Printing & Copying

If you haven’t created a poster for a trade show, or haven’t thought about creating a poster, you should read on to pick up some pointers on how to create a great poster.

Trade show posters work well because the colors and the text draw people in. You can draw people in to your booth in other ways – hosting a game or giveaway, or showing a video demonstration of your product in action – but these options take time. Posters don’t take up a lot of time – people can look them over at their leisure and then move further into your booth to find out more info.

Here are some pointers for your next trade show poster:

The title of the poster should be at the top of the poster – don’t try to get too creative and put the title across the bottom or down the sides. By putting it at the top, in a simple font, it’s easier to read. Make sure it’s big enough to be read from 15 to 20 feet away.

Create an intro and a conclusion for your poster(s). If you have multiple posters, or if your poster contains a lot of text information, consider adding intro and conclusion sheets. These can flank both sides of your poster so that people can decide if they want to read the rest of your poster(s) and if they don’t have enough time, they can just read the conclusion to get the important parts. The conclusion should be a bulleted list of takeaway points that you want people to remember from your poster(s).

Number your poster sections. You should always design your posters so that the information flows in a logical sequence. However, not all people are logical, so to help those people out, use large numbers to number each section. I think it’s safe to assume that people will know how to follow the numbers (at least I hope so)!

Design the poster to be self-explanatory. The main points of the poster should stick out even when you are not there to point them out to people. Don’t get too detailed though – just give people enough info to understand the concept you’re trying to get across. People can ask questions when you are at the booth, or you can leave a pile of business cards by the poster (or even in a pocket on the poster) so that people can contact you later with questions.

Whatever photos or illustrations you have should be explained. Each graphic on your poster should have a caption that explains it or labels it.

Practice a 2 to 5 minute poster presentation. When people come up to you and your poster, don’t just read the poster to them. That’s like being in a bad high school class all over again! Instead, figure out what you’re going to say about the poster ahead of time – what points you need to clarify or expand upon and try to anticipate questions and answers to those questions. Practice your presentation in front of colleagues or family members. Keep it short and sweet so people don’t get bored.

By following these few tips, your trade show posters will earn its cost back through all your new sales and leads!