Note 0123D Printing1 min read
Printing for events: pieces made to a deadline
What to plan when a printed piece has to be ready for an event, from the first sketch to the day it has to be in place.
Events have the one deadline that cannot move. A launch, an exhibition stand, a conference, an activation in a mall: the pieces have to be there on the day, finished, and able to survive being carried in and set up.
What gets printed for events
- Props and display pieces for stands and stages
- Oversized versions of a product or a logo
- Mascots and characters that people photograph
- Giveaways and small pieces made in a run
- Awards for the winners on the night
Each has its own note: brand mascots, corporate gifts and awards, and large-format printing for the pieces bigger than a printer.
Work backwards from the date
The plan starts from the day the pieces must be in place and runs backwards: delivery and setting up, finishing, printing, and before all of that, agreeing the design. The earlier the design is agreed, the more room there is for everything after it.
Built to travel
Event pieces are carried, loaded and handled by people in a hurry. Large pieces can be made in sections that are fixed together on site, and finishes are chosen to survive the journey as well as to look right under the lights.
After the event
Many event pieces have a second life in a showroom, an office or a lobby. If that is the plan, say so at the start: it can change the material and the finish.
Behind the campaign
An event rarely ends at the stand. The same studio can build the automations behind a campaign, such as answering the enquiries it brings in on WhatsApp.
Follow the studio
The work in these notes, as it is made: pieces off the printers, systems going live.
