Easily Find Upcoming Trade Shows and Exhibitions

Trying to find the perfect trade show event to attend or exhibit at can be a tiring exercise indeed. With so many options available in terms of venues and volume of shows it can be hard to find the right one for your industry or interests.

This is where an online trade show calendar comes to the rescue. Recently launched by exhibition display specialists Discount Displays, the exhibition calendar has over 4,000 records in its database and has custom search and filter functions, enabling you to find a specific event in seconds.

Previous methods of finding upcoming trade shows meant compiling a list of venues in your area and laboriously looking at each site in turn. Attempts at compiling lists of trade shows by other sites have resulted in limited range or no options to filter by preference, simply listing them in chronological order.

With Discount Displays Trade Show Calendar, everything is there on the same page. An intuitive design leads to an user friendly experience and even has links going directly to the event home page.

Chrome Wire Shelving As A Food Storage Solution

The expert shelving providers at Chrome Shelves are encouraging all those looking for a food storage solution for their home or business to consider purchasing a chrome wire shelving unit. Food storage is a tricky business, and whether simply looking for a place to store packs of pasta and rice for a kitchen, or searching for a larger solution for use in the food manufacturing industry or in some sort of restaurant, it is important that the storage solution lives up to a number of important criteria.

Giles Fletcher, Managing Director of Chrome Shelves, one of the UK’s chrome shelving providers, says, “The food industry has a number of stringent rules regarding how food is stored across a number of industries, and while these rules may not be enforced in the home, it is still important that food is stored in an appropriate way. Chrome wire shelving is the perfect solution for storing food for a number of reasons, including its affordable nature, its hardwearing construction and its ability to withstand tough cleaning products that will keep foods germ-free.”

One of the main benefits chrome wire shelves have when storing food is the breathability. When storing things like fruit and veg in the wire baskets which can be affixed to the shelving units, the food is allowed to breathe in a way that wouldn’t be possible if they were stored within plastic containers. The wire also ensures that the food does not become misshapen; it is one of the most convenient ways to store food and keep it looking fresh and in great condition.

Chrome is also incredibly easy to clean and keep hygienic, which is part of a number of very strict rules in the food industry. Simply wiping it down with a hot cloth can remove superficial marks, and the chrome can withstand incredibly high temperatures and harsh cleaning products that remove all germs from the surface. The chrome will not become corroded or rusty, and can withstand whatever the cleaner throws at it.

For use within the home, chrome shelves are also incredibly functional. Shelving units can be fitted with castors to move around the kitchen if necessary, and they can be used in pantries and larders to store things like herbs, vegetables and fruit. The castors can be practical additions in a workplace such as a restaurant kitchen, where cooks and sous chefs will need constant access to ingredients for their many dishes. Whatever the environment these shelves will be used in, they are sure to add accessibility to food, whilst keeping it fresh and entirely hygienic. 

Banner Stands | Product Spotlight

As part of our series on exhibition equipment, today we are looking at choosing a banner stand and using them to enhance your display and attract potential customers.

Banner stands are great for promoting your business or product at exhibitions, trade shows, events and at first point of contact areas such as receptions. The banner graphic is an instant way to capture someone's attention and with that comes the opportunity to market your brand or product directly to the consumer.
When deciding which banner stand to purchase for your event, you will be looking at three main categories:

Retractable Banner Stands
These units are the most popular, especially when transportation become a key requirement, e.g trade shows and exhibitions. They may also be called roll up or roller banner stands, and they get this name as the banner graphic simple retracts into the base and pulls out when needed in a matter of seconds.
The space this saves means they are easy to carry, transport and store and the graphic is fully protected when on the move.
Retractable banner stands often have a quick change cassette feature, this means that the graphic is stored in a cassette that slots into the base and can be changed over in seconds. Important if you have several banner stand graphics that get changed over regularly, such as seasonal promotions.

Tensioned Banner Stands
Ideal for permanent use, where the banner stand won't be moving often, such as in-store promotions or reception areas. A tensioned system usually comprising poles at the back of the unit keep the graphic taut and secure, perfect for high footfall areas.

Linked Banner Stands
These stands are great for creating large 'walls' of banner stand graphics as they are modified versions of retractable and tensioned banner stands that have a linking system so they can easily be attached to each other.
Flexible linked banner systems are also available, which means instead of a flat wall you can have curved or waved linked stands that look great when used in corners of your display.

