Event Planning Series: Doing Event Signage Right for Maximum Impact

Great signage can transform how guests feel at your event. Signage is an essential element in branding a space and when done well, can encourage guests to share their experience beyond the walls of the venue. If you’re unsure where to start, read on as Peter Zalezsak of Atlas Print Solutions provides essential tips and examples of state-of-the-art signage.

Great signage comes in all shapes, sizes, and places. Below is an example of how a client branded their event at HELEN MILLS:

Signage Tips to Rock your Event

SIGNAGE COMES IN MANY FORMS
Signage can take many forms other than posters. Consider ordering or reusing swag items as signage, décor or favors for guests on their way out. It will be a welcome surprise.

THINK OF THE VENUE WHEN CREATING SIGNAGE
Consider the special layout and architecture when creating signage, the most unique signage takes advantage of the venue where it’s displayed.

MIX DIGITAL AND PRINT SIGNAGE FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT
Consider mixing video displays with print signs for the ultimate combination of cool, interactive and effective.

...FOR MORE TIPS, Download our eBook - Essential Event Tips You Can't Forget

Q&A With a Professional

HOW DOES DIGITAL SIGNAGE FIT INTO THE MIX?
Digital signage is increasingly a part of the event marketing mix, along with print, depending on how tech savvy the company is. We did the Guess? fashion week event and it was like no other show we’d ever been a part of…They had digital signage elements that included two huge screens – maybe 30’ x 10’ - playing a montage of video clips on the screens that you couldn’t really achieve through print. But not everything was digital. We also printed 40’ x 15’ high panels of step and repeats with a hundred polaroid’s printed on each, showing the Guess? lifestyle. If you got up close to it you could see each individual one and people were really engaging with this graphic. Digital and print met and succeeded.

...FOR MORE Q&A, Download our eBook - Essential Event Tips You Can't Forget

Want to Learn More about Planning Your Next Event? Check out our other event planning blog posts or Contact Us for an event consultation. 

Britax Press Reveal Wins on Event Branding

Britax was at HELEN MILLS last week to unveil their new ClickTight Car Seat Installation System. Based on early reviews, it looks like the new design is a winner. Check out the #BritaxGameChanger blogger buzz on Twitter here. Also winning was how Britax took full advantage of event branding and signage opportunities inside and outside of the venue. Below are some peeks into how they did it:

1. Flag, portholes, and sidewalk display showcase outside of the venue

2. Live twitter feed projection above the bar

3. Column clings with Britax branding and event hashtag

4. Wall hangings from gallery molding, ceiling hangings from pipe grid, easel displays, and wall clings

5. Step and repeat as presentation backdrop, wall hanging from gallery molding, and product display on raised platform

6 Ideas for Great Event Signage!

Event signage can make a huge impact on the design and success of an event. We've collected examples of signage from events at HELEN MILLS to show how signage in all forms - from gobos to posters to hashtags to swag - can transform the look, flow and marketing of your event. 1) Think Outside the Box

Kate Spade made a statement with their one-of-a-kind red carpet covering a New York City sidewalk! The signage also covered the venue doors as opposed to just covering the portholes. The effect was an immersive branded experience both inside and directly outside the venue for their fashion event.

Riddell covered an entire wall with images of their products and history and decorated other parts of the venue with real football helmets for their press event. Both the signage and products combined to create a feeling of excitement in the theater and offered something unexpected to guests. For more images, see here.

2) Incorporate Social Media

Hashtags, handles and check-ins are important in creating awareness and improving the effectiveness of event marketing. Lenovo made the most of this fact when they created a hashtag sign, featuring their #betterway campaign during their Yoga Tablet Launch event. The prominence and thoughtful placement of the sign ensured that attendees had no doubt what they should tweet!

3) Feature Products or Services

In addition to the name of the event, sponsors and an agenda, use signage to bring attention to your product or cause. Make Up  For Ever did this by placing their product in the porthole doors and with a standing banner on stage, flanking the speaker. This not only reminded event attendees about their work but also offered passerbys a glimpse into what they were passionate about.

It's nearly impossible to do wrong with candy. Perfetti Van Melle took advantage of this fact and featured their Mentos and Airheads candy on posters (left) and wrapped them around columns throughout the venue (right).

4) Use the Floor

The most common place for signage is hung or projected on walls or placed on tables, however, the floor is a great and unexpected place for signage. Below is an example of floor signage from PiperJaffray (left) which was created by projecting a gobo onto the floor. On the right, OpenX creatively used the theater steps as a space to brand their Publisher's Conference. Both effectively remind attendees of the event, even if they're looking down.

5) Use Original Artwork

While printed signage is great, handmade signage can offer a personal and unexpected touch to your event. Make Up For Ever featured artwork on a curtain dividing the venue (left) and an artist's work was featured along the runway for a New York Fashion Week show. Both pieces of art made for not only memorable signage but an interesting and unexpected backdrop to photographs.

6) Get Personal!

If you're planning a social event like a birthday party, bar or bat mitzvah or other celebration, don't afraid to make your signage personal! This bar mitzvah featured the bar mitzvah boy peering out from the portholes in the venue doors. This helped to make the venue truly personal for the party and also provided an eye-catching detail.

7) Create Portable Signage

People love getting gifts and event swag offers you the opportunity to make this happen. Gifts given out during events can serve to not only entertain guests but also to engage with your event throughout the experience. These foam hands from the FreeWheel event brought energy to a standard meeting and also have information about the event that attendees will keep with them, even after they leave the venue.

To Recap, when creating signage for your next event, remember to:

1. Think Outside the Box

2. Incorporate Social Media

3. Feature Products or Services

4. Use the Floor

5. Use Original Artwork

6. Get Personal

7. Create Portable Signage

Looking for a venue for your next event? Please contact us or call 212-243-6200 for more information. From Meetings to Bar / Bat Mitzvahs to Fashion Shows, see here for more information about the types of events you can have at the HELEN MILLS Event Space and Theater.