Tradeshow Collateral : Getting them Right

Across industry sectors, tradeshows are the most important weapon in the arsenal of Sales and Marketing departments of small and mid-sized organizations. They provide an opportunity to study in a quick and convenient manner the level of competition, the emerging trends in the business, and the cream of prospects.

No wonder, tradeshows are big business in the US; in 2015 alone, they consumed a whopping amount of 12.6 billion USD (source: Statista.com).

Addressing tradeshow challenges through collateral

Despite their popularity, tradeshows are not without their share of challenges, some of which are listed below:

• Booth Management: The first major challenge is to arrive at the right number-and-profile mix of competent people that would operate effectively the booth.
• Outsourcing or not: While it has become a trend to outsource booth staff, it doesn’t work well for every type of business.
• Effective Communication for Conversion: Clearly, the most important aspect of the tradeshow is to convert warm prospects that visit the booth into hot leads for sales. This requires effective communication and meaningful interaction.

Booth graphics have emerged as a common and dependable solution to address these challenges. A judicious blend of fixed and mobile signage elements of different sizes would be handy: they can answer graphically frequently asked questions of prospects, impress them with stunning imagery, and coax them into a decision by presenting insightful data.

Getting right tradeshow collateral elements

• Logo or Header Banner: Tradeshow exhibitors today junk away the simple nameplates provided by tradeshow organizers, and replace them with custom-made, large-sized banner or panel with the company’s logo, tagline and impressive imagery. These are backlit or frontlit to stand out from a distance and attract visitors. Some companies have even gone on to replace this with an LCD screen that plays videos and animated graphics.
• Booth Wall Graphics: Also called backdrop panels, booth wall graphics can occupy either part of or the entire wall space provided by the organizers. These are usually vinyl rolls, which can be rolled and carried in a canister. The panel banner can reflect spotlights all around and can be distracting; but rolls that have a pebble finish surface can solve this problem by deflecting part of the light.
• Standees or Banner Stands: Since the late 1990s, collapsible standees or banners have become the rage at tradeshows. This is because they are retractable rolls that can fit neatly into a metal container. Unlike booth graphics, these are mobile enough to move around and ease human traffic, or entice visitors when kept at booth entrances. These can feature eye-catching imagery and thought-provoking copy.
• Signage: Signage could be hanging posters and banners that carry little nuggets of information about the company, or products. These can feature attractive images and could be given away as souvenirs.
• Tabletop Displays: In addition to brochures and printouts given to prospects, tabletop displays too could be small, foldable paper knick-knacks that contain useful information, prizes, offers or coupons. These can charm prospects and incentivize them into making a decision.

Booth Graphics can make or break your tradeshow participation by alluring or turning off prospects. Engage a competent professional agency that can develop high-quality booth graphics and other tradeshow collateral, which can make prospects spend more time in your booth. This in itself is a big victory for you and goes a long way in increasing sales.

Wall Graphics: Get it Right

Wall graphics are a great way to showcase your organizational identity, culture, and values. It makes for a great first impression on visitors, clients, customers and employees every time they enter your office.

No wonder, interior decorators, construction companies and brand marketing agencies integrate graphical elements into homes and offices, in order to give the enclosure a unique identity. Inside a home, wall graphics can be used to present the residents’ taste and outlook to life.

Wall graphics win attention

Homes and offices have abundant wall and column surfaces, often left unused. This is a precious thing that can be utilized to convey necessary information, engage people in a lively manner, and promote business or homeowners’ passion in subtle ways.

Wall graphics aim at the focused attention of prospects, clients, employees and vendors, to enable ‘top of the mind recall’. However, to ensure that wall graphics are very effective, they must be designed to serve a clear purpose, and to blend nicely with the external architecture as well as the interiors.

Types of wall graphics

Wide ranging multiple elements:

Wall graphics range from miniature wall borders and cutouts to more complex wall decor that covers entire walls. They may contain elements of logo, photographs, text, motifs and sculptural elements in various shapes and sizes.

