Communications Tools The Project Banner

If you had asked me a month ago if I would have used a roll banner for my project communications, I would have answered that I didn’t have the budget. A banner for the staff canteen. It sounds like something my boss wouldn’t approve of.
But you know what? They are not expensive.
People don’t know how to spread the word about their projects outside of emails, newsletters, and presentations. I am often asked about project communication. There are many other options for internal communications than those mentioned, but I have always thought that roller banners were an expense my project could live without.
Portfolio Display asked me to test their banners. In the spirit of full disclosure, I received mine for free. However, even if I had paid for it, it would have been less than PS40. (I did pay for delivery, but it wasn’t that much).
Uses for a Project Banner
A roll banner can be folded up and moved easily from one site to the next. This is a great option for business change or project implementations. It came wrapped in bubble wrap and placed in a bag so that I could transport it around from one place to another.
Here’s the case
In the employee cafeteria, or in another shared area, you can advertise the upcoming launch to staff.
You can brief staff members about your project at town hall meetings or other internal events.
Your project management community of practice events will host networking sessions and other events.
Public events to highlight your new project
Attend trade shows or conferences where your company might have a booth (I’m thinking especially for PMO teams that are recruiting project managers).
You can highlight your team’s struggles in the reception area.

We have been discussing this last point, about asking members of the public not to judge staff who are using a new system, a lot internally. We decided to leave it up to individual receptionists to make the final decision for their teams. Some people didn’t want the system being changed and that their team might be struggling. Some felt it was better to highlight this.
A huge banner roller banner was not used. A discreet notice at the reception desk was enough. However, if necessary, you could use a project banner.
There are many things you can do to project management communications within a budget. Even if you don’t have much money, you can still make it work.

Designing a Project Banner
Although I am not a graphic designer, I was able to design the one in the photo. Inkscape is free and produces high quality output. I used graphics that I already had and saved the entire thing as a PDF in the correct size.
Although it sounds easy, I spent a lot of time browsing Pinterest to see images of others’ banners. If you have a Marketing team with an in-house graphic designer, you can ask them to design it for you.
Tips for using your project banner
The file was large and I sent the artwork via WeTransfer. It arrived quickly. Portfolio Display’s banner printing service was fast (check delivery times for your local print shop, if you are not in the UK). You could put off getting your banner printed, but it would be a waste of time if you have an event or other implementation in mind.
It is very heavy and heavier than I expected.
It didn’t come equipped with instructions, or if it did, I didn’t see them. I also didn’t find it intuitive. Although it’s easy to put together, take your time and practice getting it up before you make any major changes.