You will often find selections of other types of banner stand such as outdoor, eco-friendly and large width, which are all self-explanatory.

There will be options available for all budgets, but it is definitely worth investing in a higher end banner stand if you are intending on heavy use over a number of years, such as at exhibition circuits.

Most retailers will give you the option of providing your own artwork for the banner stand or have an in-house design team that will take your brief and create a professional graphic for the unit.
Advances in printing mean that modern banner stand graphics have ultra high quality print finishes that can be produced much more quickly than the first banner stands that entered the market.

Professionally Designed Banners

If you are looking for a banner in a hurry there are many options available online, whereas a few years ago the high street was the only option.
Discount Banners is one such website that has just launched a range of professionally designed printed banners. These banners are printed onto reinforced PVC using eco friendly Latex links, reducing the impact that printing has on the environment, while maintaining high quality banner graphics.Vibrant and durable unlike solvent inks the latex banner inks give off no dangerous fumes, the only waste product is water.

This site has many designs available including; sale banners, grand opening banners, birthday banners, pub banners, sports banners, anniversary banners, as well as printed seasonal banners for St Patrick's Day, Valentines day, Mothers day, Halloween Easter and Christmas. In all there are over 100 individual banner designs. If you don't see exactly what you want they will modify a design for you. As far as banner sizes are concerned the standard size offered is 8' x 2' or 10' x 3' but they can print any size you like so check them out at www.discountbanners.co.uk to get your banner delivered.

How To Use Sampling Promoter Stands Effectively

Promoting new products in shopping centres or setting up food sampling for an in store trial can be a challenge. Display Hardware needs to be light, easy to assemble and economical while presenting a professional image. Often staff manning these displays are temporary with little training so a sampling stand that can be easily carried and needs no tools to erect is a must.

Promoter industries, pioneers of flat pack demonstration stands have the answer. Promoter lightweight sampling stands all have the same basic designs but come in over 14 different configurations. Flat packed they clip together to form a stable stand. From a basic podium style to a more elaborate display that has shelves for storage of literature and a graphics header.

Discountdisplays the display equipment specialist have linked up with Promoter Industries to expand the range of Promotional Counters. they offer. In addition to their best selling Original promoter discountdisplays have introduced 13 new products. The new range of Promotional counters come in a wide range of designs and sizes to fit all requirements and budgets

With their own large format print department Discount Displays offer a true one stop service. Whether you need a one off demonstration unit for food sampling or dozens of promotional counter for a shopping centre product promotion. Graphic for promoters can be printed direct to the panels or additional graphics panels can be made to for quick change-over when a campaign ends.

Cable Displays Popularity on The High Street

The window is the most visible and cheapest way for a shop to promote itself and one of the most popular ways to do this on the UK high street is through cable displays. Cable display systems are easy to install and offer a very versatile way of dip-laying changeable information in retail windows. All that is required is an allen key. The concept is simple; 1.5mm steel wires are stretched from ceiling to floor in the window of an estate agent or up against a wall in a travel agents. Small modern looking clamps are then used to connect the wires to poster display pockets, literature holders or even shelves. DiscountDisplays has kindly allowed us to include their fitting instruction for floor to ceiling cable displays which you can see below.  

Once installed a small spring at the base of the cable keep the whole system taut and looking smart. Poster holders are made from acrylic and are available in popular sizes such as A4, A3, A2. As a buyer of cable display you can either choose to buy the individual wire display system components or ready made poster holder kits or literature display kits.

Lectern products introduced

Discountdisplay expand their range of lecterns.
Check out the range of new lecterns and podiums at Discountdisplays.
Over 500 new products were added to the ever expanding range of affordable display products available on line at discount displays. These included a range of over 20 podiums and lecterns form budget lecturns for occasion use to clear acrylic high class podiums for conferences and events.
The range of lecterns and podiums has been chosen so that every requirement is covered by at least one of their products.

There is a choice of wood, metal and Acrylic lecterns and podiums ideal for conferences, lectures, sermons or for use at trade shows and exhibitions.

