Client
Southeast Volkswagen Group
Give car people a car thing
Southeast Volkswagen Group's annual celebration brings in the whole operation: sales teams, customer service representatives, the automotive care department, and everyone else who keeps the dealerships running. These are people who spend the year handing keys to somebody else.
Finding that piece is the part of the job that happens long before load in. We sit down with the client and the planning team, in this case A2 Events, and work through what this particular room would actually keep. A plate was the answer here. It is not the answer everywhere, and saying so is part of what you are hiring us for.
From there our designers built a vanity plate exclusively for that year's celebration, then let every guest put their own words on it.
The design carried the same sense of adventure that comes with a new vehicle. Guests picked up on it immediately, and what they typed in said everything about why it worked: nicknames, the names of their cars, and their children's names, so they had something to take back home.
Made in minutes, in full color
Three steps, all of it in front of the guest.
01
Design it at the station
Our custom input software sets whatever the guest wants in authentic license plate type, and our designers compose the layout live: spacing, scale and balance adjusted per plate so a four letter nickname and a full name both look right. What they see on the screen is what comes off the press.
02
Print and super heat it
The design prints, then gets super heated onto a specialized sublimation plate. The color goes into the surface rather than sitting on top of it, which is why it holds up outdoors on the front of a car.
03
Hand it over in person
Our staff greet every guest, walk them through the choices and hand the finished plate over themselves. That exchange is the activation. The machine is just what makes it possible. These are front plates and display pieces rather than state issued plates, so they go on the front of the car where local law allows, or up on a wall.
If it takes a blank, we can make it
Most people find us looking for live t-shirt printing or a hat bar, and we do plenty of both. But the plate is the better illustration of what the work actually is. Anyone can put a logo on a blank. The value sits in the consultation that picks the right piece, the designers composing each layout on site, and the staff who turn a pickup counter into something a guest remembers.
Sublimation opens the door to hard goods, which is where the more interesting briefs tend to land.
Keepsake pieces
Vanity plates, charms and dog tags, luggage tags.
Drinkware
Mugs, flasks and other pieces personalized on the spot.
Laser engraving
A permanent mark for pieces where ink is not the answer.
Totes and bags
Customized live, and useful the moment they leave the room.
If you have a piece in mind that is not on this list, ask. The answer is usually yes.
Common questions
What can you make live besides t-shirts and hats?
Vanity license plates, keepsake pieces, unique drinkware including mugs and flasks, luggage tags, charms and dog tags, laser engraved goods, custom totes and bags, and more. If it takes a sublimation blank, it can be personalized on site in full color.
How are the plates actually made?
Guests enter their phrase through our custom input software, which sets it in authentic plate type on the event's design. It prints, then gets super heated onto a specialized sublimation plate. Full color, finished within minutes.
Are they road legal?
They are front plates and display pieces, not state issued plates. Most guests mount them on the front of the car where local law allows, or keep them as a display piece.
How far ahead should we book?
Two months out from the event is comfortable, especially when it comes to custom items. A one of a kind design wants that runway. Rush jobs are possible. Tell us the date and we'll tell you straight.
Custom license plates
Dealer meeting, brand launch, employee celebration or car club event. Tell us the room and we'll design the plate around it.
Ask about license plates
