Helpful Guide For a Successful Step and Repeat Banner at Your Next Event

• Step and repeat banners used to just be limited to red carpet premiers but with the advent of more affordable custom printing they are now commonly used at award ceremonies, conferences, charity events, corporate events, competitions, and dance recitals, just to name a few. You should consider having one at your event too.

Why You Should Have a Step and Repeat Banner at Your Event

• Brand Visibility: Step and repeat banners typically feature logos, brand names, or event sponsors. When celebrities, attendees, or speakers are photographed or filmed in front of these banners, the brand or sponsor receives significant exposure. This helps in reinforcing brand recognition and visibility.
• Professionalism: Step and repeat backdrops add a professional touch to events. They provide a designated area for photo opportunities, ensuring that all photos have a consistent background, which looks polished and organized. This contributes to the overall aesthetic appeal of the event.
• Social Media Engagement: In today’s digital age, where social media plays a significant role in event promotion and engagement, step and repeat banners serve as excellent photo backgrounds. Attendees often share these photos on their social media platforms, extending the event’s reach and creating buzz online.
• Memorability: Step and repeat banners can become iconic symbols of an event. When attendees and participants see photos or videos with the recognizable backdrop, it triggers memories of the event, fostering a sense of connection and nostalgia.
• Sponsorship Opportunities: Step and repeat backdrops offer valuable sponsorship opportunities for brands. Event organizers can sell advertising space on the banners, providing sponsors with exposure to a targeted audience.
• Versatility: Step and repeat banners can be customized to suit various events and purposes. They come in different sizes, shapes, and materials, allowing organizers to tailor them according to the specific requirements of each event.

Step and Repeat Banners: Pitfalls to Avoid and Keys to Success

Merely having a step and repeat banner at your event doesn’t mean that your attendees will get great photos when standing in front of it.  Here are some helpful tips and pitfalls to avoid to ensure you get the best results with your step and repeat banner.

• Get a Big Enough Banner: Deciding on the appropriate size for a step and repeat banner depends on several factors, including the event space, the number of people expected to be photographed in front of the banner, and budget considerations. Start by measuring the area where you plan to install the step and repeat banner. Consider both the width and height available for the banner. This will give you an idea of the maximum dimensions the banner can have without overwhelming the space. Once you know the maximum size you can fit the next step is to estimate the largest size group of people who will be in front of the banner for a photo. This will help you determine how wide a banner you need to ensure that all individuals are framed within the backdrop. 
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• Unfortunately, the bigger the banner the bigger the cost, so people often order a smaller banner, like an 8’x8′ size.  A banner this small isn’t big enough for photos of large groups.  As you can see in the example below, this results in people extending past the edges of the banner and ruins the clean professional look of the step and repeat in the process.   
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• Banner Design and Print Quality: Keep designs simple.  Avoid large titles across the upper portion of the banner as it limits the photographer when it comes to what images they can take because if they take a shot that is zoomed in closer on the subjects the title is likely to get cut off in strange ways.  You are better off having the photographer apply an overlay with the title of the event at the bottom of the images .  Logos should be approximately 12 inches high and can be between 12 inches to 24 inches wide for good visibility.  Make sure there is a decent amount of space between the logos or it will look too crowded.  For logos to be printed that big and still look crisp and sharp the printer will often need the logo in high resolution or in vector format (EPS or SVG).  Check well in advance with your printer what file size and file type is needed for logos to print well for your size banner.  High-resolution printing ensures that the graphics are crisp and sharp, enhancing brand visibility and overall aesthetics.  
• Light the Banner: Step and repeats are often in poorly lit rooms.  If you don’t have a professional photographer taking photos of the attendees you will want to get a set of continuous lights so that the attendees and the backdrop will be well lit in the photo and will look great as a result.  An inexpensive ring light WILL NOT typically be bright enough.  You can rent continuous lights or buy a simple 2 light set like this one.  You can have the soft boxes on if you want a softer light or if space is at a premium, just use the lights with the reflectors alone.  It is bi-color so you can match the ambient color of the light in the room.  Have the lights about 6 to 10 feet off the banner.  Have each one aimed at the opposite corner of the banner.  The light should be just a little higher than face level and aiming slightly downward.  This lighting pattern will be nice and flattering to most people.
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• Hire a Professional Event Photographer: If you hire a professional photographer they can bring their own special lighting.  This can be as simple as on-camera flash, strobes in umbrellas or soft boxes, or continuous lights.   Continuous lights are great because they eliminate annoying flash pops.  Some photographers even provide the images to the guests in real time.  This makes for an even better memento of the event as the quality of the image is typically vastly superior to that of a cell phone selfie and they can have event specific branding on the image too.
• Get the Wrinkles Out: Step and repeat banners are often subjected to being folded up and so it may have wrinkles or creases as a result.  To get the wrinkles out this can be done by setting up the banner in advance so it is nice and taut. With a little bit of time it can stretch the wrinkles out.   If this doesn’t work you may need to use a steamer.  Be sure to check with the banner printer first to determine if this will damage the banner or not.
• Non-Reflective Surface: To prevent glare from camera flashes or ambient lighting, it’s important when selecting banner material to have a non-reflective surface. This ensures that photos taken in front of the backdrop are clear and free from unwanted reflections.
• Get Flooring: If you are having people take full length photos in front of the step and repeat banner you should consider getting flooring for it.  People typically think of “rolling out the red carpet” but you can get a variety of surfaces that look great.  Anything tends to be an improvement over a busy hotel carpet pattern.

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• Easy Setup and Portability: A good step and repeat banner should be easy to set up and dismantle, allowing for quick installation and removal at event venues. Portability is also essential for transportation between different locations.  Cheaper setups may result in the banner not being held tight enough.  This can result in wrinkles.  I personally prefer the banners that have built in pop-up stands like this one from Banner Buzz.  They are so much easier to set up and look much better.
• Stability: Stability is crucial to prevent the banner from tipping over or shifting during the event. Be sure to have multiple sandbags or weights available to anchor the banner to ensure everyone stays safe.