Display Boards for School Open Evenings: Portable Boards vs Banner Stands
Boards win where content changes every year, banners win where the message stays the same. Schools running a full open evening often end up using both, in different places for different reasons. This guide compares portable display boards against banner stands directly, covers when each is the better choice, walks through open evenings, careers fairs, exhibitions and showcases in turn, and sets out a hybrid kit for a school building equipment for repeated use.
Portable display boards suit student work and content that changes year to year, because panels take pins or hook and loop fastening and the display can be entirely rebuilt between events. Banner stands suit consistent branding and wayfinding, since the same printed graphic is reused across several events without new artwork. Schools running a full open evening often benefit from both, with boards on department stands and banners at the entrance and junctions.
The key difference is how long the content needs to last. If student work changes every term, a reusable display board lets the content change without replacing the display itself. If the message stays consistent across events, a banner stand keeps the same branded graphic ready to reuse.
How Do Portable Display Boards and Banner Stands Compare?
The two formats solve different problems, and the comparison is really about how often the content changes rather than which looks more impressive. A board is built to be rebuilt. A banner is built to be printed once and reused. See the School Events hub for the wider range of equipment schools use across open evenings, careers fairs and exhibitions.
How Do Portable Display Boards and Banner Stands Compare for School Events?
| Factor to consider | Portable display board | Banner stand |
|---|---|---|
| Student work | Strong. Panels take pins or hook and loop fastening for direct mounting | Weak. Requires new artwork to be designed and printed |
| Changing information | Strong. Swap what is pinned up in minutes, no reprint needed | Weak. A new banner has to be produced for each update |
| Permanent branding | Workable, but the board itself stays plain between uses | Strong. Built for a single printed graphic reused every time |
| Setup | Unfolds and stands freestanding, generally without tools | Typically quick to put up |
| Storage | Folds flat into a carry case, takes up floor or shelf space | Rolls into a slim case, generally more compact to store |
| Artwork replacement cost | Low. No dedicated display graphic needs replacing, only the pinned or mounted content changes | Higher when messaging changes, because updated content usually requires a new printed graphic |
| Department exhibitions | Strong. Multiple boards give every department its own stand | Weak on its own. Better suited to one shared entrance message |
| Directional signage | Workable for a static junction sign, though not built for it | Strong, particularly for a single clear wayfinding message |
| Reuse across events | High. The board itself is reused across many events, only the content changes | High for the same message, lower if the message changes often |
Read across the table and a pattern appears. Boards earn their keep wherever the content turns over, banners earn their keep wherever the message does not. Browse the full display boards range or see our open evening planning guide for how boards fit into the wider evening.
When Should a School Choose Portable Display Boards?
Choose boards wherever the content is going to be different next term, next year, or even next week. That covers most of what an open evening actually needs to show.
Coursework, photographs and curriculum information change every year, so a board that gets rebuilt each term is more useful than one printed permanently.
Every pupil or group needs their own display space, and a folding board gives each project the same footprint without a fixed installation.
Original coursework, photographs and handwritten material only work on a pin friendly surface, which is what a board panel is built for.
The trade off is storage and setup time. A folding board takes up more space between events than a rolled banner, and building six or eight department stands takes longer than putting up a single entrance graphic. That cost is worth paying wherever the content changes, and not worth paying where it does not.
When Should a School Choose a Banner Stand?
Choose a banner stand wherever the same message needs to appear the same way, event after event. That is branding, welcome messaging and simple wayfinding, none of which benefits from being rebuilt every time.
A single graphic that greets every visitor the same way, at every event, without any setup beyond unrolling it.
Logo, colours and a strapline that should look identical whether it is an open evening, a careers fair or a parents evening.
One clear instruction, such as a direction to the main hall, that does not need updating between events.
Where a room is being used for something else beforehand, a banner stand is typically quick to put up and take down.
What Works Best for a School Open Evening, Boards or Banners?
Both, doing different jobs. Banners handle the entrance welcome and the corridor junctions, since that message repeats unchanged all year. Boards handle every department stand, since coursework and photographs are refreshed each term.
