Exhibition Materials: Roll-Up, Pop-Up Wall, Leaflets — a Checklist

Small-business marketing9 min read · Updated: 03.11.2026

An exhibition stand has a few seconds to stop a passer-by and a few minutes to turn a conversation into a lead. That's why your exhibition materials need to work as a single system: the backdrop wall says who you are, the roll-up says what you offer, and the leaflet, business card and QR code make it easy for people to get back in touch after the show. Below you'll find a list of materials, a 6-week timeline, principles for a consistent design, a simple way to work out print runs and tips on transport.

Which exhibition materials should you prepare?

The exact kit depends on the size of your stand and your budget, but the core is almost always the same: a large background graphic, one or two roll-ups, something to hand out and something to capture contact details. Before you design anything, get the exhibitor manual from the organiser: stand dimensions, maximum build height and fire safety requirements (some venues insist on certified flame-retardant materials).

On a small 2×2 m shell scheme stand, two roll-ups are often enough instead of a backdrop wall. On a corner or island stand it's worth adding a banner or a counter graphic, because visitors approach from more than one side.

Timeline: where to start 6 weeks before the show

The most common mistake is designing everything at once in the final week. Large-format and litho printing take several working days, and on top of that there's proofreading, delivery and a trial set-up. The plan below leaves room for one round of amendments and a possible reprint.

How do you design a consistent stand?

Consistency means the same colours, the same typeface, the same logo and one tone of voice across every item. Each piece has a different job and a different reading distance, though, so don't copy the same layout everywhere. The backdrop wall is read from several metres away, the roll-up from 1–3 m and the leaflet in the hand.

The easiest approach is to start with one master design, such as the roll-up, and adapt the other formats from it. If you need a few design directions to choose from quickly, the packages at plakaty.shop (wielkareklama.eu studio) with 3 or 6 concepts (€24 or €35) let you compare options and then carry the chosen style over to your leaflet and business card.

• Backdrop wall: logo, company name and one short strapline in the upper section; nothing important below counter height, as furniture and people will hide it.
• Roll-up: one offer or benefit, a 3–5 word headline, key content at eye level; the bottom 10 cm or so may disappear into the cassette.
• Leaflet: details, price list or range of services, contact details and QR code.
• Business card: name, job title, phone, email; the reverse can repeat the stand's graphic motif.
• Colours: one main colour and one accent; use the same CMYK values in every file so that fabric, film and paper look as similar as possible.
• Copy: minimal wording on large formats, full information on small ones — not the other way round.

How many leaflets and business cards should you take?

There's no universal number, because it depends on footfall, your sector and whether you hand leaflets to everyone or only after a conversation. Work it out simply: number of days × expected conversations per day × a 20–30% margin. If you plan to hand leaflets to people walking down the aisle, your print run needs to be considerably larger than the number of conversations.

Count business cards separately for each person on the stand, as each one is giving out their own contact details. It's better to order slightly more than to run out on day two — you can use surplus leaflets in mailings, at the office or at your next show, provided you haven't printed the dates of a show offer on them.

• A DL leaflet fits in a jacket pocket and in a show bag — it's usually more convenient than A4.
• A5 gives you more space for product photos and a price list.
• A4 folded to DL works well for a more extensive offer; above roughly 170 g/m², ask for it to be creased so the paper doesn't crack along the fold.
• Print your show offer (discount, code) on a separate voucher or sticker and keep the leaflet evergreen.

Contact QR code: how big, and where should it go?

A QR code shortens the path from conversation to contact: the visitor scans it and either saves your details straight away or lands on a page with your offer. A practical rule of thumb is that the side of the code should be at least 1/10 of the distance from which it will be scanned. Leave a white border (the quiet zone) at least 4 modules wide around the code — that's 4 of the code's smallest squares.

The code can link to an electronic business card (vCard), a contact form or a landing page built for the show. A dynamic code lets you change the destination URL after printing, and UTM parameters in the link will show how many visits came from the exhibition. Always test the code on a proof printed at final size, using several different phones.

How do you prepare print-ready files?

Supply small formats (leaflets, business cards, vouchers) as a PDF at trimmed size with 3 mm bleed on every side and a safe area of around 3–5 mm inside the trim line, in CMYK, with fonts outlined or embedded. Photos should be 300 DPI at 1:1, and small black text should be 100% K with no other inks mixed in.

Printers usually accept large formats such as roll-ups and backdrop walls as a PDF at 1:10 scale: an 85×200 cm roll-up becomes an 85×200 mm file. Bitmaps in that file need to be 1000–1500 DPI, which gives 100–150 DPI at 1:1 once enlarged — plenty for something viewed from a distance. Bleed and margins on backdrop walls depend on the system (the end panels wrap around the frame), so always work on the printer's template.

• Check that your logo is a vector — a small PNG blown up will look blurred on a backdrop wall.
• Don't place important text across the joins between wall panels.
• Personally read every line of copy, phone number, email address and web address — a typo on a roll-up stays with you for years.

Transport and set-up: what to remember

Transport the roll-up in its original bag, the backdrop wall in a wheeled case or transit crate, and fabric graphics folded according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pack leaflets in boxes of a few hundred — 1,000 A5 leaflets on 130 g/m² paper weigh about 4 kg, so several print runs add up to a serious load.

Check the organiser's build-up times, vehicle access for vans and whether you can ship materials to the venue in advance. A trial set-up at the office a week beforehand will show whether anything is missing and whether the graphics fit the frame.

• Emergency kit: double-sided tape, cable ties, scissors, a multi-socket extension lead, a cloth, pens.
• Holders or dispensers for leaflets and business cards, so they're not lying loose on the counter.
• A reserve of leaflets in the car or under the counter, rather than putting everything out on day one.
• Protect your prints from creasing and damp: a poster tube, plastic wrap for boxes.
• A breakdown plan: who packs the frames and where the materials go after the show.