Our Favorite Trade Show Banner Stands

Our Favorite Trade Show Banner Stands

You don’t need high technology to advertise at a trade show. There are many excellent new developments, including media walls, digital photo booths, and virtual reality, but traditional, tried and true methods are solid performers. Advertising with banner stands is a good way to help create an effective booth.

What is a Banner Stand?

Banner stands all have elements in common -they have a banner for display, a base for anchoring the banner, and some kind of mechanism for keeping the banner up for display.

Banner stands come in a range of prices, according to quality and/or included features. The banner itself is also part of the price and, in our experience, it’s often worth paying more for higher quality. A quality banner with a good lifespan is likely to cost more than a banner that’s only good for one use.

Banner Stand Uses

Usually, indoor banner stands are placed at the entrance to an exhibit booth. Larger indoor banner stands are placed in lobbies, or entranceways to trade show galleries. Outdoor banner stands are placed in front of buildings or near streets. These displays are usually static and are not typically interactive.

Smaller indoor banner stands do not take much space when in place for advertising. They take up even less space when folded up for storage. Larger banner stands can be disassembled for ease of transport and stowing. A quality banner stand is easy to pack for travel and can be used many times over years.

Banner Stand Graphics

Like any product, with banner stands, you get what you pay for. The most expensive part of a banner stand can be the graphics.

Graphics printed on fabrics make a great low-glare display. However, fraying at the edges can be a problem, with time. Graphics printed on vinyl can last several years; on polyester, longer. The most inexpensive banner graphics are printed on styrene. They may only be useful for one presentation, though.

Types of Banner Stands

There is a variety of banner stands for trade shows. While none of them are really bad, they have their positives and their negatives. For the most part, what defines a “good” trade show banner stand depends on how it will be used.

Roller Banner Stands

Roller banner stands are usually the most inexpensive, but you don’t have to sacrifice quality. With few moving parts, they are also simple to set up. A roller banner stand has a printed graphic that can be rolled into the base for storage. When needed, the graphic can be unrolled and pulled out and up for display. Generally, the graphic is kept taught by attaching a hook at one end to a metal loop at the top of the stand.

Despite being very simple mechanically, roller banner stands have a flaw. The mechanism for rolling the graphic back into the base has a spring. It keeps the graphic taught for display. The spring keeps the tension, used to pull the graphic into the case. Over time, the spring weakens. If it becomes difficult to get the graphic back in the base, it’s time to replace the spring.

Tensioned Banner Stands

Tensioned banner stands are an alternative to roller banner stands. They also keep a banner on display taught. But, the tensioned banner stand does not use a base where the banner retracts into it. The banner is held taught by a frame, usually aluminum or plastic. Changing banners is somewhat easier in a tensioned banner stand, than in a roller banner stand.

Some kinds of tension banner stands can be joined to make a larger display. One variation is the Twist banner system. You can make very large displays by joining individual tension banner stands. In keeping with the 21^st century, the Twist banner system is very modular. That makes a display easy to customize. And, some variations of the system allow LCD screens to be attached. That makes for active graphics displays.

Outdoor Banner Stands

Outdoor banner stands tend to be larger and much more robust than banner stands for indoor use.  The reasons are simple. The banner stands need to resist weather, including strong winds, ultraviolet light, rain, and ice.

The outdoor banner stands are large for good reason. They need to be easily visible from distances much greater than for indoor banner stands. And, yes, they should be easily readable by people approaching in high-speed traffic. Outdoor banners can also have double-sided graphics.

Outdoor banner stands have special features for wind resistance. The stands are weighted with water or sand. The weight may be adjusted by adding or removing either. Ground spikes are used on some models for anchoring. The banners are made to move with the prevailing wind. Some models will flex when the wind presses them. Other models pivot when the wind strikes them.

Flag Banner Stands

Flag banner stands are much like their name suggests. A flag-style graphic is displayed on a pole. Graphics can be on fabric or polyester.

Flag banner stands have both indoor and outdoor use. The stand is designed to keep the graphic sheet taught. Bases may be anchored in soil by spikes. For placement on concrete and other hard surfaces, the base is X-shaped.

Again, graphics can be double-sided, even for the feather-shaped flags. Flag banner stands are large enough to read by people in moving vehicles. The large size of flag banner stands makes for an impressive presence indoors.

Favorites

No one type of banner stand will work well for every single situation. A simple, inexpensive roller banner is a good start. It can last for years and its simplicity will make it easy to find multiple uses for it.

For greater impact indoors, a smaller flag banner stand is likely to be useful. It can still do outdoor duty if required. Combining different sizes of flag banners will make a good backdrop for an indoor presentation.

Contact Exhibit Company for good advice and knowledge. We’re looking forward to helping you find solutions to all your trade show challenges.