By Olivia Cahoon
Part 2 of 2
Trade show environments offer the branding opportunity of a lifetime. To stand out from the competition, today’s brand owners seek innovative graphics that draw attendees to their booth. Traditional banner stands and hanging signs are complemented by digitally printed tablecloths, custom counters, and floor decals.
Established in 1974, Displays2go started in Warren, RI. George Patton created the company with a hand-written flyer to promote his custom-designed and manufactured acrylic display products.
The company quickly evolved into an eCommerce manufacturer and distributor for display and merchandising solutions. Now part of the TAKKT family of brands, it operates in a 500,000 square foot facility with over 250 workers in Fall River, MA.
“Much of that growth we attribute to having always offered personalized solutions to fill the very unique needs of small businesses and individuals alike,” says Tiffany Fredette, offline marketing and graphics specialist, Displays2go. It ships products to both Canada and the U.S.
Quality Merchandising Solutions
Displays2go offered trade show products since it started, even when the company only produced simple acrylic signage. Its earliest forms of trade signage included sign frames and stands from acrylic, wood, and wire.
Larger acrylic displays were cut on laser machines for precision and accuracy. According to Fredette, this technology allowed the company to offer acrylic sign stands measuring up to two inches thick, which were both durable and unique.
In 2005, Displays2go started digitally printing banners with Mimaki USA, Inc. JV3 printers to increase product selection and update its solutions. It now offers over 9,000 unique solutions, the majority of which are stocked in house. Its most popular trade show signage includes dye-sublimation (dye-sub) silicone edge graphics and stretch fabric back walls, custom printed table covers, vinyl banner stands, custom printed pop-up counters, and UV printed podiums.
The print provider continues to use Mimaki digital devices and inks, including the JV34-260, CJV Series, and JFX200-2513. It uses the Mimaki JV34-260 for banners and posters, the Mimaki CJV for pressure-sensitive adhesive, and the Mimaki JFX200-2513 for materials such as acrylic, PETG, Coroplast, foamboard, and Dibond.
“We have found success with the quality of inks and resolution that Mimaki provides giving the end product a more vibrant color output than others we compared against,” comments Elisabete Andrade, graphics coordinator, Displays2go. It also just recently added a dye-sub printer to offer more in-house options with improved lead times.
The Mimaki printers are paired with Mimaki ink, which the company started to use five years ago for increased quality. It also uses Mimaki RasterLink6 RIP software and a variety of media from several brands including HP and Ultraflex Systems, Inc. “The colors are vibrant and more compatible with our RIP software,” adds Andrade.
To offer as many personalized fixtures as possible, Displays2go embodies a “print to everything” concept. “Displays2go also strives to be a one-stop shop for businesses of every kind, from entrepreneurial to mid-size to large national chains and municipalities,” comments Fredette.
An example of this is its digital products, which offers customers the ability to tell a story and share their impact. The print provider’s digital and digitally enhanced fixtures include video walls, merchandising shelves with digital monitors, and floor standing digital kiosks in both touch and non-touch variations.
Custom Counters
Displays2go serves a broad market for nearly all business operations—both specific and general. As a result, the print provider has a variety of repeat clients that seek fixtures and outfitting solutions designed to meet specific needs.
“From digital fixtures with custom branding options to personalized acrylic brochure holders or replenishable, printed cardboard displays, we supply businesses and individual consumers with a variety of smart fixtures to help ensure success,” shares Steph Di Saia, content marketing manager, Displays2go.
Recently, a repeat client in the management consulting services industry approached Displays2go for trade show signage. The client’s customer—a luxury liquor brand—requested personalized booth fixtures for multiple trade shows.
To create 40 trade show counters with custom graphics, Displays2go selected PETG and printed it on its Mimaki JFX200-2513 UV printer. “It conveys a beautiful quality for the counters,” offers Martha Dias, VP of marketing, Displays2go.
The custom graphics featured hook and loop Velcro on each end, attached to a felt front on the counter. As the material can cause static, Andrade says keeping the graphics clean and static free was a slight challenge, but the shop overcame it.
This job stands out in Displays2go’s portfolio due to the end user being an exclusive, luxury liquor brand with high expectations. “As we’ve increased our printing quality, capabilities, and capacity, customers have begun to exhibit more confidence in buying products with custom artwork online. In the past they would have had to pay a premium for this type of quality at a local sign shop,” comments Di Saia.
Brand-Enhancing Solutions
Displays2go’s mission is to empower people and businesses to connect with the world by providing a variety of easy-to-use, brand-enhancing products and personalized solutions. It accomplishes this with extensive experience in trade show signage and the use of Mimaki printers and ink.
Click here to read part one of this exclusive online series, Tricks of the Trade Show.
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Jan2019, Digital Output
