You’ve seen LED panels used for presentations, but the fun doesn’t stop there.
The use of LED is one of the most popular event trends, and with good reason. We’ve shared the benefits of LED, including its brightness, rich colors, and deep blacks … as well as thrown in our two cents on the LED vs. Projection debate … and those who have experienced LED know the difference.
However, if you’re just using LED for traditional displays at your events, you’re missing out on big opportunities to wow attendees and uplevel the event experience.
Keep reading to learn more about how you can use LEDs at your event to create visuals that pack a punch!
Directional Signage
When producing an event in a large convention center or venue with multiple rooms, directional signage is key to ensuring your attendees know where they’re going for each event session, while reinforcing branding and design elements throughout the venue. While these helpful signs are often printed, LED is a functional and exciting way to take the signage to the next level.
Using a variety of large displays in lobbies and registration areas, as well as smaller displays in hallways and outdoor event spaces, allows your attendees to get the information they need, regardless of where they are.
By using LED, you can employ unique aspect ratios, including vertical and horizontal strips, arches, and unique shapes, making a more interesting and exciting display. Additionally, you can update the display each day, or even after each session has been completed, giving attendees more in-depth directions and information, giving it extra functionality over traditional printed signs.
Entryways
Exciting branding and visuals shouldn’t just be limited to the ballroom where the largest sessions take place. Much like directional signage, entryway visuals allow you to develop excitement and give your attendees something to look at and interact with before they enter the room.
Like traditional signage, LED allows you to maintain branding consistency – but it gives you the increased ability to alter color pallets and other design elements to identify individual sessions, such as an opening session, a keynote speaker, or an awards gala.
Banners
Upstage banners are fairly common in events, but they can have even more creative uses throughout the event space as well.
Having additional LED panels in interesting locations, shapes, and sizes allow you to add bold content during walk-ins and after the event has concluded while having a more subtle, complementary look during the actual event.
Pro Tip: Connecting your media player to the lighting console opens the door to even more possibilities! Picture how exciting an opening experience will be when additional LED panels are part of the show.
Ticker
At many large-scale events, second-screen alternatives are gaining popularity, and it’s easy to see why. From displaying content that features social media tags, RSS feeds, messages from both the event team and attendees, and more, these “ticker” displays allow you to share information that will enhance the attendee experience without pulling attention or space from the primary presentation.
Consider incorporating a long LED display into your stage design, either to the sides of the screen, upstage, or in unconventional locations around the room!
Take it to the Next Level
Thanks to viral videos, nearly everyone has seen the LED trucks cruising around the Vegas Strip. While you may not be able to fit a full truck in your event space, we think configuring a Cushman cart to roam around the hallways of the convention center is a great way to surprise and delight your attendees when they least expect it!
Let’s Talk Numbers
While LED is often thought of as a costly event solution, it doesn’t need to be – especially for atypical activations. While high-resolution tiles are a must for the main event display, most of these ideas could utilize lower-resolution LED tiles and still have the desired impact – saving your organization a lot of money!
At Encompass, we have unique backgrounds that situate us perfectly to produce high-end and complex offerings. We’ve worked in broadcast television, touring entertainment, live sporting events, and countless convention facilities across the country.
We have technical design experience and a disciplined process in place that allows us to easily scale events and shift from in-person to virtual without angst. There isn’t much beyond our scope and we love the intensity of putting on events!
If you’re a planner working to create an event, seeking help with virtual event technology, or simply want to learn more … we can help! Sign up below to receive our updates (we promise to keep your contact information secure and won’t “overshare”).