8 Ways To Attract Customers To Your Stand With Signage

When you're promoting your wares, you need to point people in the right direction - literally! Event signage will help them know what you're offering, and encourage them to walk over to your expo stand or outdoor festival stall, rather than your competition.

Traditional chalkboard
Pros: A chalkboard written with stick chalk is inexpensive, and can be wiped clean and updated with new information or offers very quickly as the day progresses. Best for customers walking within close proximity for readability.
Cons: It has a homespun feel that won't suit more expensive products. Can't be read from more than 20 metres. You need good - if not at least legible - handwriting. Passersby can interfere with your message! Need sandbags to weigh them down in windy weather.

Liquid chalkboard
Pros: These white or black laminated boards can look very attractive and colourful, attracting your customers' attention. It can also be wiped clean and updated.
Cons: Less homespun than traditional chalkboards. Children are particularly tempted to draw their own pictures on it so keep the markers out of reach. Can't be read from more than 20 metres. Again, passersby can interfere with your message, easily erasing a digit or letter to create mischief. Need sandbags to weigh them down in windy weather.

A-frame/sandwich boards
Pros: Best if your market offers generous walkway space for customers to see your sign. Can be easily customised with a series of posters. Inexpensive.
Cons: Not large enough for long-distance viewing. They might block customers from easily reaching your stall. Need sandbags to weigh them down in windy weather.

Acrylic signs
Pros: They create an impressive, professional image as they're made by professional signwriters.
Cons: Acrylic signs need careful handling to avoid scratching. They have to be replaced and cannot be updated. Need to be screwed in to a wall or attached securely.

Cinema lightboxes
Pros: These are great for short, pithy messages. Adds sense of fun. Best for nestling in with your products.
Cons: An A3 size cinema lightbox typically allows up to a maximum of 8 letters for each of its three lines. It won't suit businesses with long company or product names as they don't fit. Take care not to lose the letters!

Vinyl banners
Pros: Inexpensive, quick to produce, roll up when not in use, and come with metal grommets or eyelets for you to fasten the banner to your stand.
Cons: They will flap annoyingly in even mild wind unless tightly secured. They have to be replaced when you need to update your message.

LED lightbox
Pros: An LED lightbox sign draws people's attention because of its light it emits. This brings posters to life and your message can be seen from far away. Great for an enticing promotion! Simply swap the poster to update your message. Airport duty free stores use these all the time to promote their newest and most expensive hero products.
Cons: You need to plug your LED lightbox into an electrical socket which may not be available for an outdoor market. If you get busy you won't have time to unscrew and replace the poster inside. They need to be screwed into a wall.

Stickers
Pros: You can apply stickers of fun footprints leading to your stall on a wooden floor or carpet. Order a cheap sticker made of your logo to stick on your stall wall and/or awning.
Cons: They won't work on grass surfaces. Many town halls or historic venues will not let you stick them to their surfaces. Make sure they're removable if you want to use them again. Apply them with a squeegee to avoid amateurish bubbles.

Enjoyed this? Check out our blog post about what event decor you should buy and what you should hire.