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The concept of pop-up has become very popular in the last few years and is part of everyday parlance. The increasing number of empty shops on most high streets has inspired a new type of retail experience—the ‘pop-up shop’. In just one store in my own high street, there has been a pop-up baby shop, a pop-up exhibition, and a pop-up Christmas wrapping service. Some stores even have pop-up shops in their own shop.
 

It makes sense. The store space is empty and available. It requires a minimal investment to test the market in that area, so the overall risk is pretty small. And, the good old sign trade is a massive help, because where there are pop-up shops, there is likely to be a requirement for pop-up signage. A retailer can dress a space very effectively and quite inexpensively with a few strategically positioned pop-up and roll-up images.

As well as retail, this form of signage is now the must have for the busy travelling salesman, wishing to re-create an exhibition space in his potential customer’s own office. They are also essential for anyone hosting a conference, or a seminar, or even a slimming club meeting. Just bring along the sign in a handy carry case and with a few seconds, you can have a lovely sign telling everyone what is going on, and even gaining some revenue by advertising other companies’ products. With pop-up signage, you can quickly turn any space into a mini exhibition booth, and this is a hugely effective sales and marketing technique.
 

The products themselves have quickly become commoditised, particularly the roll-ups. Rick Kwiecien, pre-sales product specialist at Colourgen, says: “Many roll-up signs now are so cheap they are virtually disposable. However, many companies are also looking for a good level of quality and this creates good business for wide-format printing companies. The Mutoh range of printers are ideal for creating vibrant images that can be built into the systems and can work with a broad range of quality media.”
 
Colourgen has its own range of materials that are particularly well suited to roll-up sign systems. Its Elite Essentials range offers the more traditional roll-up materials but also different options, such as the flexible matt white polyester banner, which is a high quality fabric for solvent printers and ideal for roll-up signage both indoor and out.
 
Kwiecien adds: “The fabric material is lighter than other, more traditional media and it also rolls up much more smoothly. The solvent inks work perfectly on this material, delivering really vivid, high-quality images with that little bit of differentiation from the normal crowd.”
 

Sihl Direct also has a broad range of media ideally suited to pop-up and roll-up displays. UK operations director, Ian Turnbull, comments: “Our Poly-SOL range of satin finished, waterfast polyester films for solvent inks have high stiffness, making them suitable for pop-up-systems and displays.
 
“Due to its greyback, the media has nearly 100 percent opacity making it ideal for free-standing applications. The excellent flatness allows this media to be used for a wide range of signage, advertising, and POS applications. The innovative coating and its bright whiteness lead to a quick drying time and a wide colour gamut, with eco-, mild- and true-solvent inks. The product is also suitable for hot and cold lamination.”
 
He adds: “Our DuraCURE media for UV-based inkjet printers is the perfect combination of paper and film, and also ideal for pop-up displays. We use a larger amount of paper, keeping the media as eco-friendly as possible. Film is used sparsely, just enough to strengthen functionality and tear resistance.”
 
Ultimate pop-ups

Pop-up display systems account for a large part of Ultima Displays product portfolio.
 
One of the largest manufacturing, distribution and service groups in the display, exhibition, and event market worldwide, Ultima claims to be the market leader in portable display and graphics solutions to the trade.
 
“We manufacture, print, and assemble the majority of our pop-up systems at our Corby premises using skilled staff to quickly and efficiently put the systems together based on customers’ requirements,” says Andrew Burdett, managing director of Ultima Displays UK and Europe.
 
“We offer a wide range of pop-up products from 3 x 1m frame kits to 3x5m kits, either curved or straight. Customers can buy the frame only or we can print the graphic panels using their artwork provided.  As well as kits, we also offer pop-up counters, pop-up towers, mini kits, and L-shaped designs.” 
 
