L-Banners Do It Better!

I just want to put this out there...

I think L-Banners are a better portable banner display system than pull up or pop up banners! Controversial I know. Particularly coming from a guy writing a blog about pull up banners, but hear me out while I state my case.

L-Banners: They are simply good!

Have you ever viewed a good quality L-Banner in the flesh? They have a simplicity and quality about them that many pull ups lack. These displays typically have a solid steel foot with a chrome finish that provides a good weighty base for the banner and adds a real feel of quality. This style of base is also very minimal in terms of its appearance. There are no awkward feet protruding out the front of the display, as there is with pull up and pop up banners and the banner itself is presented to the viewer with a little more angle which adds an element of visual stability.

It's true that there is a little more work in erecting and packing down the banner, but really we are talking only about a difference of no more than a minute, so unless you are putting the banner up and down multiple times each day, it is not really an issue. And when they are packed down, L-Banner Stands are smaller and easier to transport than pull up banners.

So there you go, the wonders of the humble L-Banner

The Undeniable Wonders of Outdoor Banner Stands - Strap Yourself In Kids!

I admit, I have been struggling to successfully complete my mission of creating the most informative information hub known to man on the topic of banner stands and pull up banners. Part of the problem is the fact that there is only so much you can say about how fantastically wonderous they really are!

But we endeavour to keep the ball rolling here at the Pull Up Banner Display Blog and to do the seemingly impossible – That is to write a blog on this topic that actually is continually updated, rather than discarded and left neglected like so many of the valiant and brave banner blogs that have gone before us.

So today I will investigate that ever growing niche that is outdoor banner stands. Strap yourself in kids, this is about to get wild!

Standing close to outdoor banners makes you feel sexy, powerful and in control. You should try it.

If you’re a frequent trade show and fair visitor in the course of your promotional campaign, most probably you’re already aware of the mind-blowing advantages of having a banner display. Shit’s wild! Hold on, I just need to compose myself…

With that in mind you don’t want to limit yourself to the great indoors. Besides, to take part in a seasonal fair under the open sky, in the soft comforting breeze of capitalism can be one of life’s simple pleasures (is that going overboard? I told you I was struggling for topics). Maybe you just want to display your banner at the roadside and sell stuff – can you relate to that then?

Either way you are going to need an outdoor banner stand.

Indoor trade shows are full of losers, don't go there.

Outdoor pull up banners are different from the stands you normally use indoors you know. Like… they’re for outdoors. You’ll only make the mistake once, and let me do you the favour of preventing you from making it at all by telling you straight up – conventional banner stands don’t work outside! They will tear and crumple and along with them your dreams of being an outdoor tradeshow superstar on the road to commercial divinity!

 Get the winning feeling with an outdoor banner - you're worth it!

You see, they are not at all wind or rain resistant, whereas outdoor banners are! That’s why they’re called outdoor banners! Are you with me? For example, these banners usually have a weighted base - it prevents your stand from being toppled by a breeze. Just imagine how irritating it would be if your banner stand just continually blew over - firstly, your print would be trashed and that’d be expensive. And secondly it can prove dangerous for people close by. Statistics show that 95% of injuries at outdoor trade shows and fairs are caused by inappropriately used banner stands cartwheeling through the air at the slightest gust on wind. Fact.

The Monsoon: If this baby were to go flying it could take out a whole village! Luckily it's an outdoor banner. Ha ha!

Perhaps you think that a heavy base will cost the outdoor banner stands their portability? No! You are wrong! The banner stand’s base can be hollow, and during an exhibition you can simply fill it with sand or water. Ha, ha, ha, ha…

But wind is but a walk in the park when compared to the unspeakably tragic effects of rain on a conventional pull up banner stand. Even if your stand has laminated graphics – this is not protection enough, and it will surely meet it’s fatal downfall: water will penetrate under the lamination and spoil the prints.

Therefore you should go for a waterproof banner material like PVS (polyvinyl chloride), which is top notch outdoor stuff. It will ensure the durability of your graphics, so you will not be bankrupt by your bone-headed efforts to continually use conventional banner materials outside. And, the PVS covering will also protect the outdoor banner stands from destructive effect of the sunlight. Remember, the outdoors can be a very, very dangerous place for banners.


Some quick outdoor banner stand tips for the dim-witted:

1. Remember! An outdoor banner stand should be not only eye catching, but also aesthetically designed and neatly manufactured. Yeah!

2. The outdoor banner stands are in general slightly more expensive than conventional ones. Don’t be afraid. In the long run this extra money will save you millions, maybe billions, in print cost and bring you everlasting joy as you use it over and over again, while exposing in the great outdoors to anyone who cares, at every trade show even vaguely related to your field.

3. And when I’m not using my suite of outdoor banner stands at trade shows, I set them up in my backyard, complete with realistic prints of tropical islands and other exotic locations. I place my deck chair bang in the middle of this digitally printed fantasy, fix myself a pina-colada (double rum) and drift off to my happy place where the drudgery of this blog no longer plagues me. Banner-tastic!

Good night and good luck!

To Green or Not to Green: Banner Stands is the Issue

It seems like just about everybody is somewhat of a "greenie" these days. Individuals and companies are all looking for ways to reduce their environmental footprint - or at least to appear that they are. But enough of the cynicism...

The good ol' banner stand is now also becoming available in various environmentally friendly versions. A while back I posted up some info and images of some bamboo pull up banners and banner stands and now, in my wide ranging quest to bring you the latest in cutting edge banner display technology, I have stumbled across a fully recyclable banner stand, that may just be the latest thing:

The Eco Banner Stand is eco-tastic! And look it's levitating in front of a waterfall. I almost can't think of anything greener - maybe if it was smoking a joint or something.

