I use a Plano case to transport to the event and will use that in between rounds. I love the 3D printed and wood trays for the cards, but many place do not have much space on the table. My FLGS has big table and it is not a problem, but places like Team Covenant (played X-Wing there not Armada) they have about 3" on the edge of their tables, barely big enough for a card.

I tend to just flip over the lit of my core box (though it's starting to get really warn now, and use my rule book and lists to fill in the hole where the ships were).

But the idea of bringing a fleet that you know is really good.

Also, consider one with fewer choices. While Thrawn, Chimera, and lots of Phantoms can be fun for a single game, trying to remember all of the timings when you're in your third game can be really rough.