapes in the browser with no CAD learning curve.

Interior Design

Interior Design

Lay out interiors with drag-and-drop objects and real-time 3D.

AI Visualisation

AI Visualisation

Turn a rough 3D layout into presentation-quality imagery in minutes.

3D Object Library

3D Object Library

Free furniture, screens, lighting and props to dress the stand.

FAQs

What is the best software for trade show booth design?

The best tool is the one that gets you from concept to client approval fastest without losing the accuracy your builder needs. Architectural CAD is precise but slow to learn and expensive; sketching tools are quick but hide layout problems. Arcadium is browser-based 3D software for trade show booth design that sits between the two: draw custom stand shapes, apply real client graphics, walk the booth in first person, and export dimensioned plans for the fabricator.

Can I do booth design in 3D online without downloading software?

Yes. Arcadium runs entirely in your browser on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, so all your booth design work happens online. There is nothing to install and no licence to buy.

How do I show an exhibition booth design to a client for approval?

Share a single Arcadium link. Your client opens the live 3D exhibition booth design in their browser, rotates it and looks around without installing anything. For a pitch deck, generate AI visualisations from your model so they see photorealistic imagery rather than a grey massing model. Approval usually comes back the same day instead of after a week of emailed PDFs.

Can I design trade show displays and banners as well as the stand?

Yes. Arcadium treats trade show displays, banners and backdrops as surfaces you can skin: upload logos, print files, fabric, carpet and timber as custom textures and apply them to walls, counters, plinths and floors. The stand your client signs off is the stand with their own artwork on it.

Can I design a custom-shaped booth, not just a rectangle?

Yes. Arcadium's draw tool creates any footprint: curved counters, angled walls, hexagonal towers, freeform platforms and raised decks. You can also import the show's floor plan as a PDF or image and trace your stand directly over it.

How do I check sightlines and visitor flow on a booth design?

Switch Arcadium to first-person view and walk the booth at eye height, approaching from each open aisle. You immediately see whether the brand wall is readable from distance, whether the counter blocks the entry, and where visitors will bottleneck. A top-down plan can't show you any of that.

Can my builder work from an Arcadium trade show design?

Yes. Switch the model to top-down plan and front, side and back elevations, add dimension and area labels, and cut a cross-section to show internal structure. Everything is drawn to scale in metric or imperial. You can also export the geometry as .glb, .stl or .obj if your fabricator wants the model itself.

Is Arcadium suitable for convention stand design and large expo booths?

Yes. Arcadium handles expo booth design at any scale, from a 10x10 inline booth up to convention stand design spanning a 30x30 island with multiple entry points, an internal circulation loop and an enclosed meeting room. Larger stands are where walking the layout in 3D pays off most.

What size is a standard trade show booth?

The most common inline booth is 10 x 10 ft (roughly 3 x 3 m), scaling up through 10 x 20 ft and 20 x 20 ft. Anything 20 x 20 ft and above is usually sold as an island with aisles on all four sides. Height limits, hanging sign rules and sightline restrictions vary by show, so always check the exhibitor manual.

Is there a free trade show booth design app?

Yes. Arcadium is a free trade show booth design app with no credit card required. Design your stand in 3D, apply materials, share it for approval and switch between plan and 3D views. Paid plans add more AI generations and larger workspaces.

How long does stand design take in Arcadium?

Most people have a workable stand concept inside an afternoon. There's no CAD learning curve: you draw the footprint, pull up walls, drop in counters and screens from the object library and apply your graphics.

Can several people work on the same trade show booth design?

Yes. Invite colleagues into your Arcadium workspace so designers, account managers and builders all work from the same current version of the booth design instead of separate copies emailed back and forth.

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