How to Create an Effective Wayfinding Strategy

A good wayfinding strategy sets the pace of your entire event. You didn’t think directional signage was that important, did you? A thoughtfully designed wayfinding strategy attracts attention and generates excitement, helping attendees make a critical mind shift from an exhausting day of travel or congress networking to being 100% focused on your program or event.

Some critical success factors of an effective wayfinding strategy include design, placement and media selection. If you’ve scheduled a speaker program or advisory board at a congress venue or hotel nearby, you will probably be competing with a host of directional signage for your attendees’ attention. If you create brand recognition before the event, attendees will be able to effortlessly pick your directional signage out of the crowd. You can do this by developing a custom event design theme and branding pre-program communications, like invitations, reminder emails and pre-program surveys.

It is best to place a directional sign at the end of each step in your attendees’ journey from the front door to the location of your event. Today’s innovations in print signage media enable you to place signage anywhere, including: doors, floors windows and more.

Clingz – a removable media that can be applied to any dry, porous surface – can be moved or removed in seconds without leaving any residue or damage. It uses an electric charge to stay put – no adhesive! It can be used as a backing for large format posters, logos or other graphics that can be affixed to columns, pillars or elevator doors.

If you are going for fast and easy setup, banner stands can be quickly set-up or broken down, while elevating your event with a more professional, polished look. We recommend Sprint stands. They are adjustable up to 98” inches in height and can be set up and broken down in under one minute, fitting easily into a compact carrying case.

Of course, arrows will always be an important component of any wayfinding strategy. They give you the flexibility you need to make critical last-minute changes. If you have a little wiggle room in your budget and are looking for something more durable than Velcro, ask your vendor about vinyl peel and stick or magnetic backings. Both options will give you a cleaner, more polished look and can be used for multiple events.

Lastly, don’t forget to reach out to your venue to see if they have any digital signage opportunities. Also, check with the congress to see if they are offering an event app. Both are great ways to remind attendees about your program and the logistics. Just be sure to ask for specifications (i.e., image resolution, file size etc.) a few weeks before the event!

Creative MediaWorks offers custom web development, graphic design and print solutions to the Life Science industry and their agencies with a focus on quality, deadline and accuracy. We achieve our quality standards through defined workflow processes, direct access to on-staff project talent, proofreading and quality assurance expertise backed by an uncompromising commitment to the most responsive customer service in the business.