by Rick Hendershot,
Trade Show Tipsoriginally published at
Trade Show BuzzPopUp Displays are currently the most common form of low priced trade show and event display. A popup normally has only two main components, with two or three other
popup display accessories. The most substantial part of a popup display is the folding frame which is normally made of either fibreglass or alumnimum tubes. The frame serves as a skeleton that you cover with display panels — either velcro-ready fabric panels, or graphic panels made of a material like Duralex which are lexan panels that have already been printed, normally using an high resolution
large format printing process.
Before the frame is made to "popup" it comes folded down to a unit approximately 8" square by 30" wide. When it is unfolded, the frame "pops up" to a skeleton approximately 8' (or 10') wide by (usually) about 8' high. This frame normally weighs about 15 lbs. and is stable enough to just sit on the floor without any anchoring or external support. For exact specifications and measurements, see our
popup design specifications pages.
The panels (either fabric panels or graphic panels) are normally about 30" wide by 8' high. There are usually either 4 or 8 panels required to cover the frame, with extra "end cap" panels made of the same material to wrap around the ends of the frame. These panels are flexible enough to be rolled up so they fit in the lightweight carrying case. They are normally adhered to the frame by means of magentic strips applied to their back surface. These are attracted to the magnetized bars that are part of the skeleton frame. Once the panels are applied to the frame it gains even greater stability.
If your popup display has
duralex graphic panels, then the display is complete once the panels are applied to the frame. If you use the more generic fabric panels, then you will probably have a number of graphics that are adhered to the fabric with velcro strips. These graphics can be duralex (as above), flexible vinyl — essentially indoor vinyl banners — or posters (display prints) printed on paper and laminated so they are both flexible and durable.
Often the display is finished off with two or three halogen lights that attach to the top of the frame and illuminate your graphics.
The entire display — frame, magnetic bars, fabric and graphic panels, and lights can be packaged up in a sturdy, lightweight carrying case with wheels. The carrying case often doubles as a display counter or podium with its own special top (normally an optional accessory) and wrap around graphics (also optional).
A normal case for an 8' or 10' display is small enough to fit in the trunk or back seat of most cars, and normally weighs around 40 lbs., depending on the type of graphics and accessories included. This makes it light enough to be easily moved around by most people.
A normal popup display can be assembled by one person of average height in about 20 minutes. If you are shorter than about 5'6" you may need a small ladder to reach the top. Normally a chair works too.
If a popup display seems like overkill, or if you think you will be in situations where setting up a popup display will be difficult or impractical, you may want to consider an alternative like a
Banner Stand or retractable
Jiffy Roll. These units come in their own lightweight "over the shoulder" carrying cases and can normally be set up in less than one or two minutes.
For more information, go to
TradeShow-Display-Experts.com or
CanadaDisplayGraphics.com.
About the Author
Rick Hendershot is a marketing consultant operating out of Conestogo, Ontario, Canada. He publishes several websites and blogs, including Web Traffic Resources, Marketing Bites, SuperCharge Your Website with Power Linking, and many more.