Designs vary from the very traditional to contemporary and include a couple of designs that are easily portable

Create a focus point with a pulpit whilst delivering a speech and have space to store notes and other small items. Wooden lecterns come with a one year guarantee and the top of the range acrylic podiums have a two year joint and workmanship guarantee

Some of the products are available from stock while some of the more bespoke designs take about 5 days. Several of the designs also allow you to incorporate your company logo on the front panel

These lecterns should prove popular with Hotels, Churches, Schools, Colleges and corporations for conferences.

Increase Christmas Shopping Conversions

Summer is officially over, and for retailers that means the countdown to Christmas has begun!
The busiest time for the high street it is vital to capitalise on the increase in shoppers by making your window display stand out from the crowd.

One tried and tested method of doing this is through printed Christmas posters. Designed to get the holiday message across in clear and succinct messages and promote any promotional events you have in store.
Posters come in a range of sizes for all window and in-store area, and are relatively cheap considering they are often shown in prime real-estate areas of your shop.

If you want a bigger media format to advertise your Christmas promotion why not try a printed Christmas banner. Usually made from hard wearing PVC they are ideal for in-store promotions as well as being placed outside for high visibility.

One crucial tip is to have your Christmas promotional strategy in place now so you are well prepared when the time comes, leaving you to focus on other areas of your business during its busiest period.

How To Enhance Customer Conversions With Cable Displays

Cable displays are a popular method of displaying posters, leaflets and products in shop windows. Most people will have seen these wire window displays in the high street, such as in estate agents or opticians windows. They offer a contemporary display solution to any commercial business and are available in formats that are ideal for window displays for shops, offices, banks, restaurants and exhibitions.

Suspended cable displays are a versatile system for shop window displays. They are simple; consisting of a wire cable usually 1.5mm or 3mm thick and end fittings that include a simple cable tensioning system. Even though the cable is extremely thin, it is still multi platted so is immensely strong; when correctly fixed, it has been tested to hold up to 140kg, far more than you'll need!

The popularity of cable shop displays at the point of sale is due to their affordability, versatility and ease of use. When choosing a cable display system the first decision is how you are going to fit it. The cables are universal but the end fittings vary. They can be floor to ceiling , floor to wall or wall to wall depending on where you are using them and what structure you can fit to. Once you have decided on the cable system you need all you have to do is decide what to display.

Some companies make this easy by offering ready made cable display kits but for more bespoke shop display solutions you can choose from  cable display shelves, cable display lighting, cable display cubes for showing off products, brochure holders and shelves.

So next time you're looking for inspiration have a look in shop windows to see what the big names on the high street are doing and what window display would work for your business.

Add A Touch of Class with Gold Crowd Control System

In certain environments, the need for a high quality crowd control system is often vital for the efficient flow of customers, not to mention conforming to health and safety regulations!

A lot of the rope and post systems on the market are chrome, which look great in a lot of situations, but sometimes the need for a classier look arises, either to match in with the current fixings and fittings or to show customers that a certain area is important.
A prime example of this is the VIP section of a nightclub where customers pay extra for the enjoyment of a privileged service, and this is where a gold rope and post system would look ideal.

Discount Displays sell a high quality Gold Rope and Post Stanchion Set, which is in stock for next day delivery, as well as a wide range of crowd control products.

Great Source of Sale Posters Ideal for Shop Fittings

The Summer Sales are nearly upon us and for retailers that means competing with every other window display on the high street with big sale promotion invites in the form of posters, banners and displays.

As every business will know promotional graphics are an invaluable part of the shop fittings arsenal but sometimes it can be hard to find the inspiration for a design that will catch the eye of a passing customer, or you have an idea in mind but not the technical ability to bring your vision to fruition. This is where Discount Displays Express comes in.

This UK based company has just launched a huge range of pre-designed shop posters, saving you the time and money in doing it yourself. This is one of the biggest collections of sale posters on the market and covers all bases from season specific designs to holidays and business type.
An added bonus is that some of the designs can be customised with a selection of background colours and percentage off ranges, making it quick and easy to find the perfect poster for your shop window.

There are also services to upload your own artwork or use the in-house service to design a poster for you. This means you can take an existing design on the website, and for a little extra modify it to suit your own needs.
There are also a great range of banners, promotional graphics as well as POS equipment.

