Events may be experiential, but they take place in physical environments. That’s why any event planner knows that if you want to create an amazing and memorable experience, you need to start with creating an engaging environment.
Partner with SpeedPro to create a suite of custom event graphics that will turn any venue into a personalized and attractive event space. These graphics can direct and inform guests or simply immerse them in your brand or the event’s theme. The possibilities are endless when it comes to event signage.
Table of Contents
Why Use Custom Event Graphics?
Where and When to Use Event Graphics
Setting Up Event Graphics
The Different Types of Custom Event Graphics
Creative Uses for Event Graphics
Why Use Custom Event Graphics?
You could just leave your venue as-is with neutral colors or stop into a party store to buy some generic decorations. You may even find a banner that says “Congratulations” or another message that makes sense for your event. Unfortunately, none of these options will give your event a custom look and feel. If you want to personalize or brand your event, you need custom event graphics. Using event graphics for professional and personal gatherings comes with many benefits, including the following.
1. Brand the Space
Add your personality to whatever event hall, conference room, presentation or party you’re hosting.
Encompassed in your brand are a set of traits, characteristics and colors that make your business what it is. Use event graphics to showcase those qualities. Be bold, subtle, contemporary or classic. Whatever design elements fit your brand’s personality can be infused into the banners, signage, decals, directional signs and other graphics printed especially for this experience.
2. Draw More People to an Event
Branded events attract more eyes and more feet. Consider how essential it is to draw traffic at specific events. In some cases, such as at trade shows or industry conferences, you need to stand out from other booths to attract the attention of attendees.
In other cases, you’ll want to draw in people who happen to pass by. Consider pop-up events, for example — the trendy experiential marketing tactic of the moment. Restaurants, bars, boutiques and more open flashy, limited-time-only store offshoots, usually involving some sort of experiential twist for those who “pop by” for a visit. For a pop-up event to be a success, you need to create a visually impactful environment that will grab the attention of passersby.
3. Energize and Uplift
Well-designed, well-lit event graphics promote an energizing and uplifting environment. In one study published by the journal Research in Public Hospitality, event planners themselves ranked physical factors like directional signage and facility decor second only to service quality in metrics that lead to overall event satisfaction and success. The more thoughtful and creative the physical details and decorations of an event are, the happier the attendees will be.
4. Fulfill a Variety of Purposes
From company shareholder retreats and corporate trade shows to product launches and birthday parties, events have a purpose. Creating custom graphics can help you keep this purpose at the forefront while keeping your branding front and center, as well.
In addition to highlighting the event’s main purpose, you can also fulfill various functions with event signage. For example, friendly messages printed on floor decals can greet guests as they arrive, formally welcoming them to an event. Directional signage can help conference-goers navigate without sacrificing charm and ambiance. Signage can help you fulfill these purposes and more in a way that is customized for your event.
5. Have More Fun
Event graphics are engaging. At the end of the day, putting on a special event, whether for professional or personal reasons, is about uniting people for a common purpose. Infuse that purpose with fun by including high-quality, on-theme event graphics. You want people to have a memorable time, and that starts with creating the right environment for your event. Specialty graphics can help you get there.
Schedule a Free Consultation to Start Creating Your Custom Event Graphics
Where and When to Use Event Graphics
Event graphics can be used across personal and professional settings. These custom printed materials are staples for any event planner wishing to wow attendees. Some examples of events you can enhance with a special event logo or other graphics include:
- Grand openings: Whether a new storefront or a new product launch, grand-opening events carry endless graphics opportunities. Grand openings benefit from large, bold banners hung in entryways, decals sprucing up windows, creative point-of-purchase displays highlighting fresh products and backlit signs enhancing the atmosphere.
- Trade shows and conferences: Trade shows, conventions and conferences can be valuable opportunities to market your business. Each of these events will be designated in some way, most commonly through their use of branded materials. Take note of the signs, posters, stage decor, brochures and other printed materials at your next industry conference. Whether you’re hosting or have a booth at one of these events, custom graphics are a must.
