There’s more to making designs ready for events and exhibitions than simply blowing your stationery up to a bigger size – particularly for popular items like roller banners, flags and display stands. Here’s our top tips for getting print-ready for exhibitions!
First, let’s start with the design. Unlike with conventional flyers and posters, your displays need to be just as effective for people walking near to you and for those further away. Your design has to catch the eye of the event attendees from across the room – so text or images have to be clear and large enough to see from a distance. It’s also better to keep things clear and concise rather than cramming full of information. Keep the ‘3 second rule’ in mind - “The key elements should be visible and understood in 3 seconds or less”, so you need to make your limited time-window count. Your images must be high-resolution (at least 300dpi) so none are pixelated when printed at the large size – nothing looks worse on your adverts than a fuzzy image.
Placement is key. Consider that your item may have areas that are not visible. If your roller banner is behind a table, you’ll want all important information above the height of the table on your design, as no one will see the parts nearer the floor! The same goes for banners; factor in leaving space for eyelets or pole pockets so they don’t cut through the text.
It's easy to overlook whether your items are transport. No matter how amazing it looks, you’ll fall out of love pretty quickly with it if it’s a nightmare to carry, set up and take down! Also think about how much space you’ll be working with. Whilst we love the potential of our widest pop-up displays and counters, if you’ve only got a 4m x 2m space, it might get a bit cramped for you. Sometimes less is more. Keeping it simple, concise but still effective is the best way forward.
But the most important bit of advice is also the simplest – make it stand out! You’re going to be in a room with plenty of businesses, many of whom may be in a similar industry or selling similar products to you; you need to get people over to you. It could be a case of using a different bit of kit (such as a lightbox) or utilising a professional-looking design that reflects you and your brand. You’ll be able to draw in potential customers and make the most out of your event.