1. Renting vs. Purchasing a Display – What Should I Consider?
2. What should I look for when purchasing a portable display?
3. How do I customize my portable display to really stand out?
4. How much time lead time should I allow for producing my trade show display?
5. What should I look for when purchasing a banner stand?
6. What is the difference between a tension-backed and a retractable banner stand?
7. What factors should I consider when assessing quality of graphics?
8. What is ‘dpi’ and why is it important?
9. How do I obtain images for my display?
1. Renting vs. Purchasing a Display – What Should I Consider?
Frequency of use – In general, if you participate in three or more shows a year, it is more economical to purchase than rent. Renting is useful if you have overlapping shows or if you are conducting a one-time only product or service launch.
History in tradeshow marketing – Consider renting if you are just starting out in tradeshow exhibiting. With a smaller initial investment in renting vs. buying, you can try out a new show and consider its potential value. You can also look at what your competitors are doing to better prepare for future shows.
Company Image – Consider how you need to represent your company and what your competitors are doing. You may find that rental options don’t suit your requirements. For example, your competitors may have all-digital displays and you need to match or beat their marketing efforts.
Trying It Out – If you’ve looked a number of display options and are not sure which is right for you, a rental is a great way to ‘test drive’ a display.
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2. What should I look for when purchasing a portable display?
Quality of hardware – Look for an anodized aluminum frame that is both durable and lightweight. Have the company demonstrate the set up and take down and try it for yourself. A reputable display company will offer a full warranty on the hardware.
Quality of the Panels –
Graphic panels – Look for panels that are durable enough to withstand repeated use. Compare samples by looking at the thickness and the materials, and manipulate them to see how they withstand mishandling. Poorer quality panels will hang poorly on a display due to the thinness of the material or the improper cutting of the panel. Ask to have a look at the panels on a display to see how they fit. Panels made of cheap materials may delaminate or kink easily. Lastly, if you are having new panels made for your existing display, enquire about the company’s experience refurbishing various display types.
Fabric Panels – Look for fabric panels that are thick and that have a good quality fabric. Poorer quality fabric ‘burrs’ over time when the velroed graphics are repeatedly taken off and on. Also, ask about the range of colours that the particular fabric is available in.
Quality of Design - Whether you have an in-house person designing or you hire externally, the quality of the design is vital in achieving your trade show exhibiting goals. You have only a few moments to make a first impression to draw people in to speak with you. So, forethought about your goals and image and then representing them effectively is paramount. A good quality display with quality graphics will not pay off without good design. Ask potential designers to show you their portfolio. Remember, too, that an inexperienced designer will likely mean more time and money spent.
Shipping and Ease of Use – Consider the weight and dimensions of the display for transportation and shipping requirements. For example, a portable pop-up display that fits into one case can be checked in as a piece of luggage with most major airlines. Check with the airline what the weight restriction is.
Assess the ease of use for the people who will be using it, and have at least one of the tradeshow attendees participate in a training session to learn how to set up, dismantle and take care of the components. This will extend the life of your display and reduce last minute headaches at the show.
Future Display Needs – Consider your company’s future growth and how you can expand the display you are considering. Choose a reputable exhibit company who will be around to assist you with your future needs.
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3. How do I customize my portable display to really stand out?
Options – You can add options to your display to set yourselves apart from your competitors, while still maintaining portability:
- innovative design with compelling graphics
- internal or external shelves
- flat screen monitors in your display to showcase your product or service
- a separate portable header panel
- custom graphics – rearlit graphics, bubble panels, overlay graphics to create a 3-D effect
- literature stands
- banner stands to showcase a particular product or service
- portable tables to showcase products
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4. How much time lead time should I allow for producing my trade show display?
Banner stands
- With provided artwork, 3 business days.
- If you need assistance with design, give yourself 2 weeks.
Portable Exhibits
- All Fabric Displays – 2 weeks for in-stock colours, 3 weeks for custom colours.
- Digital Displays with provided artwork – 1 week
- Design and production of an digital portable display – Lead time varies depending on the size of the display, the complexity of the design and the quality of the artwork components you are able to provide (ie. images, your logo in a printable format) Ideally, you want to give yourself at least four to six weeks lead time to make sure you get what you want. The design process will take up the bulk of your time including decisions about the type of display and accessories, consultation about the design, sourcing and providing necessary artwork files, the design of the graphic, preparation and delivery of a proof, revisions, and finally, production of the display. You will want to build in extra time if you do not have high resolution images for your display. In this case, time would be needed to source and purchase images or have digital shots taken.
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5. What should I look for when purchasing a banner stand?