- Parties, celebrations and festivals: Theme parties especially present so many options to create and customize their environments. The decorations on tabletops, for instance, can help set the theme, as can signs and banners hung in strategic locations to increase festival or party awareness. You’re limited only by your imagination. Weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and other types of celebrations are also ideal for custom event graphics.
- Award ceremonies: Custom graphics help boost your ability to celebrate employee, team, colleague or student accomplishments. Honor a group or individual with bright, eye-catching posters and banners. Showcase accomplishments and award categories on event tabletops and brochures. Even print out life-size cutouts of award recipients, all to have some fun while recognizing achievements.
- Sports events: Sports events from marathons, triathlons and charity races to the local high school’s homecoming game all require custom graphics to honor the occasion. Advertise mascots on flags or add visually appealing directional signage that leads to a stadium or field, then let these visuals intertwine with your brand.
- Music venues: From stadiums to concert halls to outdoor stages, music venues will host a wide array of talent. Showcase the diversity and range of acts with an ever-changing display of event graphics, indoor and outdoor. Custom graphics are perfect for increasing both event energy and a venue’s own visibility.
- Seminars and networking functions: Teaching a class where attendees will earn a professional license or certificate? Traveling for speaking engagements and industry tutorials? Hosting a professional happy hour once a month at various area bars or restaurants? Use custom event graphics to advertise corporate functions as well as greet and establish a significant presence when guests arrive day-of.
- VIP events: Many businesses put on invite-only, VIP events for special tiers of customers and clients or high-achieving employees. These celebrations are an excellent way to build loyalty and create stronger connections with key stakeholders — and a prime place to amplify your brand personality through specialty graphics.
- Family gatherings: Throwing a large family reunion? Welcoming home a grandkid from college or a cousin from overseas deployment? SpeedPro studios can print event banners and signage perfect for the special family occasion. You can create temporary displays for special, one-time occasions or create signs and banners that will last from year to year so you can display them repeatedly at an annual gathering.
Do You Need Graphics for an Upcoming Event? Contact Your Local SpeedPro Today!
Setting up Event Graphics
Depending on your event graphics, assembly steps and procedures will vary. All printed materials designed and used for special events, however, will require the following list of general considerations:
- What is the overall event vision? Reflect on what you want your guests to take away from your event — the atmosphere, energy, mood and messages. What event graphics will create that vision best?
- How extensive do we want our graphics to be? Graphics are affordable additions to any event, especially if you order in bulk. As early as possible in your event-planning stages, consult a SpeedPro representative to hear order recommendations and price quotes. Our studios will work to ensure your design expectations are met and exceeded at a price you’re comfortable with.
- What is our venue? Venue type, size and location are critical factors in choosing the appropriate event graphics. Most importantly, you must determine whether you need outdoor-grade displays, indoor displays or some of each. Even events that take place indoors may benefit from some outdoor graphics to greet and direct attendees as they arrive.
- What displays will work best in our venue? For outdoor spaces, note whether the ground will accommodate floor decals, event tents or flags and signs on stakes. For indoor spaces, note whether the ceiling will accommodate hanging signs and banners, whether there are glass surfaces for decals and whether you will have tables set up for tabletop displays.
Considering practical parameters alongside your creative vision is important for event graphics. You’ll want to place event graphics in venue areas where form matches function and where they’ll receive the most strategic attention, ensuring every display counts.
SpeedPro studios print all event graphics to be transportable and easy to assemble. Our commitment to user-friendly custom graphics setup extends across all order types and should require no specialty installation personnel. Whether graphics will be stuck on a wall, clinging to windows, draping from ceilings or propped up in retractable stands, assembly is designed to be as straightforward and intuitive as possible.
SpeedPro studios have found that the most commonly ordered event graphics include the following:
- Tabletop displays
- Indoor and outdoor flags
- Indoor and outdoor hanging banners
- Printed wall or stage backdrops
- Retractable banner stands
- Boulevard or pole-pocket banners
- Folding display panels
- Luminosity display or backlit graphics
Each of the above materials can be delivered to your location in wheeled carts or hand-carried cases. Specialty equipment, such as display stands, retractors, pole mounts and other banner or graphics scaffolding, is typically included in the order unless otherwise stated.
