Trends & Trade Tips- A Smarter Way to Order Drape

Welcome to Trends & Trade Tips, a new series featuring practical ideas our sales team is seeing across the event industry. We’ll highlight products and configurations that can help event professionals save time, improve their finished setups, use their inventory more effectively, and make smarter purchasing decisions.

Our first tip is a simple change that can make a noticeable difference every time your crew installs drape: sewing multiple panel widths together to create one larger drape panel.

 

The Traditional Way to Order Event Drape

Most event companies traditionally purchase drape in individual-width panels. Depending on the fabric and desired fullness, a crew may hang three or four individual panels across one drape support.

Individual panels offer plenty of flexibility because they can be divided among multiple smaller setups. However, if the same panels are almost always installed together, handling each one separately can create extra work.

For every setup, the crew must:

• Hang each panel individually
• Position and overlap the panels to prevent gaps
• Adjust each panel to create even fullness
• Remove each panel during breakdown
• Fold and handle several separate pieces

That may not seem significant for one section, but the additional handling adds up across a large installation—and over the lifetime of the drape.

 

The Smarter Alternative: Multi-Panel Drape

Instead of ordering three or four separate panels, customers can have Georgia Expo sew multiple panel widths together to create one larger finished panel.

This configuration has long been popular with velour drape, especially for stages and large room-dividing installations. We’re now seeing more event professionals recognize the benefits of ordering wider panels in Poly Stretch and other event fabrics.

The larger panel is sewn to order at the height you need, allowing one finished piece to cover an entire drape-support section.

Rep’s Take: “Sewing drapes together to make one large panel is a gamechanger: no more counting individual drapes and coming up short, no more worrying about whether your set up will have the appropriate drape fullness… if you know already that you want to be able to recreate the same look every time, sewing drapes together eliminates so much of the headache!”

— Crystal McAlpin, Senior Account Executive

 

What Are the Benefits?

Fewer Gaps	Faster Installation
Connected panel widths create one continuous section, reducing the need to overlap and adjust individual panels.	Hang and arrange one larger panel instead of three or four separate pieces, reducing repetitive handling.
More Consistent Finish	Simpler Breakdown
A wider connected panel makes it easier to distribute fullness evenly for a cleaner, more uniform finished appearance.	Remove and fold one larger panel instead of several individual pieces, meaning fewer pieces to handle and keep together.

 

What Does the Upgrade Cost?

The cost difference between individual panels and a connected multi-panel configuration can vary depending on the fabric, height, width, and finished configuration.

For customers who regularly use the same panels together, the additional cost can be nominal compared to the potential savings in setup time, breakdown, and ongoing labor.

Contact your Georgia Expo sales representative to compare options and get current pricing for your specific configuration.

 

Is a Multi-Panel Configuration Right for You?

Multi-panel drape makes the most sense when the individual widths will almost always be used together.

It can be a particularly useful option for:

• Trade show decorators installing long booth lines
• AV and production companies building backdrops or room dividers
• Venues with recurring event layouts
• Event companies creating large, customer-facing drape installations
• Rental companies that want to reduce setup labor for frequently rented configurations

However, larger is not automatically better for every operation. If you frequently divide your drape inventory among smaller events or use the panels in different combinations, individual panels may give you more flexibility.

Your crew’s installation process, typical event size, storage system, and inventory needs should all be considered before choosing a configuration.

 

How to Order Multi-Panel Drape

Double- and triple-width velour panels are available to purchase directly through the Georgia Expo website.

To order connected panels in Poly Stretch or other event fabrics, call or email your Georgia Expo sales representative. These configurations are sewn to order and are not currently available for online purchase.

Your representative can help you compare individual and multi-panel options and determine the best fabric, height, width, fullness, and finished configuration for the way your team works.

Ready to work smarter on your next drape installation? Contact your Georgia Expo representative to request a quote.