I post a lot on traditional stage curtains as well as on the drapery we make for music tours, but I realized this afternoon that I have not posted on another element of our business – exhibit booths, drapes and supplies.
You may not know what I mean by “exhibit booths,” but I am sure you have seen them (or perhaps even used them yourself). These are the booths you see at trade shows and convention vendor floors.
Commonly, the elements that are used to make up these exhibit booths are referred to as “Pipe and Base” or “Pipe and Drape.” Often the booths are connected in a side by side and/or back to back configuration – a common configuration is to have a series of booths with 8′ backwalls and 3′ side walls (you can see drawings of these types of configurations on the “Wholesale Pipe and Drape Packages” page of our website).
In many cases, the standard booths are provided by the show organizer or venue – but booth holders often personalize them with their own drapery – or even bring their own hardware as well as drapery.
The hardware includes uprights, bases, and drape supports. We distribute a “slip-fit” system of hardware. This means that the bottom of the upright slips right into the center of the base – no screws required. Uprights have slots in two areas – at the top and at about 3′ from the bottom. The final piece of hardware is the drape support (also known as the crossbar). This is the “pole” that the drapes hang from. These drape supports have “hooks” on each end which fit into the slots on the uprights.
Drapes are usually made with an open rod pocket at the top – the drape support slides through the pocket (similiar to a home window drape sheer). The most affordable option is to purchase single-width unpleated panels that are unpleated and use extra panels pushed together to give a natural pleated appearance. For example, for a 10 foot wide backwall, we would recommend 4 drapes at 4′ wide each (or a total of 16′ in drapery width).
“Pipe and Drape” system are truly a “do-it-yourself” option. A single stand-alone booth with an 8′ backwall, two 3′ sidewalls, and an open front requires only a few components and can be put up in by a couple of people in 15 minutes. We even sell a couple of single booth packages that gives the customer every thing needed for a 10′ x 10′ booth – bases, uprights, telescopic drape supports, drapes, along with carry/storage bags for everything.
But another option that can personalize a booth is to purchase custom drapes. Perhaps you select a different fabric, a different color, have an image digitally printed on the drapes, or even do something fun like these two-toned angled drapes that we made for ourselves, to use in our own booth at a trade show:
Yes, the huge corporations spend a huge amount of money having custom booths designed and built for them – and many of them really are amazing. But for the rest of us, pipe and drape is a great option that is both affordable and easily customizable.
Pipe & Drape Questions? See our whitepaper:
“Demystifying Exhibit Booths: Pipe and Drape Systems”