Meter Boards

APRIL 25, 2024| cericson

Meter Boards are self-standing advertisement displays made from a thin substrate using custom feet for stability.  They are also known as display boards or presentation boards.  They’re often made of foamboard, Gatorboard, Ultraboard, or Falconboard, a recyclable cardboard product with a clean white face on each side.

Meter Boards are an effective way to catch the attention of foot traffic at conferences, trade shows, conventions, and other events. Meter Boards are a good way to get important messages, schedules, and event locations noticed by attendees and offer high visibility for sponsors.  They can also be used as directional signage.  They can be single or double-sided and be custom-shaped.  They can be anywhere from 18” to 60” wide, and 10 or more feet high.  They can also be used in multiples, to gain extra width, and make “walls” of graphics. 

Uses

Event Entrances – Let people just getting here know where to go.  Using a big entrance sign helps people know they’re in the right place.  Meter Boards can be part of the plan to help direct traffic to your event.

Event Agendas – Meter Boards are a great way to let attendees know the schedule for the day, speaker information, and important announcements.  Placed at the main entrance, and in strategic locations, people can view them and take pictures of them, so they know what is happening where. 

Directional Signs – Placed in hotel lobbies, convention centers, and trade shows, they can be used for daily wayfinding.  Making it easier for visitors or attendees to find out where they need to go.

Sponsor Signs – When a company sponsors a room, bar, snack table, luncheon or dinner, or anything it has spent money on, it needs to be recognized.  A great way to do that is with a large meter board with the company logo, values, and branding on it.

Retail or Point of Purchase (POP) Signs – Meter boards are an effective option for retail stores to advertise a special, promote a product, or present a new service to their potential customers.  

Airports and Transportation Hubs – A great way to provide signage for specific events or temporary wayfinding during construction or other disruptions to normal service.

Seating Charts at Events – Meetings, conferences, and even weddings are a great time to show the seating chart on a meter board.

Trade Shows:  Exhibitors use meter boards to create attention-grabbing displays that highlight their products and services.

Museums, Galleries, and Art Exhibitions use meter boards to provide context and information about displayed artworks or exhibits.

Healthcare Facilities: Hospitals and clinics utilize meter boards to provide information about health services, patient instructions, and preventive measures.

Public Spaces: Meter boards are often found in public areas such as libraries, community centers, and government buildings to share announcements and information.

Materials

There are numerous substrates for meter boards, our primary boards are 1/2’” Falconboard.  We can use Foamcore, Gatorboard, Converd board, and Eagle Cell. We also offer a “green product” made from completely recyclable and biodegradable material called EcoDisplay board. The materials we use are mandated by the needs of the sign, a long-term usage meter board would normally be printed on Ultraboard, with single-use boards typically printed on Falconboard.

Bases

Meter Board bases can be anything from feet made out of the same material that the meter board itself is made out of, to manufactured bases that can be purchased and reused multiple times.  Feet made out of the meter board material are the easiest and least expensive way to make them stand up.  They can also be printed with the same or complementary colors.  

Heavy metal bases look good, last a long time, and can be reused indefinitely.  

Here at SpeedPro East Bay, we like to make custom wooden bases.  They are VERY stable and can be customized in many ways, and we like to make them with multiple slots so that the client can have more options for displaying information at their events.  Clients can have multiple messages at one location, or they can have the morning agenda on one side of a smaller board, and after lunch, turn it around to the afternoon schedule.  Our custom bases can also be wrapped with graphic-covered vinyl or painted solid colors.

Shapes

Meter boards can be cut into different shapes, and these shapes can even be put together to make 3D graphics.   

We can also make walls out of meter boards by tying them together.