BE BRIEF! Remember ... The Reader!

A sign is a mark, token, image; a motion or gesture by which a thought, or command, or wish is expressed. 

Signage purposes: identification, warning, information, or direction.

Meeting signs convey information to one master:

The Reader (whom--we assume--is in a hurry, is a very important attendee, and therefore, The Reader is a Proper Noun.)

Signs serve two functions:

1. The meeting ID

2. The corporate image

When writing your sign:

1. Be brief
2. Be clear
3. Be enthusiastic!
4. Avoid punctuation
5. Less is more: no polite "please" and "thank-yous”; no extra words
6. Use the vernacular
7. Use active tense--always
8. Imagine you are the reader; "What does this sign tell me?"
9. Exclude obvious information: "Tuesday", not "Tuesday, December 2"
10. "Room 102", not "Room 102, Hynes Convention Center"
11. Include obvious differences: "Welcome to [MEETING NAME], Hynes Convention Center" (sign to be placed in Hilton entrance, for example).
12. Identify where emphasis should be. Sometimes it's a speaker, sometimes it a workshop title, perhaps it is the savings, etc.

Frequently asked signage questions--in alphabetical order:

  And or Ampersand:  "and" is preferred

  Audiovisual is one word.

  Brevity:

   For example:

  Better:

 Caps: do not use all caps, EVER.

 Clarity:

  For example:   

  Better:

  Consolidate

  For example:

   Better:

  Continuity:  main point of sign, then time, then location. Repeat order for all signs.

  Cost Options: wonder about overhead projection, or sign options?
  There's also some approximate costs for usual signs at the beginning of the meeting sign list.

  Focused, not focussed.

  Length:
  If there are many words, perhaps a sign is not the answer. 
  Consider a handout with a one-word sign directing the reader to the handout.

  Location:
  Do not list location if sign is to be placed at that location (it's redundant).

  Logo: Use "[logo]" when you want meeting identity

  Maps:
  Orient maps so they are in the direction of travel (so the reader does not have to twist his/her head  to read it.

  Number commands: 
  1) Fill out Exhibit Pass Form
  2) Take form to Station "E" to get your badge

  Proper Nouns and nouns: "The Reader" is a proper noun, ie, VIP. "Speakers" and "Chairs" are  proper nouns which require an initial cap.

  Pronouns: the, them, your.  Don't use 'em!  

  Placement: Locate signs so as not to cause backups or cues to read them.

  Punctuation: only for emphasis or clarity:  "Welcome!"  "Voice, Video, and Data" 

  Subject of sign:  Ask yourself, "What is the message about?"

  For example, is the title of the workshop most important? Or the name of the presenter, or the   location, or the change in location, or the meeting ID? Place the emphasis on that subject. 

  Times: 
  Use  "9 am", not  "9:00 a.m."
  "Noon", not  "12:00 pm or 12 noon"

 Thanks:
 For example: Special Thanks to....

 Better: [Meeting Name] thanks the following coffee sponsors

 Upper and lower case: Do not use all caps, EVER.

 Verb tense: Use active tense:
 "Remember"   not  "Participants are reminded that...."
 "Save up to $60!"    not   "Up to $60 savings for full-week registration"                            

 What's the main purpose of the sign? Think about that first, then write the words.