Social Tables alternatives for trade show and event organizers
Social Tables, now Cvent Event Diagramming, draws to-scale event diagrams, seats guests and shows venue space to planners. Here is where it is the better choice, and where Map D and other tools fit shows that sell booths from the floor plan.
Written by Map D, which is one of the alternatives listed below. Claims about other platforms are limited to what those companies publish themselves, and each is sourced at the foot of the page. Last verified November 2026.
Hall A
LiveHall A revenue
$184,600
Trusted by associations, expos and show organizers since 2011
What Social Tables is good at
Social Tables is built for the planner and the venue working out a room together, and for banquets, meetings and weddings it is often the right answer. If the following describe your events, keep it on your shortlist.
- To-scale event diagrams built in minutes from a library of 700+ objects, with venue floor plans available on the platform.
- Visual seating charts tied to attendee details, with drag-and-drop seating and meal management.
- Real-time collaboration, commenting and file storage, with editing access controlled by the event owner.
- Photo-realistic 3D views of the event space, so a planner can check a layout without a site visit.
- Tools for hotels and venues to showcase their space to planners on their own website, the Cvent Supplier Network and Wedding Spot.
Why organizers look elsewhere
The gaps that send trade show organizers looking for an alternative.
- Social Tables' home, diagramming and floor plan pages describe layouts, seating, check-in and venue showcasing. They do not describe booth sales, exhibitor checkout or payments, so a show whose income comes from selling its floor will need another tool for that.
- Trade show and expo organizers may want the diagram itself to become the published floor plan exhibitors buy from and attendees navigate, rather than a layout handed to a separate sales system.
- Social Tables' paid plans carry a 12-month commitment. An organizer who runs one show a year may prefer to pay per event.
How Map D compares
Map D’s column states what Map D does. Where a Social Tables equivalent is not publicly documented, the row says so rather than guessing.
- Map D offers
- 4 of 8
- Social Tables publicly documents
- 6 of 8
The second bar counts what Social Tables documents on its own site, which is not the same as what it can do. A criterion we could not verify is shown as unverified, not as missing — if Social Tables covers it somewhere we did not find, that is a gap in our checking rather than in their product.
| Criterion | Map D | Social Tables |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Included | Documented |
| To-scale event diagrams | Included | Documented |
| Guest seat assignment and meals | Not offered | Documented |
| Several people editing at once | Not offered | Documented |
| Photo-realistic 3D views | Not offered | Documented |
| Exhibitors pick and pay for booths on the floor plan | Included | Unverified |
| Exhibitor self-service portal | Included | Unverified |
| Venue space shown to planners for leads | Not offered | Documented |
$1,500
$2,500
$2,750
—
Map D’s rates are per event and listed on the pricing page. The dashed column has no height and no figure on purpose: where rates are not published we will not put a number on them, and where they are published we will not restate one that can change without notice.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Map D | Social Tables |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Yes. Building one event's floor plan in the editor is free; publishing starts at $1,500 per event and online booth sales at Growth, $2,500 per event. | Social Tables publishes rates for most planner and venue plans, offers a free planner plan with limits on events, diagrams and attendees, and prices Enterprise on request; paid plans carry a 12-month commitment (checked November 2026). |
| To-scale event diagrams | Import a venue image or start from a blank map, calibrate the scale, then draw walls, doors, paths, areas, booths, tables and chairs to scale. A venue library lets you start from a hall's existing plan. | Social Tables documents accurately scaled, customizable floor plans and 700+ objects to build a space (checked November 2026). |
| Guest seat assignment and meals | Not documented. Round, banquet, classroom, cocktail, stage and counter tables show how many people they seat, not who sits there. Named seating is limited to matchmaking round tables. | Social Tables documents visual seating charts tied to attendee details, drag-and-drop seating and meal management (checked November 2026). |
| Several people editing at once | No. One person edits the map at a time; colleagues can pan, zoom, inspect and export, and editing is released after 15 minutes of inactivity. | Social Tables documents real-time collaboration, commenting and notifications (checked November 2026). |
| Photo-realistic 3D views | Not documented in Map D's help center. | Social Tables documents photo-realistic 3D views and walkthroughs of the event space (checked November 2026). |
| Exhibitors pick and pay for booths on the floor plan | Core to the product. With direct purchase, exhibitors select booths and pay online; with Manager approval, each order becomes a request you approve before booths are assigned. | Booths, exhibitors and booth sales are not described on Social Tables' home, diagramming or floor plan pages (checked November 2026). |
| Exhibitor self-service portal | Profiles, staff badges, documents, onboarding tasks, add-ons and invoices. | An exhibitor portal is not described on Social Tables' home, diagramming or floor plan pages (checked November 2026). |
| Venue space shown to planners for leads | Not documented. Map D is built for the organizer running the show, not for a venue marketing its rooms. | Social Tables lets venues showcase to-scale floor plans, common layouts and capacity charts to planners on the Cvent Supplier Network, Wedding Spot and their own website (checked November 2026). |
The alternatives worth shortlisting
Map D
Trade shows, expos and fairs whose income comes from booths sold on the floor plan
A to-scale map editor whose diagram becomes the published floor plan exhibitors pick and pay for booths on, with an exhibitor portal and published per-event pricing. No guest seat assignment, simultaneous editing or 3D.
