Banner stands are a great way to advertise a product or service, offer holiday greetings or promote your firm at a trade show, convention or expo. If you’re trying to decide which type or size of banner stand to use, we’ve compiled the following easy-to-read reference guide that should make things a little easier by taking some of the complexity out of your decision-making process. We’ll also cover some of the basics in installing and arranging your banners for the best possible presentation in any scenario.
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Location, Location, Location
The first and most obvious question you should be asking yourself when deciding on a banner stand — or really any type of signage — is where the banner is going to be displayed. This means not only the type of setting, but the mode of travel, the space’s dimensions, as well as its lighting conditions and ambience or theme/ mood.
Is your banner stand going to be set up at a farmer’s market or at a technology conference? Is it going to be occupying a small retail storefront, a window display, a large building lobby or a car dealership showroom? Are you going to be representing your company or organization at a college job fair or attending a convention in New York? Is it going to be daytime or nighttime? Are you planning on traveling in a large van, a Prius or by airplane? Are you shipping your banner stands here in New York? (We’ll have more on that later.) The answers to these questions will dictate the exact type and size of stand you should be using.
Understanding Types of Banner Stands You Can Get
Banner stand are divided into two main categories: retractable banner stands and non-retractable stands, otherwise known as X banner stands.
Retractable banner stands are best for:
- Travelling
- Outdoor displays
- Frequent or long-term use
- Compact storage
Non-retractable or X banner stands on the other hand, are great for:
- Stationary displays at one location
- Indoors, such as in store windows and showrooms
- Short to medium-term usage
- Locations with more ample storage space
It’s important to remember that banner stands made to withstand the forces of nature outdoors can also be used indoors, while indoor banner stands should not be used outside. If you’re unsure about which one to get, you can never go wrong with an outdoor stand.
Other Types of Banner Stands
There are also other, more specialized types of banner displays. These include banner stand walls. These banner walls can usually be displayed in either a flat, tri-fold (aka triptych), or curved shape. Walls serve as a great addition to a trade show booth background — or as the backdrop for a larger window display. A wall can refer to a either a specific type of banner stand known as a “quick wall”, or a combination of different banner stands placed together to form one contiguous graphic.
Some banner stands are also double sided, allowing a different image — or two copies of the same sign — on each side. This opens the door for a great deal of versatility in how they can be utilized, and for today’s retailers the possibilities are endless.
One good example is how they can be placed by an entrance and used to both greet arriving customers and guests on one side, as well as to say goodbye on the other. They can also be installed in the center of spaces, such as convention floors and showrooms, in order to guide, inform or simply entertain attendees walking from either direction. At the end of the day the ability to double your messaging with one banner stand means more effective marketing — as well as one less stands to purchase, transport and set up. This efficiency translates to a better bottom line for budget-conscious businesses.
Banner Stand Transportation
If you’re going to be transporting your banner stand frequently, you may want to invest in some added protection for it. While banner stands come with carry bags for self-transport, and can be easily shipped in a plain cardboard box, continual freighting of your stand may call for a more durable transport case. This will help prevent damage and also extend the service life of your stand.
A high quality case will feature room for more than one stand — allowing for more space-saving in transit — as well as a hard outer shell that will absorb all the inevitable blows from overly-rough handling and bumpy rides. Shipping cases are also great for lugging your own stands. In short, consider how protecting your valuable graphics will enhance your overall presentation. You may also want to consider keeping a spare stand or two on hand — along with read-to-deploy replacement banners — in order to ensure you’re prepared to deal with any last minute damage or a missing key.
Banner Stand Sizing, Presentation and Positioning
Now that you’ve arrived at your business location or expo venue, it’s time to stage your banner stands. In advertising, much like in business, bigger can be good — but it’s not always better. It is important to realize that in smaller spaces with lower ceilings you may not want to largest or tallest stand you can find, as it will only make its surroundings seem smaller. It’s also important to properly decorate your sales floor, market stand or trade show booth.
You want to fill your area with graphics without making it appear too busy. A cluttered space will be distracting — and possibly even intimidating — to your audience, preventing potential customers from approaching.
In general, banners should be placed equal distance apart with no overlap. Special care should be taken to keep your vinyl banners in mint condition and to keep your fabric banners smooth, clean (that means no lint!) and wrinkle-free.
The idea is to be welcoming and enthusiastic while still looking organized and neat. Just like a table covered in takeout food and crumpled scraps of paper will make a bad first impression on those passing by, wrinkled and haphazardly positioned banners can look bad from across the room. In today’s competitive marketplace, you need to stand out for the right reasons.
