Trade Show Displays and Exhibits: How SEG Has Taken Over

By Gabby Houck

Trade shows are all about making great first impressions. Exhibitors want to make sure their booths stand out, especially in this post-pandemic world where experience-starved people crave something different and exciting after being deprived of in-person events for two years.

And shockingly enough, the way companies stand out on trade show floors is a lighter load than ever before, thanks to the evolution of fabrics and modular frame systems.

SEG Has Taken Over

Shannon Lockhart, vice president of exhibits for Shepard Exposition Services — which handles the decoration aspect of PRINTING United Expo and is a member of PRINTING United Alliance — shares that the main priority she sees with custom booths is the ability to set them up and break them down easily.

“I would say that the biggest thing people are looking for right now,” Lockhart says, “is to have options that don’t require them to build big, bulky, heavy custom booths like they used to. Previously, that was really the only main option people had if they wanted a custom booth, or if they wanted something that looked high-end. They typically had to build a booth and construct it out of a lot of heavy materials like wood and laminates and things like that. And it didn’t give them the opportunity to make changes to them very easily. They basically had to get a design and stick to it.”

The Rise of SEG

How can exhibitors avoid big, bulky materials? Silicone edge graphics, commonly known as SEG.
Dan O’Connor, director of custom sales for Orbus Visual Communications Group, also an Alliance member, says that during his recent trip to Exhibitor Live, which he dubs the “trade show for trade show people,” he noticed that backlit SEG graphics were all the rage.

This 10’ x 30’ inline modular booth features vibrant SEG graphics showcasing William Murray’s brand of golf apparel. | Credit: Orbus Visual Communications Group

“95% of everything I saw was a backlit SEG,” O'Connor says. “Hard substrates were few and far between — really. And if they were [there], they were at a level where you could kick it, sort of like a counter or something like that. It was just storage more than it was a graphic.”

So why SEG? Jaime Herand, vice president of graphic operations at Orbus, says that, visually, SEG looks good and it’s user-friendly.

“It looks so polished compared to older tech with Velcro or any other kind of attachment method,” Herand says. “Whether it was a Velcro fabric graphic or a rigid infill, SEG looks clean, and it’s easy for almost everybody to install.”

Herand notes that as printing technology has evolved, it has created increased opportunities to print and create clean and crisp SEG graphics.

“A lot of the technology, whether it’s fabrics combined with the print technology, makes it conducive to produce good SEG graphics,” Herand shares. “Add cutting equipment, and you can have a solid manufacturing process between your material choices, your print options, and your cutting options. And I think that on the backlit side, you could do UV, you could do dye sub … I think there’s versatile print equipment out in the market that supports all those different options right now.”

And because of all the equipment in today’s wide-format marketplace, O’Connor has also noticed that SEG hardware manufacturers are leaning on printers now more than ever.

“They’re looking to partner with people who have the best color, the best quality, and that can print 16 ft. wide like we can,” O’Connor says. “They’re leaning on people who can offer support for the systems because they don’t print. So, as those hardware manufacturers become more and more popular, you know they’re leaning on companies like us to print the graphics for their systems.”

Keeping Costs Down

Lockhart says she’s noticing more and more exhibitors looking for ways to design booths that can be quickly changed if needed, so it makes sense that everyone is gravitating toward SEGs, which are easier to set up, switch out, and take down.

In addition to ease of use, it also helps to keep costs down without sacrificing quality, Lockhart explains.

“Exhibitors are looking for versatile graphics that they’re able to change and swap so that they can change the look of their booth if they need to, while at the same time trying to cut down on the shipping costs and drayage costs that — we all know — are continuing to go up,” Lockhart says. “So, they’re looking for ways to still have that high-end look, but don’t have all the cost. It also helps a lot on the labor side of things; because these materials aren’t labor intensive, exhibitors are seeing their labor costs actually go down instead of going up.”

O’Connor shares a similar sentiment on shipping, adding that when it comes to shipping materials from show to show, an SEG graphic can fold up to fit in a zip-close bag. Meanwhile, a Sintra panel could require a pallet to ship flat. He also points out that SEGs are less prone to damage, so with fewer material handling costs and greater durability, he says it just makes sense.

Creating an Experience

So, why is it now so important that exhibitors should be able to quickly change out graphics and shake things up? Herand believes that it’s all centered around making lasting impressions.

Orbus produced this 80 x 60' large custom island exhibit for Koozie Group. The exhibit featured vibrant, bold SEG fabric graphics that put Koozie’s promotional products on display vividly. The light boxes on the outside of the booth drew visitors inside, where there were 8 uniquely designed areas - a kitchen, a forest, a camping scene, and a home office.

“I think people are trying to make their trade show booth and their experience for the company more unique,” Herand says. “And so, I think there’s a lot more desire to have that experiential marketing feel. There are some bigger booths we’ve done where they’re trying to make these interactive spaces, whether they’re writing on walls or utilizing selfie stations.”

Along with selfie stations, Herand says she’s noticing an uptick in the use of 3D letters, and O’Connor says he’s noticing that exhibitors are creating themes for their booths that can get visitors more involved.

“I’ve been with Orbus for 17 years, and I’ve been doing trade shows for that long,” O'Connor says. “It used to be about getting people sucked into your booth because you had the newest product. Now, I think it’s that people want to come by your booth for whatever the experience of the booth is.”

Lockhart also sees brands and exhibitors becoming more consciously creative in the space they’re given.
“They’re really using the show floor to sell themselves and sell their company and what it is that they have, and I think people are being very intentional with how they do that,” Lockhart says.