But seriously, this baby is fully recyclable. The structure is from certified Finish pine and the banner itself is printed on Tyvek, which is a polypropylene material made from recycled plastic and, in turn, is also recyclable. Not bad at all, and if I could just put my 2 cents in, I would say it has a nicer appearance than your typical aluminium banner stand. Here's a closer look at the Eco Banner Stand's details:

Not the best photos every, but you can blame these guys for that. After all, I haven't actually seen one of these things - I'm a theorist and photo pincher.

It seems that they are a little dearer than your average stand, but here's hoping that at least a few banner stand users out there are willing to pay the premium to do their part in lowering our industry's environmental impact.

Seems Like a Bargain? A3 Pull Up Banners

Have you ever seen those Google ads offering pull up banners or banner stands for what seems like impossibly low prices? Maybe you've clicked one? Well, if you haven't, I'm here to tell you that the reason that they seem impossibly cheap, is that they are impractically small!

Some suppliers offer A3 banner stands that are intended for counter top use. Obviously an A3 pull up banner is significantly cheaper than regular sized banner of 2000 x 850 mm. They might be just $60.00 compared to $200.00, but for that you get roughly 7% of the advertising space. Does that seem like a good deal.

I don't want to be too negative on these things, there may well be display needs for which they'd be perfect, but I can't really see why you wouldn't just go for a regular acrylic poster holder, that would be cheaper and likely more durable. Anyway, here's a look at one so you can make your mind up for yourself. This one has been used for a menu display. What do you think?

Here's another shot that shows the rear of the banner stand:

Hmmmm... I'm still not convince that it's anything more that a marketing ploy to advertise impossibly cheap banners stands.

Pull Up Lecterns... Or is that Lecturns?

Well... Lecterns or Lecturns? Regardless of how you spell it, this seems like a great little product and something a little less ordinary in the world of pull up banner displays. It's a lectern that allows the user to make a professional speech or presentation, while incorporating the convenient portability of a pull up banner.

I'd never seen a banner lecturn before, but they'd be great for executives making interstate presentations, travelling salesmen working in shopping malls or even for politicians!

The Strange Animal Magnetism of Pull Up Banners

Have you ever noticed that pull up banners have a somewhat magnetic effect on women? It's undeniable:

Visible magnetism here - this shit's physical

 

She's stuck to another - somebody give the girl a hand!

Help! I'm stuck... Actually, I kinda like it - it feels so smooth

 

This one's probably a case of subliminally suggestive graphics

DIY love - just pop it up and stand around, blissfully joined at the hip

Exhibitions and Trade Shows – Cut the Ego and Boost ROI

I’m hear to convince you, again, that pull up banners are the solution to all your trade show woes. Surprising isn’t it, some one promoting pull up banners on a blog named the Pull Up Banner Display Blog – the world is a crazy place. Anyway… have a read of this serious piece of objective journalism that I’ve put together for all you pull-up-banner-curious individuals before you disregard them as a possible solution for your next trade show.

Who's making the money?

Every day across the globe thousands, maybe even millions, of professional men and women travel to exhibitions and tradeshows, marketing their products and services to just about anyone who’ll listen. Staying in five star hotels, breakfast buffets and drinking in airport bars, it’s a dirty job, and sometimes I think that the ultimate aim of effectively marketing the company’s product and services gets lost amidst drive to be bigger and better than the next guy.

Don’t get me wrong some of my best clients have come from trade show leads, I just question the need for big flashy display stands –  the type that are manned by five bored looking guys or girls, because the scale of the stand has actually put people off approaching.

Developing those big display stands is a huge job that requires hours of thought, professional help and some serious investment. Even if you do have the budget to develop, transport and set up a custom designed trade show display, the expense and hours involved can seriously diminish your return on investment and necessitate long hours away from you daily business duties. Sometimes all this effort is justified, but by my observation, most often it ain’t. And I can’t help but thinking that a lot of these stands are more about the company’s, or marketing manager’s ego, than actually generating leads and sales.

 See... exhibition designers will send you broke

Obviously, I’m here to extol the virtues of pull up banners and to be frank, I may be a little bias, but I have used them myself to great effect in the past. And I’m not proposing they are the solution to every exhibitors needs, but they should always be an option. With a little creativity and some quality graphics they can have fantastic impact and minimise expenditure – not to mention headaches!

 Simple by quality graphics make all the difference

Now for the bit where I hit you with some real spiel: Pull-up banners, roll-up banners, pop-up banners, retractables – whatever you want to call them, they’re a travelling exhibitor's best friend. A pull-up has a banner that is usually about 2 metres tall, in widths ranging from 800mm to 2.4 metres and by creatively combining a couple of different sized banners on your exhibition stand you can still achieve a unique, professional presentation with real advertising impact!

 For this one they've gone to a little extra work but a similar effect could be created with pull ups

The banners are spring loaded and retract into a compact aluminium housing that serves at the banner stand base and since they weigh just a few kilos and are supplied with carrying cases with shoulder straps on person can easily carry up to four or five units. So whether it’s New York, London, Beijing or just the other side of town, they’ll keep your overheads, and headaches, to a minimum.

But the real winning feature is bang for your buck! They won’t break the bank and when compared to those big corporate exhibition stands, the return on investment often puts them to shame!

Yep, for trade shows pull up banners are where it’s at – in my humble opinion at least. But as your next trade show or exhibition approaches, stand back and make an honest assessment, is that big flashy stand all about ego? Or would you be better severed focusing on that other three letter word – ROI?