Features – Assess your needs. Banner stands come with a variety of features. Consider budget, guarantees, portability, weight, banner stand and graphic dimensions, how often you need to change the graphic, how many people will be handling it, whether it’s going to be used indoors or outdoors, and whether you want to be able to view a graphic from each side.
Quality of hardware – Banner stand hardware varies greatly in quality. Have a look at the construction and the materials, and ask about guarantees against breakage. Finally, try putting the graphic up and down yourself to see if you have any difficulties.
Quality of the Graphic – A really cheap price for a banner graphic will often mean that the graphic is not laminated, so once you get a mark or fingerprint on it, you can’t wipe it off. So, if you’re looking for durability, get a laminated graphic. Also, look for supplier who is familiar with installation of graphics into banner stand hardware. Banner stands have particular graphic specifications that need to be met in order for the banner stand to work correctly. Finally, for tension-backed banner stand graphics, it’s important to assess wipability, memory and how easily the graphic kinks because, unlike a retractable stand, the user has to roll the graphic up and down each time after each use.
Quality of Design – As with any print marketing, the quality of the design is vital in achieving your marketing goals. Clarity and simplicity are key in banner stand design. Remember that your audience needs to discern your message very quickly. Don’t make your customer read about the details! Let your salesperson provide this information, along with handing out more detailed literature.
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6. What is the difference between a tension-backed and a retractable banner stand?
Retractable stands are like window shades – after each use, the graphic rolls into the base of stand where it is protected. They are generally recommended for trade show use where the graphic is frequently being put up and down.
A useful variation on a retractable stand are graphic cartridges that the user can pop in and out of the banner stand base. If you have need for several different graphics, you can have one banner stand and multiple graphic cartridges.
For a tension-backed stand, the hardware is simpler and often less expensive than retractables, and the user rolls the graphic up after each use. With the user handling the graphic, care should be taken to avoid damaging it when putting it up and down.
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7. What factors should I consider when assessing quality of graphics?
Colour - Ask your graphic supplier for a print sample that shows the colours they are capable of producing. Traditional digital printing is a 4 colour process – CMYK – which stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and black. In combinations, these inks produce a spectrum of colours. With newer digital printing technology, there are now 6 and 8 colour digital printers that offer a wider range of colours. The capacity to produce richer and brighter colours will enhance the look of your graphics. Also, because a 6 or 8 colour printer is capable of producing a greater number of colour combinations, the graphic supplier will more closely be able to match specific colours that use the Pantone Matching system (PMS).
Materials - Experienced trade show graphic producers will provide material combinations that will stand up to repeated use and that work with a particular types of exhibit hardware Ask for samples and compare them, and ask for explanations regarding the particular applications. Also, have a look at the graphic in the exhibit hardware and try taking it up and down. Ask if there are any guarantees against delamination.
DPI – See question 8. Ask the graphic provider what dpi they print at.
Expertise – The production of quality exhibit graphics requires expertise with and experience in graphic software, printers, lamination and an array of exhibit hardware. It also requires research and development using new materials, exhibit hardware and new software and technologies. Beware of a provider who claims to be able to do everything, especially if they can’t back it up with testimonials and samples of their graphics attached to exhibit hardware.
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8. What is ‘dpi’ and why is it important?
A significant factor that affects print output is ‘dpi’. Large format graphics used for displays require a high dpi to produce clear, sharp images.
Dpi refers to ‘dots per inch’, which is the number of pixels of ink printed in a square inch. So, the higher the dpi, the better the quality of the image will be in clarity. (This assumes that you are starting with a high resolution image.) However, keep in mind that the human eye ceases to detect dots per inch at approximately 1,440 dpi, so paying a premium price for images that exceed this resolution may not be the best use of your exhibit budget. In general, a good quality dpi for large format graphics is 600 to 1,200 dpi, depending the on size of the graphic and the quality of the images.
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9. How do I obtain images for my display?
First, check to see what you already have. Keep in mind that images for large format graphics must be high enough resolution to be able to blow up so that it remains clear. You’ll often find that the images used in websites and brochures are lower resolution pictures that you can’t blow up for your trade show graphics.
You can also buy images from stock photography companies. Generally, there are 2 types of images you can buy, royalty-free and rights-managed. Royalty-free images may be used multiple times for multiple projects without incurring additional fees, but other companies can also purchase them. These images are priced according to size. Rights-managed images are licensed on a use-by-use basis. The cost is calculated based on size, placement, duration of use and geographic distribution, and you can obtain exclusive rights on the image you buy.
You might also consider taking your own images if you’ve got some experience with a digital camera, or hiring a professional. This might be necessary if you need an image of your product or if your image is so specific that you can’t purchase an appropriate generic one. In general, pictures on a digital camera should be shot ‘raw’ and using a high quality camera with a minimum of 5.6 megapixel resolution.
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