Pop-ups are a cost effective way of creating exhibition stands or presentation back drops quickly and efficiently, using ‘smart’ magnetic locking arms that click the frame together in seconds, and with magnetic strips the graphic panels fit easily into place with minimum fuss.
 
Burdett adds: “The system is so popular that we have put together a ‘bundle  kit’, which includes the frame, magnetic bars with hangers and kickers, one 30m roll of magnetic tape, two Powerspot 950 halogen lights, plus a Zeus case with hinged thermoformed table top in beech to carry all components and graphic panels. Pop-up products feature highly on our website with the ‘Evolution Quick’ pop-up and the Impact Bundle always in our top ten customer product searches.”
 
He continues: “Similar to pop-ups is the Hop-up range, using a light weight concertina style frame work that is very quick and easy to set up, offering a superb back drop to your display available in four frame sizes. Fabric fits smoothly across the frame work and stays in place once the frame has
been collapsed. Again Hop-ups feature highly on our website customer pro-duct searches.”
 
Exhibition pop-ups

Expand Media manufactures and markets portable media displays. UK sales manager, Michael Southey, explains some key trends emerging from the sector: “The traditional way of exhibiting with pop-up signage is with straight or curved systems that form an effective backdrop. They can fit into the typical 3 x 3m or 3 x 2m stands that many small exhibitors have. The roller banner tends to be used as a backup or add-on to this, usually as a strategic sign placed to get added attention.”
 
He continues: “This form of signage is now very well established, which has meant that the market has been flooded by many suppliers from China, which has cheapened the market considerably and lowered the quality of these displays. The result is that many exhibitions will be displaying a complete mix of qualities and it really does show. However, I do believe there is plenty of growth still in the market and Expand Media is well positioned to take advantage of this thanks to our niche for specialist markets.”
 
Many small businesses use the traditional pop-up or roller banners, as they are easy to put up and dismantle and are totally portable. However, Southey says that the bigger companies go for bespoke stands because their budget is larger and they want to have a bigger impact with their image and brand messages.
 
“I suspect there is a change in the market again, which is driving companies to be different, and this is where the onset of the textile fabric graphics come into their own. High-quality dye sub printing means a very sharp acute image and it is easy to put up. Textile media is also lighter and easier to pack so freight costs can be lowered by only using textile graphics.”
 
Southey continues: “Our flagship product is Expand 2000, which is a market leader because it is so versatile. With this system, customers can add showcases and have varying shapes with hinged mag bars and the like. We were also the first to have straight end graphics instead of the traditional curved end graphics, which is a big help to customers in smaller spaces or exhibition booths. More recently, and as competition increased, we introduced the lower cost media wall that we call the flattened curve. This goes up to two or three metres high and is a very cost-effective way of using traditional pop-ups.”
 
Expand has also launched an interesting alternative solution to a pop-up stand. “We have introduced the Linkwall, which is a flexi banner system that forms varying shapes using the flex link and adapts to a small or large stand for whatever is required. The base unit is 900 x 2200/2500/2900 high and everything is built from this. It forms a seamless graphic backdrop with interesting shapes. We have also introduced the Panoramic Light Box, which ticks many boxes for originality and impact. The LED lights are inside the aluminium frame so you get the uplight and downlight effects. The clarity of the textile print is second to none.”
 
Finally Southey mentions Expands range of textile products, MediaFabric Pop-up; he explains: “Textile is becoming increasingly popular for pop-up banners. The graphic fabric stays on the pop-up and it folds down into a sports bag. This is very popular for freighting overseas and by people who travel because it is easy to use and set up.”
 
There are undoubtedly some great products in this area and these are driving continuous growth and development. More applications, such as the pop-up shops, are appearing, and these will further drive the need for investment in pop-up and roll-up signage. Sign-makers should look at the printing equipment they have and see if they can use the available media and textiles to grab a piece of the market. You should also look closely at the pop-up systems that are available and build a relationship that will allow you to generate sales in new areas before the competition can get there first.
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