New Digital Display Printing Blog

I have just found a useful blog to do with large format printing. There is some great information about using large format printing for exhibition and trade show graphics. Hints and tips on how to design a banner as well as quite a bit of interesting stuff to do with eco friendly display printing. HP have introduced a latex printer and it seems the only by product is water!
Check it out: http://www.digital-display-printing.co.uk/blog/

Seven Tips for Greener Exhibiting

Here are our top seven tips to lessen the impact your exhibiting and promotional printing has on the environment.

1. Plan Your Exhibit - You will be surprised at how much material, wastage, and most importantly money you can save but planning in advance how much of everything you will need to successfully exhibit. Make a note of all factors such as time, order of setting up your booth, how much promotional material to use, even the most efficient route to get to the venue!

2. Use a Company that Practices Green Printing - as the eco-friendly mindset permeates through the market more and more companies are offering their services for green products. Sometimes they are a bit more expensive, but is worthwhile as it presents your brand as a socially conscious business.

3. Give Customers Incentives Not To Use Materials - a prime example is that of bags, maybe give a customer a discount or access to exclusive content if they choose not to use a bag. An incentive for not using the material is preferable to a punishment for using it, such as a charge for bags as this can leave the customer with a negative experience with your company. Directing customers to a web site instead of giving them a catalogue is another way to decrease the usage of raw materials.

4. Recycled Materials - banners, booths, bags, plastics; just a small selection of products that are now available made from recycled materials. Again this does a positive thing for your brand image.

5. Rent Instead of Buying - there are many companies that offer full trade show booth rentals, which can be used several times. Obviously this limits how much customisation and flexibility you can have on your exhibit, but if you are an infrequent exhibitor this might be the option to go for.

6. Energy Efficient Lighting - lighting can play a big part in your exhibit, but nowadays many energy efficient light bulbs are just as effective as 'normal' ones.  This is one of those small changes that multiplied by the annual exhibitors in the country can make a big difference.

7. Green Giveaways - prizes to win green products, sample of green materials or a prize for a customer reducing their impact on the environment. Build up customer loyalty and improve your company's image.

For more information on green printing techniques and policies visit this link for an example of recyclable banner printing.

Chicago Streets Ahead with Lamppost Banner Auctions

Came across a novel idea regarding PVC advertising banner "recycling" where some lateral thinking has resulted in the city of Chicago auctioning street and lamppost banners to the public. The annual “Sharing It” banner auction, which benefits the needy, has seen banners from public events been sold to raise money for charities within the city.
One highlight was the sale of a Chicago White Sox 2005 World Series Championship street banner, which was sold for $515. This was from their world series run and was signed by pitcher Mark Buehrle aka 'Mr. Perfect'.
The live auction sells street pole banners produced by the city and other organizations that promote events, festivals, exhibitions & special occasions and theatre.
Other highlights from this year’s auction are Blackhawks playoff banners signed by Hall of Famers Stan Mikita and Denis Savard, Jersey Boys and Dirty Dancing banners courtesy of Broadway in Chicago and from the Museum of Science & Industry, banners highlighting the Harry Potter exhibit.

I'm not sure if anyone would start something like that here in the UK but until they do another option of course is to opt for an eco-friendly PVC free recyclable banners and reduce the harm banner printing has on the environment.

A Guide To Choosing The Perfect Roller Banner

When choosing a banner stand system you will see many different options, including roller banner stands, and your first question will probably be "What exactly is a roller banner stand?". Simply put it is a system for displaying and transporting graphic banners for displays and promotions in retail outlets, trade shows and at events. The principle is very similar to a roller blind, with the roller banner being inside a protective case that also acts as a base so the unit can be free standing. Unlike a blind however, the roller banner is pulled up rather than down so it needs a pole to hold it up.

The main benefits of roller banners over other banner stand types are:
- They are easy to transport
- The graphics are protected
- Banners are free standing
- No tools are required

As with banner stand having different options, there are also different types of roller banners. As far as functionality is concerned there are two main differences, with two options for each feature choice.
The first option is the type of base used on the stand. You have options for stands with fold out feet or ones with a larger footprint that dont require feet. The fold out feet type of roller banner tend to be cheaper and a little less stable, but smaller for easy transportation.
Roller banner stands can also be divided into changeable graphics and fixed graphics systems. Fixed graphics again are cheaper and normally just have the graphics stuck to the roller unit, replaceable graphic systems have either a slide in graphic or a changeable casette. Changable casette systems are the most expensive but by far the easiest to use if your marketing message needs to change alot.

