One of the most vexing issues at our first annual Bucks County Health and Fitness Fair was signage. Apparently my partner and I were the only ones who thought we had enough. So lesson learned number one is–you can never have enough signs and they can never be too big.
Maybe it is because we knew the whole event inside out and backwards. Maybe it is because we knew the venue so well we forgot what it was like the first time we went there. One thing was clear…we were the only ones who knew where everything was.
When polling people the main criticism was lack of signage. At first we thought, OK, that’s a legit complaint…our signs were a bit small. But then as we asked more questions we realized these people were just not very bright. Lesson two…the customer is always right.
One person said it was not clear where they could get the healthy food we had talked about on TV. It was not clear to them where the snack bar was? We were dumbfounded. No, we did not put up a sign for the snack bar; but it was clearly indicated on the show floor map we handed out. It was also smack in front of you when you entered the venue…after the registration desk it was the very first thing you saw! How could people be so incompetent?
Wrong! We then looked at it from their point of view. You enter the venue and give your donation at the door where people are greeting you and handing you a program and map and change. You then take a couple more steps and someone hands you a goodie bag. You have never been there before and you naturally walk to the right and onto the show floor. In the first three to five minutes upon entering your senses were overwhelmed with newness…of course you didn’t notice the snack bar right in front of you…especially if you were not hungry when you came in.
As people kept pointing out the difficulties in finding what was obvious to us, we realized more and more the problem was with our assumptions and not with them being directionally challenged. But how do you know what is obvious and what is not when you have seen something so many times…at least in your head?
If you have access to the venue walk someone through blindfolded. If you don’t have access, close your eyes and walk through in your mind. Start in the parking lot and work your way through. Which way is the entrance? Is this registration? What am I supposed to do here? I paid, now which way should I go, right or left? Where are the restrooms? Where are the free health screenings? Where is the main stage? etc.
Every time they ask you a question, you know you need a big sign. Even if it seems obvious to you, you can never have enough signage. Do you have a trick for knowing what signage is needed? Let us know in the comment section.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Great tips Traci. Here’s a paraphrase of your post: “Walk in your attendee’s shoes to see if what you think works actually works. Their point of view is important and valid.”
Thanks Jeff for the great summary! That could have saved me a lot of writing time. But then I’m just a bit chatty…
I totally agree there is NEVER enough signage! One case where less is more does not work… in both size and quantity.
Another way to approach it is to ask, “Where do I want these people to go and when?” When they’re at the middle of the show, encouraging concession purchases might not be a bad idea. Lots of signage from every logical angle pointing to concessions.
In addition to size, color is an extremely important factor. The brighter the better for directionals.
Glad you made it through this inaugural event. It’ll only get better next year!
Thanks for the comment Heidi. Great tip on where you want them to go when…I will definitely keep that in mind. I’ve also noticed that while signs with a crisp white background to appear to stand out more when you are designing them, they tend to fade into the background at the event.