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ExhibitorLive Goes Big with BackLights
3 min read
ExhibitorLive is the ‘trade show for the trade show industry” and is the one and only place to see the latest trends in the Exhibit industry. The one clear trend that jumped out at me from this show was the strong shift to backlit trade show displays. Backlit displays have clearly moved from a “cool niche” to the mainstream. Backlit booths capitalize on the following new and evolving technologies
- Dye sublimated large format graphic printing with flexible Silicon strips sewn into the edges
- LED Lighting
- Continued price drops in Aluminum Extrusions
- New Innovative pop up frames adapted for SEG graphics
Backlighting is a very clear and direct method to ensure that your booth gets noticed. As we all know from neon signs in Vegas, humans are attracted to bright lights – and backlit exhibits are bright and eye catching. While backlit displays have been around for many years, what’s new is their level of portability and affordability.
In the “old days” (i.e. 2 years ago), the only available backlit trade show displays used a very expensive aluminum extrusion based structure which required the use of tools, screws, and hex nuts to assemble. This structure likely shipped in a custom made wood crate, required an expensive labor crew to assemble, and required the purchase of an expensive lighting rig.
Today you can purchase a backlit booth, like the Iconic BriteBox display, that ships in plastic tubs, has a “no tools” assembly design, uses brilliant LED lights that are easy to install, and retails for less than half the cost of traditional backlit booths.
While we were one of the first to offer an affordable, easy to assemble, highly portable, backlit display system, it’s clear from ExhibitorLive that backlit displays are the “next big thing” in the exhibit industry. Just like full mural pop-ups took the industry by storm 10 years ago, I think that backlit displays will have a similar impact over the next few years.
Another interesting new development in backlit displays is the new arrival of “pop-up SEG systems”. The popup SEG system starts with a popup frame, but then uses a new style of “channel bars” which are attached around the perimeter of the frame. These special SEG channel bars have grooves in them which can accept the Silicon edging which is sewed into an SEG fabric graphic. The beauty of this system is that it retains the light weight and simplicity of a pop up display, but also provides the elegant and modern look of an SEG graphic backwall. Give us a call if you’re interested in this style of SEG backwall and watch our website for our new product rollout that will include a backlit option.
There’s no question that a non-backlit booth just doesn’t have the visual impact of a backlit booth. That said, you also don’t have to back light your entire booth space to make an impact. A great use of backlighting for a larger booth (i.e. greater than 10×10) is to use backlit elements (small backwalls, towers, or backlit counters) within the booth to call attention to your brand and messaging. You can also use video monitors to add that element of light to your booth as well. Of course video monitors provide the added impact of movement and interactivity.