Neon signs are a great way to add some extra excitement and spice to a party and level up the experience of your attendees. They make for a great photo op and are a great talking point. They also work well in drawing people to certain areas of an event. But there is much to know about neon signs before hiring one for an upcoming event.
Does size matter?
A bigger neon will naturally be more impressive and provide a more epic photo opportunity in front of it, however, it will depend on the event and the neon. A big impressive Better Together works great for a wedding with heaps of big group photos of adults, whereas a One or Oh Baby sign can be smaller as there will be a heap of photos with the youngster in them and plenty of kids so small works ok for this.
Dimmer or No Dimmer?
Dimmer! This is a must. Photos where the neon is up to full brightness do not turn out as you'd hope. At their worst the neon may be unreadable, and at best just not too bad. Use a dimmer and get crisp perfect shots, simply by bringing down the brightness of the neon sign.
Set colour or RGB / multi colour?
Variety is the spice of life so why would you want to be locked into one colour? Don't know the colour of the main theme yet, no stress, change the colour to fit perfectly on the night using the remote. RGB in just about every way is better.
Cut to shape or on square?
Cut to shape does a better job at hiding and looks better hanging with a backdrop as with the neon on, the acrylic backboard will virtually disappear. The square backing is fine too, and works better if you just want to stand up the neon against a wall or on a table, however, the cut to shape option wins the style points and does a better job at fading into the distance and giving the neon tubing the limelight.
Where to place / hang it?
Plenty of options with neons, PartyPax offer a hanging kit that can be drilled into mortar within bricks and provides a nice effect on a brick wall. We also provide a stainless steel wire that can be draped over anything like a nail, screw, branch. This works best on a backdrop though. We offer fishing line and clear or black table ties (depending on which suits) which provides a near impossible to see and results in a neon that looks like it is hovering. Other options is placing it up against a wall or sitting it up on a table. Just remember though, that high people traffic with space for attendants to stop and take a photo in front of are the best spots. Not everyone will admit it, but people love a neon photo for their socials.
Are they hot to touch?
LED ones are not. PartyPax only hire out LED neons, these can be moved around at will, don't need to be cooled down or warmed up etc. They also use far less electricity.
Are they heavy?
Size will determine how heavy they are, considering there is a backing needed (generally clear acrylic) there is some weight in them. The range will normally start around 1.5-2kg (30cm diameter) up to 7- 8kg for a large option (100cm+). Whilst this is unlikely to be an issue hanging on anything substantial, this does mean you can't really just rest it up against a menu or empty vase.
Can you make them pulse with music?
With all the RBG / multi colour neons, they each come with a remote which allows you to time a colour change or flash / pulse to the beat.
Expensive is better?
Not always, but a bigger, RGB, cut to shape LED neon, with a dimmer / remote and hanging kit is the premium neon experience, and will be priced as so. You won't regret it though as a cheap neon can malfunction, be an odd colour and won't have a colour change or dimmer option.
If you'd like to hire any of our neon sign collection please visit the collection.
If you have any questions please get in touch.