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Event Signs and Banners: The Basics
Guide · Event Signs and Banners · 4 min read
Whether you are running a conference, sporting carnival or large music festival, event signage helps people understand where to go and what to notice. First impressions are visual. Too few signs can make an otherwise well-run event feel disorganised.
At the basic level, signs point attendees to toilets, exits, registration, food, drinks, programs and access points. Once those needs are covered, signage can also carry sponsor branding, create repeated touch points and shape the look of the event.
Focus Banners works with organisers across Australia on practical event signs and banners. This guide compares two low-cost options used across temporary venues: mesh banners and corflute signs.
How do you plan event signage?
Good event signage starts when the venue is chosen. Map the site before you order anything. Mark entrances, toilets, exits, registration, food and drink stations, accessible paths, programs, queues, first aid and any venue rules attendees need to see.
Then walk through the site as an attendee. Where do people arrive? Where do they pause? Which paths will be busy? Which spaces need a sign so people do not need to ask staff for help?
After the basics, look for branding opportunities. Signs can frame an entrance, move people toward a sponsor zone, cover temporary fencing, dress stages or turn furniture and props into branded assets.
Where should event signage be installed?
Install signs where people make decisions. Useful positions include entrances, ticketing points, crossings, food queues, toilet blocks, stages, sponsor zones and exits.
Check what the sign will attach to before choosing the material. Some sites have fences, poles, walls or marquees ready to use. Others need freestanding frames, A-frames, cable ties, eyelets, Velcro or temporary fixings.
Outdoor signs also need a wind plan. A sign that cannot be seen, comes loose or creates a hazard is not useful. Choose a fixing method that will last for the full event and suit the way crowds, staff and weather will treat the site.
What types of signs and banners work for events?
01 Wayfinding Signs
Directional signs are usually small, rigid and easy to place near decision points. Corflute is the common short-term option because it is light, affordable and suitable indoors or outdoors.
For recurring events, consider timeless wayfinding signs that can be stored and reused. For events with sustainability goals, outdoor paper board may be worth considering because corflute is harder to recycle.
02 Sponsor Signs
Sponsor signage gives partners visible value at the event. It can connect a sponsor with the event brand, the audience and the places where attendees spend time.
Common sponsor locations include entrances, stages, fences, registration areas, marquees and photo zones. Signage rights are often sold as packages, so the format and placement should match the value promised to each sponsor.
03 Event Banners
Event banners are one of the most cost-effective ways to advertise an upcoming event and brand the venue itself. They work across fences, stages, walls, entries and temporary structures.
The best banner material depends on where the sign will sit, how long it needs to last and how much wind it will face.
The Main Event Banner Options
01 Vinyl Event Banners
Vinyl banners are opaque, durable and strong for outdoor use. They show artwork clearly, especially when the banner sits against a solid structure.
Vinyl is useful for stage skirts, trade show banners, outdoor media walls and hanging banners that need print on both sides. It is less suitable for exposed fence lines because wind cannot pass through it.
02 Event Mesh Banners
Vinyl mesh is a practical choice for event signs in outdoor venues. The perforations let wind pass through, which makes mesh banners useful on temporary fencing and perimeter lines.
PVC mesh banners are durable and affordable. They are often used around special areas, work zones, sponsor zones and crowd-control edges.
03 Fabric Banners
Polyester banners are light, foldable and easy to transport. They suit roadshows, recurring events and short-term installations where the signs need to pack down between uses.
Polyester is also recyclable. It is commonly used for crowd control barrier covers, speaker stack covers and other temporary event displays.
Where can event banners be used?
Banners are often used for:
- fence banners
- street pole banners
- hanging banners in shopping centres, exhibitions and trade shows
- billboards made from PVC banners
- stage skirts and dressing banners
- speaker tower banners
- perimeter fence banners
- temporary fence banners that separate spaces
- crowd control barrier banners
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