Custom Trade Show Displays and Event Signage

Design for distance, not for a desk

The most common mistake is designing a display the way a brochure is designed. On a screen the text looks fine; on a stand it is unreadable from the aisle.

Work to a simple rule: the display should communicate who you are and what you do in under three seconds from several meters away. That means a large logo, a short line saying what you actually offer, and nothing else competing. Detail belongs on printed material handed to people who stop.

Keep critical content in the upper portion. At a busy show the lower half of any display is behind people.

Blade and feather flags

Flags are the most cost-effective way to be visible above a crowd, indoors or out. They come in several heights with ground spikes for grass, cross bases for hard surfaces, and water or sand weights for windy conditions.

Single-sided printing shows a mirrored image from the reverse, which is acceptable for a logo and wrong for text. Double-sided flags have a blockout layer between two printed faces so both read correctly, and they cost more for good reason. If people will approach from both directions, pay for double-sided.

Table throws

A printed table throw is the highest-value item per dollar in this category, because every stand has a table and an undressed table looks unprepared. Full-length throws cover all four sides and hide the storage underneath, which is what most exhibitors actually need. Convertible throws adapt between table sizes, which matters because venues supply different tables than you expect.

Choose a wrinkle-resistant polyester and a dye-sublimated print, which will not crack when folded. Fold the throw for transport rather than rolling it, and hang it the night before.

Practical things that ruin a stand

Confirm the venue’s rules before ordering. Many halls have height restrictions, rules about what may be attached to walls, and fire regulations requiring flame-retardant materials with certification. A display you cannot put up is a complete waste.

Check what the organizer supplies. Exhibitors routinely buy a table cover for a table the venue does not provide, or a floor-standing banner for a stand with no floor space.

Finally, check the carry case and weight. If one person has to move the stand from a car park, a heavy case matters more than any feature on the specification sheet.

Printing and reuse

Dye sublimation on fabric is the standard for flags and throws: colors are permanent, the material folds without creasing badly, and it can be washed. Rigid and retractable displays use vinyl or film graphics.

Design for reuse. A display with a year or an event name on it is single-use; the same display with only your brand and offer works for three seasons. Where you need dated content, put it on a replaceable panel. Browse the full range in Events & Trade Shows.