A banner stand at the door and directional signage at junctions, reused for every open evening, parents evening and exhibition the school runs.
A folding display board per department, rebuilt each year with current work, following a shared formula so every stand reads the same way.
What Works Best for a School Careers Fair, Boards or Banners?
Boards do most of the work at a careers fair, because each visiting employer, college or training provider needs their own display space and none of them share the same material. A shared banner still earns its place at the entrance, welcoming visitors and setting expectations for the room.
Where the school hosts the same annual fair, a single banner stand naming the event can be reused every year, while individual exhibitor boards change completely each time.
What Works Best for a School Exhibition or Showcase, Boards or Banners?
A showcase, such as an arts exhibition or a whole school project week, sits closer to boards than banners. The content is the point, and it is usually new work rather than repeated branding. A larger floor standing board, up to 8 panels, suits a full exhibition backdrop better than a single banner would.
Where the showcase repeats annually under the same name, such as a Festival of Arts or a Design Week, a banner naming the event is worth the one off print cost, with boards carrying the actual work being shown that year.
What Should Be in a Hybrid School Event Display Kit?
Schools running events regularly can benefit from building a standard kit rather than buying for each event individually. Building it once means every future open evening, careers fair and exhibition draws from the same equipment.
- One or two entrance banner stands. A generic welcome graphic that does not name a specific date, so it works for every event through the year.
- Directional signage for junctions. Reusable snap frames and poster cases rather than printed banners, so the printed insert can change while the frame stays on the wall.
- One folding board per department or exhibitor space. Sized to the room, typically 4-panel countertop for a classroom stand and 6 or 8-panel floor standing for a hall.
- Leaflet holders at the entrance and exit. For prospectuses, event programmes and any material visitors take away with them.
- A storage plan. Boards fold flat and banners roll into cases, so the equipment needs a dedicated cupboard rather than being stored piecemeal around the school.
One practical issue buyers can overlook is storage. Before ordering boards for every department, it is worth working out where the folded kits and banner cases will live between events. After nearly 50 years supplying UK organisations, storage is one of the practical details we recommend considering before quantity.
Schools and academies can apply for a credit account and pay against an official purchase order, subject to approval. Volume discounts apply from two units upward, which is worth using when boards and banners are ordered together, and delivery is free to UK mainland addresses.
What Does a Hybrid Display Kit Look Like in Practice?
A look at how the two formats work alongside each other across the events schools run most.
A banner stand welcomes visitors with the same graphic every year, while folding boards further inside carry each department's current work.
Each exhibitor gets their own folding board, with a single banner stand at the entrance naming the event.
An 8-panel floor standing board gives a project showcase a full backdrop, with a banner reused each year for a repeating event.
Displaysense supplies folding display boards, banner stands, poster frames and leaflet holders to UK schools, academies and multi academy trusts, with free UK mainland delivery, volume discounts from two units upward and public sector credit accounts against a purchase order, subject to approval.
Choose a portable display board wherever content changes year to year, since panels take pins or hook and loop fastening and the display can be rebuilt without new artwork. Choose a banner stand wherever the same message repeats across events, since a single printed graphic is reused without reprinting. Schools running a full calendar of events often need both, with banners handling the entrance and wayfinding and boards handling department stands, careers fair exhibitors and project showcases. Build a standard hybrid kit once, covering entrance banners, directional signage, department boards and leaflet holders, and it serves every future event rather than being bought fresh each time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to set up a display board or banner stand?
How much storage space do display boards and banner stands need?
How often do you need to change the artwork on each format?
What sizes do portable display boards and banner stands come in?
Can display boards and banner stands be used outdoors?
Can schools buy display boards and banner stands on a purchase order?
Should a school buy display boards or banner stands first?
Where can schools buy display boards and banner stands?
Department stands, wayfinding, prospectuses and a setup checklist.
Fixtures, results, safeguarding and sponsor information for clubhouses.
The wider range of display equipment for UK schools.