Non-PVC options

Smart technology has created a range of non-PVC wall graphic made from a finely woven fabric, and a tape that sticks at the back. It does not wear and tear, peel, or stretch, and can be used repeatedly, or moved around.

Decals

Decals are adhesive stickers, which you can peel off the template, and apply onto the wall easily. Popular versions of wall decal have motifs, animals or elements of nature in the design.

Essentials of wall graphics

Wall graphics poorly designed are a waste of money and of no purpose. Here are some essentials of wall graphic design: 

• Tell your story: Tell your organizational story effectively to convert viewers to your services/products.
• Project your vision and values: The wall graphics should project the vision and values of your business.
• Personalize: Reproduce photos of great events and turn them into murals.
• Try bold positioning: Experiment with bold positioning of wall graphics in unexpected and secluded places.
• Use decals instead of artwork: The latest trend is to put wall decals into frames to make them look like paintings. A series of framed decals can give the look of a museum gallery.
• Separate wall graphics from art pieces: Never put wall graphics alongside your art pieces; the former can steal the spotlight from the latter.
• Avoid over use: Avoid the temptation to use too many wall graphics. That would turn people off and take the edge off your brand name.

Considering the fact that wall graphics reflect your brand identity or unique personal image, they must be designed with care; this is what specialist-painting agencies excel at. They make use of custom tools and materials in order to create skillfully the designs and execute them efficiently on desired surfaces. You would do well to entrust your requirements to experts with considerable experience.

Decorating your Child's Room with Wall Graphics

Watching the eyes of your children light up as they enter their newly decorated bedroom is certainly a great reward. Fortunately, there is no need to be highly artistic to add beautiful touches to a dull room. Wall graphics are extremely easy to install and make a great substitute to hanging pictures. Apart from this, they can also add a bit of style and color to a rented house where changing the color is not a choice.

How to Choose and Apply a Wall Graphic

• Select a wall graphic that reflects the hobbies and interests of the child. Wall graphics are available in a range of styles, sizes and colors. Stick to those that represent a favorite sport, character, color, or general style that the child enjoys.
• Decide on the location- look around the room and mark all the blank spaces of the walls. This will help you get an idea of how much area you have to work with and the size of wall graphics.
• Clean the space on the wall where you’d like to place the decal. The area should be absolutely free of dirt, dust, grime and grease for the graphic to stick properly. Make use of a de-greasing cleaner, and a soft cloth. Rinse carefully with water, and let the area dry out completely.
• Tear off a few pieces of a masking tape. Stick the top edge of the decal to the wall where you want the graphic to be.
• Peel the back layer off of the graphics, and stick them to the surface. Most graphics are created from vinyl and can be removed and reapplied easily. Hence, if you’re not able to get them just right for the first time, you will have the chance to change.
• Put up wall graphics in places that are unexpected. Graphics should certainly not be limited to walls. Place them on the windows, doors, mirrors, shelving and even tiles. You can even stick small wall graphics on plastic lampshades, wastebaskets, and the like.
• In case the vinyl decal you’re trying to install is too big, you might want a friend to help you. The ideal temperature of the room in which you’ll install the graphics should be somewhere between forty five and ninety degrees Fahrenheit.
• Eliminate small air bubbles in the vinyl decal after a couple of days. Just poke them with a sharp needle to push them down. Also, do not try to install a large vinyl graphics on a surface that has just been painted. Wait for a minimum of three days. Also, in case the area is very moist -- above ninety percent -- you can experience trouble when you install the large decal. Hence, wait for the right weather conditions.

There are several companies that offer a variety of wall murals and stickers. These products come in motifs and themes fit for any kid’s room. From small self-stick graphics to life-sized dinosaur graphics, there is something for every wall. Few of the most ingenious mural and sticker products even include vinyl growth charts, wall borders and popular themes such as, sports stickers, prince and princess, cartoon characters, Disney movies and a lot more! Some companies also allow you to create your own design. You can give them your feedback and the designers create murals especially for you.

There are several sign makers in California that use hi-quality material and prints to create wall graphics. They also have a team of designers who look after the quality of design. To find out about such companies look them up online. Most providers have websites depicting the services they provide and previous work.