Feather flag, banner or tent? Picking print for your first event
Signing up for your first market, festival or trade show is exciting right up until someone asks, "So what's your booth going to look like?" Here's a plain-English guide to the three things most small businesses end up ordering, and what each one is actually for.
Feather flags: so people find you
A feather flag is the tall, curved flag you see outside car washes and at the edge of event lots. Its job is simple: be seen from far away. At a busy outdoor market it's often the first thing someone notices from across the field.
- Keep the words to a handful. People read it walking past.
- Put your logo at the top, where it catches the wind and the eye.
- Get a ground spike for grass and a cross base with a water bag for pavement.
Retractable banner: so people understand you
A retractable (roll-up) banner stands behind or beside your table. Once someone has walked over, this is where they learn what you do. It rolls into its own base and carries like a long bag, which makes it perfect for indoor events, lobbies and pop-ups.
- Your name and what you do should be readable from across the room.
- Keep the important stuff above table height. The bottom third often gets hidden.
- Add a QR code so people can follow you or order later.
Branded tent: so you look like you belong
A printed 10x10 canopy is the biggest jump in how professional your booth looks. In an Arizona summer it's also shade, which matters more than any design choice. Pair it with a fitted printed tablecloth and you look like an established business even at your first event.
- Print your name on the valance (the strip around the edge). That's what people see at eye level.
- A fitted tablecloth with your logo hides all your boxes and spare stock underneath.
- Check the event rules: some require weights on every leg, and some have colour or size limits.
So what should you order first?
- Outdoor markets: a tent and one feather flag. Add a tablecloth when you can.
- Indoor events and trade shows: a retractable banner and a tablecloth.
- Pop-ups in front of a shop: two feather flags, one on each side of the door.
And bring business cards or flyers either way. Most people won't buy at the event, but they'll take something home.
A few design tips that apply to all of it
- Fewer words, bigger letters. If you can't read it from 30 feet, it's too small.
- High contrast. Dark text on light, or light on dark. Avoid red on green.
- Same look everywhere. Your flag, banner and tent should feel like one set.
- Send your logo in the best file you have. If you're not sure what that is, send what you've got and we'll check it.
Give yourself time
Ask for your print about two weeks before the event. That leaves time to design it, approve a proof and fix anything before it prints. Rush jobs are possible, but nobody enjoys them, least of all you the night before a market.
Doing an event in Queen Creek, Gilbert, Mesa or anywhere around Phoenix? Tell us the date and the space you have, and we'll suggest a setup that fits.
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