PerfectTablePlan
Weddings, galas and banquets where who sits next to whom is the whole job
Assigns guests to seats automatically or by drag and drop, with RSVPs, meal choices and preferences, as desktop software for Windows and Mac with published one-time pricing.
Prismm (formerly Allseated)
Planners, venues and hotels that want 2D and 3D event design
2D and 3D design, precision floor plans and templates, a large library of venue floor plans and real-time collaboration. Its site says Prismm and Cvent are joining forces.
ExpoFP
Trade shows that mainly need an interactive floor plan with booth reservations
A browser floor plan editor, booth reservation and card purchase on the map, exhibitor-updated profiles and a free plan to start.
Where Map D is stronger
- Pricing is published and flat per event: building one event's floor plan is free, publishing starts at $1,500 and online booth sales at $2,500 per event, with no per-booth fee and no Map D transaction fee on booth sales.
- The diagram is the live floor plan. Once published, the same map drives your booth registration page, Homebase floor plan, website embed and mobile app, so a change in the editor reaches every one of them.
- Exhibitors select booths on the map and pay online, or send a request you approve first, and services such as electricity sell alongside the booth.
- Banquet, round and cocktail tables and lounge furniture draw to scale with seat counts on the same plan as the booths, for an awards dinner or networking lounge inside the show.
- More than 900 organizers have run over 9,000 events on Map D since 2011.
When Social Tables is the better choice
- You are seating a wedding, gala or banquet guest list and need named guests at tables with meal choices. Social Tables documents attendee seating and meal management; Map D's help documentation does not.
- You sell or manage hotel and venue space and want planners to see your rooms and layouts where they source venues. Social Tables is built for that and Map D is not.
- Several people on your team need to edit the same diagram at once and comment on it. Social Tables documents real-time collaboration; in Map D one person edits at a time.
- You want photo-realistic 3D walkthroughs of the room to win approval from a client or stakeholder.
- You never sell booths and only need a diagram to share. Social Tables' free planner plan may be enough, while Map D's free plan builds one event's floor plan and publishing is paid.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Social Tables alternative?
It depends on the job. For a trade show, expo or fair that sells booths from the floor plan at a flat per-event price, Map D. For wedding, gala and banquet seating with RSVPs and meal choices, PerfectTablePlan. For 2D and 3D event design with a venue library, Prismm, formerly Allseated. For an interactive trade show floor plan with booth reservations, ExpoFP. If you diagram banquets and meetings with a venue and seat a guest list, Social Tables may still be the better choice.
Is Social Tables part of Cvent?
Yes. Its site presents the product as Cvent Event Diagramming, formerly Social Tables, under a Cvent copyright, and connects venue floor plans to the Cvent Supplier Network (checked November 2026). Anyone looking for a Cvent event diagramming alternative is looking at the same product.
Is there a Social Tables alternative for trade shows?
Yes. Social Tables' pages describe diagrams, seating, check-in and venue showcasing, not booth sales. Map D is built for the trade show case: you draw the hall to scale, publish it, and exhibitors pick and pay for booths on the same floor plan, with an exhibitor portal behind it. ExpoFP also offers booth reservations on an interactive floor plan.
Can Map D assign guests to seats like Social Tables?
Not for a dinner or wedding guest list, as far as its help documentation describes. Map D draws tables and chairs to scale with seat counts on the floor plan, and seats named attendees only at matchmaking round tables. If guest-to-seat assignment is the job, use Social Tables or PerfectTablePlan.
Does Social Tables publish its pricing?
Yes, for most plans. Its pricing page lists planner and venue plans, a free planner plan with limits on events, diagrams per event and attendees, and an Enterprise plan priced on request; paid plans carry a 12-month commitment (checked November 2026). Map D publishes its rates too: building one event's floor plan is free, and publishing and selling booths are paid, from $1,500 per event.
Stop reading about it. Build one.
Upload the floor plan you already have and place your booths on it yourself, in Map D’s editor. Free to build, no contract, and nothing to install.
- 900+
- Organizers who have run shows on Map D
- 9,000+
- Events powered since 2011
- 1.8M+
- Booths drawn to date
“I am really excited about this. The staff met with me this morning and we all LOVE the platform. People are already filling out their booths.”
Sources
- Social Tables home page (Cvent Event Diagramming) · checked 2026-11-09
- Social Tables event diagramming · checked 2026-11-09
- Social Tables event seating software · checked 2026-11-09
- Social Tables event check-in software · checked 2026-11-09
- Social Tables interactive floor plans for venues · checked 2026-11-09
- Social Tables event venue software · checked 2026-11-09
- Social Tables pricing (rates published, free planner plan) · checked 2026-11-09
- PerfectTablePlan home page (published one-time pricing) · checked 2026-11-09
- Prismm home page (formerly Allseated) · checked 2026-11-09
- ExpoFP home page · checked 2026-11-09
- Map D help: draw your floor plan (tables and seat counts) · checked 2026-11-09
- Map D help: open the map editor (scale, one editor at a time) · checked 2026-11-09
- Map D help: open booth sales · checked 2026-11-09
- Map D help: the free plan and how to upgrade · checked 2026-11-09
- Map D pricing · checked 2026-11-09