Signage Nerd

Event Signage, Considered.

“Beware the person who won’t be bothered with details.”

― William Feather

Custom Face Masks and Graduation Signs

Face Masks While mandated masks aren’t pleasant to wear, they speak volumes from a distance. MPA Graphics can custom print reusable fabric face masks with your logo or URL to help spread your brand while preventing the spread of COVID-19. 50 full digital custom face masks:  $405 plus shipping100 masks:  $675 plus shipping  Please allow…

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Let’s Make April Look Good!

This is no April’s Fool joke, in addition to 10% off all orders for the month of April, we are also offering free shipping on our canopy sets and flags. Working on future events is giving us hope and a sense of purpose during this isolating time.   Sending our best wishes out to all of our…

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Partner Up!

I spoke recently to a group of multisport sponsors at the USA Triathlon Partner Summit in Tempe, Az. As you may know, USAT is making an all-out effort to reverse a flattening of the registration curve the sport has experienced in recent years. The same flattening trend has been noted in distance running, to an…

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Puttin’ on the Ritz

People ask me, “Where can I best spend my limited signage budget?” I’ve arrived at a quick two-part answer. The first place is wayfinding. Directional signage. You can’t have too much. In a time of too many races and too many athletes, customer service can be enough of a differentiator to keep your athletes not…

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The LED Future

It will be some years before even the largest and best-funded events that we typically work with will switch to LED signage and away from traditional signs and banners. Some minor inroads in the form of digital track boards have been made, but the current economics of the industry make a broad, widespread switch unlikely…

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Why Race Signage Is Not Just a Line Item

I recently spoke on the topic of event signage being more than just a profit-gobbling line item at the Road Runners Club of America National Convention in Washington DC. (https://www.rrca.org/) There’s no doubt race directors are evolving on this issue. While some event pros still part grudgingly with signage budgets, it was good to see…

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The Art of Wayfinding

Wayfinding signage plays a key role in keeping your customers happy  For race directors willing to get into the weeds on directional signage, The New York Times recently published a terrific piece: “Lost in Penn Station? Amtrak Has an App to Guide You.”  The topic is “wayfinding”, the term industry professionals use for pointing people…

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First Impressions Count

“When you’re asking for money, always be the best-dressed guy in the room.” — Mark McCormack, founder, IMG I walked into a pre-race expo a few years ago, and the first thing I saw from across the parking lot was a printed canopy that looked as it had survived the Battle of Baghdad. Legs askew, filthy…

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Refreshing Your Banner IQ

It’s human to take the most common things for granted. For an event professional, banners are one of those things. And they shouldn’t be. If you’re managing an outdoor event, banners are your public face; they speak quickly and loudly about what kind of operation you’re running. So banners are important. They deserve your attention…

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