Trade Show Signage: Booth Signs, Banners and Hanging Signs

Trade show signage has three jobs: tell visitors who you are, tell them in a few words why they should stop, and show them where to go once they step in. Every sign on your booth should do one of those jobs. A sign that tries to do all three at once usually does none of them well.

This guide is for exhibitors planning booth signs, and organizers often share it in the exhibitor kit alongside the show's sign rules. If you are an organizer planning directional and wayfinding signs for the venue, see the event signage guide instead.

Signage follows the booth design, not the other way round. Decide the goal, the zones and the hero product first, then write the signs that support them. The trade show booth design guide covers that planning step.

Many shows provide a booth identification sign with your company name and booth number for inline booths. Check the exhibitor manual so you do not duplicate it, and confirm whether you may cover or replace it.

Visitors read a booth in passes: from a distance, then at the edge, then up close. Write each sign for the pass where it will be read.

1. 1

   From Across the Aisle

   Company name and one short line about what you do or the problem you solve. A handful of words, large and high.

2. 2

   At the Booth Edge

   Two or three short benefits, a product name, or a question that invites a conversation.

3. 3

   In Conversation

   Specifications, comparisons and links. Put these on product signs, screens and handouts, not on the back wall.

A commonly cited rule of thumb for legibility is about one inch of letter height for every ten feet of viewing distance, treated as a minimum. Strong contrast, simple sans-serif type and empty space matter as much as size. Keep important text above counter height and above the heads of people standing in the booth; anything below waist height is often hidden by staff and visitors.

• Can the headline be read in the time it takes to walk past
• Is there one clear message, or several competing ones
• Does the text contrast with the background under hall lighting
• Are logos and photos sharp at full printed size
• Will a counter, monitor or person cover anything important

Sizes vary by manufacturer and by booth, so always work from your printer's or rental company's template. The table gives common North American conventions as a starting point for planning a trade show banner and the rest of the display.

Check the show's height rules before choosing a back wall or banner. Inline booths commonly have an 8 ft limit at the back, with lower limits toward the aisle. Trade show booth sizes shows what typically fits in each footprint.

A hanging sign is the most visible piece of signage on the floor, and the most regulated. Whether you can have one depends on your booth type and the show's rules, so start with the exhibitor manual.

• Booth type: hanging signs are commonly allowed over island booths, sometimes over peninsulas, and rarely over inline booths. Trade show booth types explains how height allowances change by type.
• Height: shows usually set a maximum height to the top of the sign, and sometimes a minimum clearance beneath it.
• Placement: the sign usually has to hang within your booth's footprint, and some shows require a setback from the booth edge.
• Rigging: many venues require hanging signs to be installed by the show's official rigging contractor, ordered through the service kit.
• Approval: shows commonly ask for a drawing or specification, including weight, before a set deadline.
• Lead time: fabric hanging signs need design, printing and shipping, and rigging orders often have their own deadline.

Most reprints and delays come from file problems. Work through this list before sending artwork to the printer.

• Download the printer's template for the exact product and size, and design on it
• Include the bleed, and keep text inside the safe area the template marks
• Use vector logos, and images with enough resolution for the final printed size
• Match the color mode or profile your printer specifies, and supply brand color references
• Convert fonts to outlines or package them with the file
• Keep text clear of hardware areas, such as the base of a banner stand or the seams on a wall
• Name each file with the item, size, booth number and version
• Approve a proof, and ask for a printed sample of large or color-critical pieces
• Keep the editable source files so dates and booth numbers can be updated for the next show

Track every sign in one table from first draft to install. Fill it in as soon as you have your booth number and the exhibitor manual.

Ship signs with the rest of your booth materials and pack a small kit of spare clips, tape and cleaning cloths. Then plan the people who will stand in front of them with the trade show staffing guide.