What issues should you look for when buying a roller banner stand?
Obviously roller banners have moving parts so you need to be careful you don't get to a show and find it is broken. Problems I have seen in the past include:
 - The top bar coming off and the banner rolls up inside
the cassette
- The springs inside break and the system loses tension
- The spring units locks and the banner won't come out
- The spring does not have enough tension to hold the banner taught
- The pole at the back holding the banner up breaks

It's tricky when choosing a roller banner stand as many of these units look very similar online and it's only when you compare them side by side you can see where the money has been saved. My advice; spend a little more and make sure you get a reliable roller banner.

Just a quick note on graphics, it won't surprise you to learn that not all graphics are the same either. Two things to consider are the print quality and the materials used.
In regards to print quality this varies hugely depending on the equipment used; large format printng machines range in price from a few thousand up to well over a million. Printers also set up and run their machines at different speeds. My advice is to choose a reputable company with experience who have thier own printing workshop in-house rather than one that's subs it out.
There will be more about large formt print on the blog in future.

If you've gone through this article to find out more about roller banner stands and decided they don't fit your requirements you have many other options available. The most obvious solution is if there is a wall or side of a shell scheme system then your graphics can be attached to them without the need for any type of banner stand.
If thats not possible and you need some sort of stand the alternative to a roller banners is some sort of tensioned pole stand, in which case the banner and banner stand would be seperate. You put up the stand then attach your banner. Once they are up they look very similar to roller banners.
The advantages of a pole banner stand is that there are no moving bits to go wrong and on the whole they are cheaper than roller units. Its also easier to change the graphics without having to go to the expense of having a replacable cassette roller banner.

I hope this guide has helped clear a few things up about both roller banners and the options you have available  to display your graphics.

Making Light Work With Handtrucks

There's nothing worse than when you get to a trade show with a boot full of gear and you have to park miles from the exhibition hall.

It's at times like this you wish you invested in a folding hand truck or for bulkier items a folding platform trolley. Both are lightweight and have the benefit of fitting in the boot of your car.

The other day at a show I saw a nifty idea of a combined hand trolley and step ladder. The fold out platform will take up to 90kg, so it's ideal for all those heavy boxes of literature or brochures.

Where it really scored over the traditional hand trucks was the step ladder. There are 101 things you need to reach on an exhibition stand and sods law there wont be a step ladder in sight.

The combined steps and trolley would be ideal on any exhibition stand whether it's for hanging graphics on your pop up stand or attaching spot lights to a shell scheme. After a bit of searching I found the product at www.discounthandtrucks.com.

They have two step and three step versions but for most exhibition application I can think of two steps would be fine.

Successful Open Day for Case Management Jobs

Our friends at Discount Displays recently helped launch a new recruitment business involved in the growing case management market. 
Case Management Jobs is the brainchild of Peter Morgan of Morgansearch, a veteran of the health market recruitment business in the UK. 

Morgan explained “The concept of case management originated in the USA and it is now widely used in many countries including Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and we think it is set to grow in the UK.
Case management is the process of planning, implementing, coordinating, monitoring and evaluating the health and social care needs of individuals, often those who have a serious, complex or long-term injury or illness.
Peter wanted to do a little more than send out email shots or flyers so decided to hold a golf day for existing and prospective customers involved in case management recruitment throughout the UK .

Morgan had already had positive feedback from the case management society UK and felt an event would give him an informal day to launch his new concept and get feedback from potential companies looking to recruit case managers.
Having used discountdisplays in the past to produce exhibition stands peter gave them a brief for the golf day. The focus needed to be on case manager recruitment in the health care market. Banner stands, feather flags and golf tee signs were used to promote the event. Morgan said everyone had a great day and it gave us a chance to get feedback on our case management jobs web site which was very encouraging, I think we are on to a winner.

Exhibition Equipment Trade Supplier Review

Came across a new trade exhibition stand and display stand supplier Expolite. They seem to have a few products that are different from the regular exhibiton and display stand suppliers in the UK.

