Banner stands have been a staple of trade shows, technology and job fairs, and free standing advertisements ever since the first banner was printed. Over the years, trade show banner stands technology has advanced right along with the printing abilities of banners and the marketing materials that go with them.
Modern roll up banner stands and retractable banner stands form an important advertising and attention getting tool in the hands of trade show presenters who often must travel and transport their own materials. These new banner stands have come to include self-retracting housings for the banner, either rolling up into a case or retracting into the body of the banner stand. This protects the banner as well as easing the problems of transport. Many of this retractable banner stands include spotlights at the base or along the upper frame as another means of getting attention.
Perhaps the most important, and likely the most obvious improvement to trade show banner stands comes from the addition of shelves and smaller stands along the body of the frame in which to display brochures, literature, and other promotional items. As production of cheap advertising material leads to more options for marketing, the simple banner stand has also evolved to display these promos with prominence.