What to Print for Conferences and Trade Shows

There's a very important and potentially lucrative question that graphic designers should ask every client: "Are you participating in any conferences this year?" This question is relevant to the graphic designer because, where there's a conference there's an exhibit hall, and where's there's an exhibit hall there's print collateral to be designed. Below are four tips about what clients might need designed and printed for a trade show exhibit hall: 1. Signage Conference attendees need to be able to find the booth in order to interact with the company and learn about its products. Designing and printing one or two custom vinyl banners can help clients draw a crowd. Be sure to discuss all the different layout and format options - from hanging banners to those that rely on stands or poles. 2. New brochures While the company might already have a brochure for its products and services, sometimes a revised version is required to reach the target audience at a conference or event. Let's say the attendees are all small businesses, or they are all from one industry such as apparel or IT. The client will want a brochure with copy, design and layout that speaks to the particular audience. You can even suggest adding a call to action with an offer code specific to the conference. For example, "Enter 'Conference2011' on our website to receive your free product trial." 3. Freebies Along with the customary free candy, stress balls, pens and other swag, some free printed items are always appealing to conference attendees. Clients might print custom stickers, magnets, bookmarks or notepads branded with their company information. Or, design a custom calendar with the company's name and contact information on it, but also listing important industry-related notes and events throughout. 4. Stay-in-touch postcards In this digital age, where everyone exchanges e-mails and cell phone numbers, try doing something a little different. In addition to digitally capturing information, hand out postcards with your company's information and copy that asks attendees to fill out their name and address and drop this in the mail to request more information. These postcards are also a handy for attendees who want to pass along information about your company to other colleagues.