Trade fairs and events: screens that carry the programme

At a trade fair or event a screen has two roles. It helps visitors find their way, and it makes sure the programme is not stuck on yesterday's printed leaflet. Both work only if it is settled beforehand who changes what and what happens when the hall's network falters.

What visitors look for in the first minute

• Where am I, and where is what I am looking for? A hall plan with a "you are here" mark, arrows to the entrance, cloakroom and toilets.
• What is on now and next? The next three programme items with room and time, not the whole day's programme.
• What has changed? Cancelled talks, new rooms, delays. That is the information for which paper is too slow.
• How do I get online? Wi-Fi name and QR code.
• What do I do in an emergency? Emergency exits and contacts as the event's safety plan provides.

What organisers should settle beforehand

Responsibility. Who changes the programme when the speaker is stuck in a traffic jam at 10:40? One person, not three. Who decides in case of doubt is fixed beforehand.

One source. The programme lives in one place, not in a spreadsheet, a poster and three screen files. Otherwise the displays contradict each other on day one.

Network. In exhibition halls many devices share the network. A screen that reloads something from the internet every second is a risk there. Better: load content onto the device in advance and fetch only small changes during operation. How that works depends on the software; ask the supplier what the screen shows when the network fails.

Power. Every screen needs a socket or a battery. Anyone who forgets this finds out on set-up day.

Location. Screens where people crowd do not belong at bottlenecks. A portrait screen at the side can be read without blocking the way.

Design for the passer-by

• Three lines are enough. Time, title, room.
• Large type. Readable from ten metres, not from one.
• Colour sparingly. One colour for what has changed so it stands out.
• No videos with sound. The hall has noise enough.
• Languages. If international guests are coming, put the second language beside the first, not after it.

Fallback

Decide what happens if a screen fails: a printed programme at the information point and a person who knows where the replacement is. The screen supplements the paper; it does not replace it from the start.

After the event

The screens keep running after the last programme item if nobody switches them off. Decide whether at night they show a thank-you slide or go dark. And check on the morning before day one, not at admission, what is on the screen.

A test

Ask someone who does not know the event to stand at the entrance for two minutes. Ask: do you know where you are going now? The answer shows whether the screen works.