Lugging around banners from one exhibition to the other is part of the job. Sometimes the exhibition display game can feel like you’re a glorified furniture removalist with all the packing and unpacking, loading and unloading. But we love it – otherwise we wouldn’t be in the business. Luckily, there are some tricks of the trade to make your life a hell of lot easier and that’s what this post is all about. In this post we take a closer look on how to transport your banners the easiest way possible to make loading and unloading them a piece of cake and to also make the set up and pack down a quick and easy task.

Loading Up

To make loading up easier you will need some pallets and a pallet jack. When you get the call for the job you should take a look at what banners you will need for the job and start sorting them out. Have a clear vision of how you will pack them in the truck so that they fit nice and so they are easily accessed with minimal strain on your body. Work smarter, not harder.

Sort the banners out and put them on the pallet, then wheel them over to the truck with the pallet jack. This saves you from doing multiple trips back and forth, lugging banners like a worker ant. After you wheel the banners over on the pallet, load them onto the truck. If you have a lift gate then your job will be a whole lot easier, otherwise you’re going to have to do it manually.

Load the smaller, lighter banners in first. This will make your job easier when unloading. If you load the heavier, bulkier banners in last they will be easy to access when unloading. Make sure they are tightly packed and secured. To secure the banners you can use tie downs, rope, or ockie straps. This will prevent them from tumbling down when you take a sharp corner or have to put the brakes on suddenly for some reason.

There is nothing worse than rocking up to the venue and opening the doors and your display kit is everywhere, resembling something like a dog’s breakfast. If you have room take the pallet and pallet jack with you. If you’re in a van this probably won’t be possible, so take a small trolley to help with the unload.

Some venues already have pallet jacks and pallets on hand. It’s a good idea to contact the venue supervisor and ask a few simple questions about the logistics of the venue, then you will have an idea of what you’re dealing with and what you need to bring.

When you get to the venue, find the supervisor straight away and find out the closest place to the locations of the exhibit that you can park. The less distance you have to carry your banners the better and the set up will be a piece of cake. If you can, get nice and close. Unfortunately, as we all know, most places (especially indoors) require some lugging of your display set.

Ask the venue manager if they have any transport equipment available such as pallet jacks, trolleys, or even a fork lift. If you get lucky, some venues can scoop up the pallet filled with your exhibition display set straight of the back of the truck and take it straight over to the site. But this is rare and only happens in a perfect a world. The secret is to know all the tools and means available to you before you even think about unloading. That’s why clear communication with the venue supervisor is paramount and can make your life much easier.

First you want to unload your pallet onto the ground. Then unload all your display onto the pallet. Make sure it’s nice and sturdy so it doesn’t topple over when you’re navigating through the busy corridors. It doesn’t hurt to take a few extra sandbags to use as weight to stop things from falling off the pallet. I always leave about ten in the truck because you never know when you might need them. They also are great for outdoor events. When it gets a bit windy you can put them on the base of the banners to stop them from blowing over. They also act as counter weights for the marquee for extra security.

Then after the event is over, do everything in reverse. But this time you will have a spring in your step, knowing that you will be home soon to rest. Then wake up and do it all again. Hopefully my tips for transporting banners makes your life a bit easier. I know it has mine. Good luck!