For more on SpeedPro’s event graphic setup and material selection process, review the Trade Show/Event tab in our FAQ center.
Different Types of Custom Event Graphics
There are dozens of custom event graphics to choose from for your next branded gathering. Large-format print studios like SpeedPro have the equipment and technology available to create any of the following graphics:
- Wall murals: From stages to trade show booth backdrops to specialty temporary wallpaper adorning an event hall, wall murals will draw all the right attention. When you want to make a significant impact on the environment of the venue, a wall mural is an excellent choice.
- Floor graphics: Floor graphics can go on indoor and outdoor surfaces. These highly customizable and scalable short-term decals are perfect for wayfinding or entertaining and marketing to people standing in a line.
- Directional or wayfinding signage: Directing traffic and pointing guests to important venue areas like conference sessions, restrooms, cafeterias and lounges, wayfinding signage makes sure everyone knows where they’re going.
- Window decals: Lending pops of color, pattern and texture to plain windows, window graphics can enhance any space. You can easily remove them at the end of an event, and they serve as great inclusions in conference goodie bags and event memorabilia.
- Table coverings and tabletoppers: Pop-up and hop-up systems on top of specially designed table coverings will make your trade show booth stand out from the crowd. People planning parties and celebrations often use table covers and table toppers as a cost-effective decoration and way to complement an overall theme.
- Custom banners: SpeedPro studios print more than a dozen different banner types. Versatile and high-impact, they’re among the most popular print collateral categories and act as a fundamental way to draw more people to an event — then keep them energized and focused while they’re there.
Allow event form and function to guide your event graphics choices. Remember, the best way to advertise an event is the way that will make your mark, showcasing personality without sacrificing professionalism.
Contact a Studio Near You for a Free Consultation on the Type of Event Graphics You Need
Creative Uses for Event Graphics
Event graphics are as diverse and multifaceted as events themselves. They’re called “custom” for a reason, designed and printed to your specifications at the onset of an order, even if a graphic doesn’t fit neatly into a current print category.
Looking for out-of-the-box branded materials for your next business or social gathering? Consider some of these trendy twists on traditional event graphics:
- Step-and-repeat banners: Make attendees feel like celebrities on the red carpet by setting up a step-and-repeat banner area. Use the printed backdrop to display your company’s logo alongside an on-theme design and color scheme. Guests will love snapping pictures and selfies in front of the backdrop.
- Backlit signs: Dimensional lettering and contoured signs lit from behind lend a one-of-a-kind ambiance to a room. Backlit graphics literally shine a light on your message, whether you’re showcasing the names of a newlywed couple in a reception hall or illuminating a company’s new logo at a launch ceremony.
- Temporary wallpaper and wall graphics: Take a room from bland to bold using custom wallcoverings, wall decals or, on glass surfaces, window decals. Vinyl sheets provide the base substrate for these prints, which you can “peel and place” onto desired surfaces for a fresh, on-theme facelift.
- Temporary dance floors: Inspire your groove with event graphics. Floor event graphics transform regular tile, cement and wood floors into fun, immersive spaces. Imagine your wedding venue’s dance floor as the centerpiece of the room with a custom graphic rather than just an empty space.
- Experiential or interactive pieces: Use graphics as a template for interactive or experiential zones at your next event. For instance, you can add decals to cornhole boards and other lawn games or create a life-size game board on the floor.
Find the Nearest SpeedPro Studio for Your Own Custom Event Graphics
Embrace one of today’s best ways to advertise an event. With SpeedPro as your partner, full-service visual communications possibilities will unfurl before your eyes. We take that commitment seriously — and sometimes literally — with the event banners, stickers, decals, table graphics, signs and more available at your local SpeedPro studio.
Find your neighborhood SpeedPro today to make the next event your most impactful one yet.
