A trade show backwall is more than just a surface for graphics. It’s the centerpiece of your booth that sets the tone for your brand. A strong backwall provides visual impact, durability, and flexibility, allowing exhibitors to create a polished, professional presence that can be reused across multiple shows.
Investing in the right backwall is a strategic decision. It’s about creating lasting impressions, maximizing ROI, and ensuring your booth communicates quality and professionalism.
Before making that investment, some exhibitors consider lower-cost alternatives like foam core or gator board. While these commodity boards are easy to source, they rarely deliver the strategic impact your brand deserves.
Gator board vs foam board: the basics
When you search gator board vs foam board, you’ll find both are common materials for mounting graphics. They’re lightweight, easy to print on, and inexpensive. Here’s the quick breakdown:
- What is a foam board? Also known as “foam core,” this material has a lightweight Styrofoam center with paper coating. It’s very affordable, but fragile and prone to warping. It’s also limited in size.
- What is a gator board? Gator board, or gator foam, has a denser foam center with a rigid veneer. It’s more durable and costly than foam core, still lacks the scalability, and is not designed for repeated trade show use.
Both options are tactical, short-term solutions, not strategic investments. For trade shows where first impressions and longevity matter, they fall short.
Why upgrading from foam board or gator board is a strategic move
If you’re investing in a trade show presence, you need more than a commodity material. Here’s why exhibitors are upgrading from foam and gator boards to professional display systems:
- Durability that lasts. Designed to withstand shipping, multiple events and years of use.
- Stronger brand impact. Seamless, large-format graphics deliver a polished and memorable presence.
- Flexibility. Modular and reconfigurable systems adapt to changing booth sizes and layouts.
- Better ROI. A reusable display delivers value far beyond the one-off cost of commodity boards.
A smarter display solution: the Medallion system
For exhibitors ready to move beyond fragile boards, Featherlite’s Medallion system is a proven upgrade. It combines portability, durability, and high-impact design into one complete solution.
- Lightweight aluminum frames pack and ship easily
- Vibrant tension fabric graphics create a seamless look
- Tool-free setup simplifies installation
- Configurable layouts adapt to different booth footprints
- Made in the USA for quality and reliability
The Medallion isn’t just a backwall. It’s a flexible system that grows with your exhibiting needs, from local expos to national shows.
Final takeaway
If you’re still comparing gator board vs foam board, it’s time to rethink your approach. Both are inexpensive and accessible, but neither supports a strategic trade show presence. For exhibitors serious about maximizing brand impact, durability, and ROI, the smart move is to invest in a professional backwall solution like Featherlite’s Medallion system.
For trade shows and events, where every detail matters, foam core and gator board simply don’t deliver the durability, flexibility, or professional impact your brand deserves. Upgrading to a system like Medallion ensures your booth looks as polished and strategically designed as the message you want to convey.
