Event barrier banners: branding crowd barriers and fencing

Event barrier banners turn the steel barriers and temporary fencing that every outdoor event needs into space for your event name, sponsors and directions. The barriers are going up anyway; a run of matching banners makes the finish line, the entrance or the arena look organised and gives sponsors something they can see in every photo.

This guide covers the two main types of barrier, the sizes and materials that suit each, and how to plan and fix a set of banners so they go up quickly on the day.

Crowd barriers and fence panels: know which you have #

Events mostly use two kinds of barrier, and they need different banners.

• Crowd control barriers are the waist-high steel barriers used along race routes, queues and stage fronts. They are around a metre high and a little over 2 m long, but hire barriers vary, so measure the ones you are getting.
• Temporary fence panels (often called Heras fencing) are the tall mesh panels used to fence off arenas, car parks and back-of-house areas. A full panel is usually about 3.5 m long and 2 m high.

Ask your barrier or fencing hire company for the exact panel sizes before ordering. It is the single most useful thing you can do for event barrier banners.

Sizes for event barrier banners #

Barrier	Standard banner sizes	Product
Crowd control barrier	7 ft 3 in × 2 ft 7 in (2200 × 800 mm), 6 ft 7 in × 3 ft 3 in (2000 × 1000 mm), 7 ft 7 in × 3 ft 3 in (2300 × 1000 mm), or custom	Crowd barrier banners
Temporary fence panel, full cover	10 ft 10 in × 5 ft 11 in (3300 × 1800 mm)	Heras fence mesh banners
Temporary fence panel, part cover	9 ft 10 in × 4 ft 11 in (3000 × 1500 mm) or 6 ft 7 in × 3 ft 3 in (2000 × 1000 mm)	Heras fence PVC banners

Crowd barrier banners can also be made to a custom size, from 500 mm up to 2500 mm wide and from 300 mm up to 1200 mm high, which covers most hire barriers. Our article on Heras fence panel sizes explains why fence banners are a little smaller than the panel.

Mesh, PVC or PVC-free #

For crowd barriers you can choose 440gsm PVC, 260gsm mesh or 400gsm PVC-free. For fence panels, mesh or PVC depending on the product.

• Mesh is the safe choice outdoors, especially on tall fence panels. A solid banner can turn a free-standing panel into a sail, and the panel can move or topple in a gust.
• PVC gives the brightest print and suits low crowd barriers, indoor events and sheltered spots.
• PVC-free suits venues or sponsors with a no-PVC policy.

Planning a run of banners #

Most events need more than one banner, and event barrier banners work best as a set.

1. Walk the site plan. Mark where barriers and fences will go and which sides face the crowd, the cameras and the road.
2. Prioritise the photo spots. The finish line, the stage front, the entrance and the podium get photographed most. Put the event name and headline sponsors there.
3. Use a repeating design. One layout repeated along a barrier run looks deliberate. Sponsors can take turns across the run.
4. Add directions. Entrance, exit, toilets, first aid, bag drop. Plain, large, high contrast.
5. Keep dates off the main banners if the event runs every year, so they can be reused.

The HSE’s event safety guidance is useful background when you are planning barriers, crowd flow and signage together. Our event signage checklist covers the signs to plan alongside the banners.

Sponsor layouts #

If sponsors are paying for space on your event barrier banners, agree the layout before you design anything. Common approaches:

• One sponsor per banner, with the event name small at one end.
• A repeating pattern of all sponsor logos on every banner.
• Headline sponsors on the finish or stage banners, supporting sponsors along the route.

Ask each sponsor for a vector logo (PDF, EPS or SVG) and check you have permission to use it. Low resolution logos copied from websites print badly at banner size.

Artwork for event barrier banners #

Barrier banners are long and fairly shallow, and people see them from the side as often as straight on. Keep the design simple:

• One large element per banner: the event name, a sponsor logo or a direction. Not all three crammed together.
• Lettering big enough to read across the arena or the road. On a crowd barrier banner 800 mm high, a headline of 200 mm or more is realistic.
• Strong contrast, especially for directions. White on a dark colour or black on a bright colour.
• Text and logos at least 5 cm in from every edge, where the eyelets go.

Our online designer opens event barrier banners at the right size with the safe area marked, or you can upload print-ready files, which get a free file check by a person.

Getting years of use from one set #

Recurring events can build a stock of event barrier banners over time. Design the core set without dates or year numbers, store them rolled and dry, and each year you only need to add banners for new sponsors or new routes. Label each banner on the back with where it goes, so the set-up crew can hang them in order without a plan in hand.

Fixing on the day #

Barrier banners are fixed through the eyelets with cable ties or bungee ties. On crowd barriers, tie to the top rail and the bottom rail at every eyelet. On fence panels, tie all four corners first, then along the top and bottom.

• Bring plenty of cable ties and snips to cut them afterwards.
• Put the banners on the side facing the crowd or the cameras.
• On very windy days, check fence panels are braced or weighted before adding banners.
• After the event, snip the ties close to the eyelet, roll the banners print side out and let them dry before storing.

Timing and delivery #

Crowd barrier banners are one of our quicker products, with Express from 1 working day to dispatch; fence banners take a little longer, and mesh takes longer than PVC. Check the live days on each product page and allow courier time on top. Banners over 3 m on any side add £15 once per order, so full fence panel banners count as oversize. UK mainland delivery is £7.95 per order and free when your goods total is £99 or more after discount codes. For themed events, see our event and sports banners, which include race and festival designs you can edit.