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Brand Activations & 3D Builds

Brand activations, built by the people who print them.

Pop-ups, shopping centre takeovers, sampling stands, launch installations and event builds. We print, cut, build and install in-house, working directly with brands or as the build partner behind agencies and event companies.

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In Short

Activations that stop people walking past.

In short

A brand activation is a short-run, physical brand experience: a pop-up in a shopping centre, a sampling stand, a product launch installation, a festival or sporting-event build, or a photo moment people actually stop for. We are the fabrication side: design for build, large-format print, 3D structures in honeycomb board and Re-board, floor graphics and installation, all from our own workshop in Ravenhall.

This is one half of what we do. The other half is national retail rollouts: the repeat, store-by-store signage programs. Same workshop, same crews, different kind of job.

Made by Melbourne Trade Signs, a large-format print and signage company at Unit 6/43 Orbis Drive, Ravenhall VIC 3023, in Melbourne’s west. Printed in-house and installed Australia-wide. Phone 0415 743 691, Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm.

Activations are deadline work with no second chance. The launch date is fixed, the centre gives you a bump-in window, and the build has to look as good in the photos as it did in the render. That is why it helps to have print, fabrication and install under one roof: nobody waits on a third-party printer, and the people who built it are the people who put it up.

UV flatbed printer printing directly onto rigid board
Printed straight onto the boardOur UV flatbed prints directly onto rigid board, so panels come off the bed ready to cut and build.
Digital flatbed cutter cutting printed board into shapes
Cut into structuresOur flatbed cutter turns printed board into slots, tabs and shapes for 3D builds, counters and hero pieces.
The Range

What we build for activations.

Pop-ups & centre activations

Shopping centre concourse takeovers, pop-up stores and in-store features, built to centre management rules and installed in the bump-in window.

3D hero pieces

Giant products, logos, letters and sculptural pieces in honeycomb board and Re-board: big, light and paper-based.

Sampling stands & counters

Branded counters, plinths and display stands for sampling, demos and product launches, printed and built to the footprint you have.

Floor activations

Slip-rated floor graphics that lead people into the space and survive the foot traffic.

Photo moments

Media walls, photo backdrops and cut-out props: the part of the activation that travels on social media.

Exhibition & event builds

Trade show exhibition stands, event wayfinding, banners and flags for festivals, conferences and sporting events.

Build Partner

For agencies and event companies.

Most activations start with an agency or an events team. They own the idea, the client and the run sheet. We are the people who make it real: your render, our build.

  • Design for build. We turn renders into something that can be printed, cut, flat-packed and assembled on site, and flag anything that will not survive the bump-in before it is made.
  • One workshop. Printing, cutting and building happen in the same building in Ravenhall, so a late artwork change does not travel between three suppliers.
  • Dry-built first where it matters, so problems are found in our workshop, not on the venue floor.
  • Our own installers, including after-hours installs to centre and venue rules, across Melbourne and Australia-wide.

Working direct as a brand? That is fine too. Bring the objective and the space, and we will bring options.

How It Runs

From brief to bump-out.

  1. Brief: the space, the date, the objective and any renders or brand guidelines.
  2. Build plan and quote: materials, structure, graphics and install, with a price against each option.
  3. Proofs and samples: artwork proofs, and material samples where finish matters.
  4. Production: printed and cut in-house, then built or dry-built in the workshop.
  5. Install and bump-out: our crew installs in the window you are given, and comes back to take it down.

Tell us the launch date at the start. Activation timelines are set by the venue and the campaign, and we will tell you straight what is achievable.

Materials

What activations are built from.

MaterialBest forWorth knowing
Honeycomb board & Re-board3D pieces, counters, plinths, display standsPaper-based, very light and designed for paper recycling. Indoor use.
Tension fabricWalls, backdrops, light boxesFolds small for freight and reprints cheaply. See media walls.
FoamboardLight panels and short-run signsCheap and crisp, but harder to recycle than paper boards.
ACMPieces that tour or get reusedHeavier and longer-lasting, for activations that run again.
Floor vinylFloor graphics and wayfindingAnti-slip laminate as standard.

Sustainability is increasingly part of the brief. Paper-based boards are the strongest answer for short-run activations, and printed finishes and laminates affect recyclability, so we specify them with that in mind and tell you honestly what can go where afterwards.

Questions

Brand Activation FAQs.

What is a brand activation?

A brand activation is a physical, usually short-run brand experience designed to get people to interact with a brand: a pop-up, a shopping centre takeover, a sampling stand, a launch installation or an event build. The build is what makes it real: structures, graphics, floors and the install.

Do you work with agencies, or direct with brands?

Both. Agencies and event companies use us as their build partner: their concept, our printing, fabrication and installation. Brands also come to us directly with a space and an objective.

What are 3D builds made from?

Mostly paper-based honeycomb board and Re-board for hero pieces, counters and display structures, because they are light, strong for their weight and designed for paper recycling. Fabric, foamboard and ACM are used where they suit the job better.

How long does an activation build take?

It depends on the size and the materials. Tell us the launch date at the start and we will plan backwards from it, including proofs, production, any dry-build and the install window the venue gives you.

How much does a brand activation build cost?

It depends on the footprint, the structures, the graphics and the install. We quote each element so you can see where the budget goes, and we will suggest cheaper materials or simpler structures where they do the same job.

Do you install outside Melbourne?

Yes. We build in Ravenhall and install with our own crews across Melbourne and Australia-wide, including after-hours installs to centre and venue rules.

Related

Explore the range.

Honeycomb & Re-board Builds

Paper-based 3D builds: hero pieces, counters, plinths and display stands.

See 3D builds →

Exhibition Stands

Modular and custom stands designed, printed, built and installed.

See exhibition stands →

National Retail Rollouts

The other half of the business: repeat signage programs across every store.

See rollouts →

Brief us on
the activation.

Send the space, the date and the idea (or the render). We will come back with a build plan and a price inside two business hours.

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