I particularly I liked the range of retractable barriers and crowd control rope and stanchions. Great value for money for the quality you are getting. They wouldn't say where they were imported from but the quality of the retractable barriers was far greater than the usual products on the market from China.

The retractable belt barriers have stainless steel posts and bases with a very smooth belt barrier. I would say the quality was equal to that of a Tensator but without the price tag.

The other product they are know for is the y-band outdoor banner stand which you may have seen at outdoor events. Made it clear that for the banner stand to work the way it has been designed it's important to fill the base with water.

I sent them an email about their trade only policy and was assured that they only deal through approved UK dealers and wont sell direct to the end user.

Smaller than the big boys but still worth a vist for the quality of display stands and the value for money.

PVC advertising banners - Hints and tips PART 1

Summer is well and truly upon us and fetes, sports events and garden shows need to capitalise on the weather and attract customers to their events. One of the most popular and cost effective ways is to use printed PVC banners. Despite new material on the marketplace by far the most popular are PVC banners. PVC banner material also know as vinyl is strong, cheap and totally weather proof.
If you type PVC banners UK or vinyl banners UK into google you will see a huge range of companies offering pvc banner printing.

For example:

BANNERS FOR ALL - Banners, Vinyl Banners, PVC Banners, Sign Banner ...We produce quality printed PVC and Textile Banners,Feather Flags and Sail Banners. Sail banners - Digital Vinyl PVC Banners - Vinyl PVC Banners. www.bannersforall.co.uk/ - Cached - Similar

Online Design Tools For Personalized Banners, Best Poster Design ... - Our PVC banners are also popular as sports event banners, ... Whatever you requirements or specifications,
www.quickstepdesign.com/ - Cached - Similar

advertising banner - printed pvc advertising banners vinyl - advertising banner - pre printed in stock Sale banners from discount displays. PVC vinyl advertising banner.

Confusing isn't it? So how do you choose? Most people think a banner is a banner is a banner, but since yours is going to be an advert for your company or event you want it to look good and last the course.

As with most things cheapest may not be the best. When you look at material the questions to ask when your looking for a banner printer are:

Is the material reinforced?
What weight is it?
How are the edges finished?
Does it allow any show-through?
Is it Fire retardant?
What are the eyelets made of?

Reinforced material is essential unless you just want a very short term small indoor banner. The PVC banner material has a nylon weave fused into it which prevents it tearing. The heavier the banner the material the stronger it is, the typical weight for an outdoor banner ranges from 300gsm to 500gsm.

Finally how is the material finished? For short term banners people cut corners by having their banner "straight cut" with either plastic or metal eyelets. This is OK if the banner is small, say 6' x 2' or perhaps up against a wall but eventually the eyelets will tear out.

As soon as one eyelet goes the whole banner can look messy and a crucial bit of information such as a telephone number or date may be hidden. The alternative is to spend a little more and go for a banner with turned edges. This is where the outer couple of inches of the banner are turned over giving a double thickness hem. This strengthens the weakest vunerable part of the banner and gives a much better anchor point for the eyelets.

I'll discuss alternate banner materials and printing techniques in my next article.

Top Ten Classic Movie Posters

Although cinema and technology has moved on, one thing that has remained constant is the use of movie posters in promoting films. Over the years there have been many posters that stand out and captured the imagination, from cult classics that still make an impact to recent releases that have become iconic instantly. Below is our list of top ten movie posters, leave a comment if you think we've missed any out!

This iconic movie poster was very raunchy 

for the 50's and instantly unforgettable.

       A simple yet powerful poster that conjures up images of the 

       famous dream sequence with Mena Suvari in a bed of rose petals.

A classic film and a simple image that speaks of the bond 

between Elliott and the waddling, glowing-hearted alien.

This Tarantino classic throws back to an earlier decade 

and is finished off with nice touches such as the 10 cent price.

A striking image that brings back memories of childhood tales 

such as little red riding hood, but with a sinister twist.

If you've seen this amazing film, then this poster will take you 

back to the protagonist's escape, a beautifully rendered picture.

A weird insect/bug for a mouth - nice.

We couldn't compile a top ten movie poster list without mentioning 

Saul Bass, the genius behind Anatomy of a Murder, Psycho, The Shining and many more.

A personal favourite an a stunning image that ties 

in nicely with the films most famous moment.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...