May 2012

ammunition

Few people can resist the allure of cuddly kittens, which is why Ocius LLC, a Chicago-based energy-management company, opted for a furry lure at the 2011 National Apartment Association show. Ocius positioned a crate filled with four kittens from the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society (LVVHS) in the center of its space, where they were available for attendees' petting pleasure. Along the front aisle of the company's 20-by-20-foot booth, Ocius displayed stuffed dogs atop two tables along with signage that read, "You Pet! We Donate! Together we can make a difference!" Staffers explained that if attendees filled out a lead form, they'd receive a stuffed dog and/or a chance to pet the kittens. For every lead it collected, Ocius donated $5 to the LVVHS. Not only did the kittens draw people in off the aisles, where staffers also explained Ocius' services, but attendees eagerly offered their contact information to help other critters in need via Ocius' donation. What says "sleeping easy" better than some soft cotton PJs and a pair of fuzzy slippers? At the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show, The Steritech Group Inc. dressed its staffers in this rather unusual attire to get the word out about its bed-bug removal solution, which it claims helps both hoteliers and hotel guests to "Sleep Easy." The company also turned its tiny 10-by-10 exhibit into a hotel guestroom with the addition of a miniature bed and nightstand. The soothing display paired with staffers' atypical attire caught attendees' attention, communicated Steritech's "Sleep Easy" message, and provided staffers with an obvious conversation starter. A pen made from corn byproducts is nothing new, but did you know corn could also be used to make countertops? Well, it can. So can beer bottles, porcelain mugs, stone scraps, mirrors, and wine glasses. All of these items - once relegated to the recycling bin - are used to make Cosentino North America's Eco line of countertops comprising 75-percent recycled material. The Stafford, TX-based company wanted to educate attendees at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show by showing, not telling, them about its eco-friendly line. So it used the raw materials as accent pieces and decoration throughout its exhibit. One display, for example, featured a beaded curtain of sorts comprising beer bottles, mirror pieces, mugs, glasses, and corn on the cob. Moving further into the space, attendees encountered eight pedestals, each topped with Eco countertops and glass vases filled with ground pieces of the material used to make the product, such as corn kernels and bits of glass. The displays told the story of the eco-conscious material in a single glance, allowing staffers to expand on Cosentino's environmentally friendly recycling and manufacturing process. In the dead of a Minnesota winter, there's nothing the frostbitten natives want more than to feel summertime grass between their toes. Central Turf Farms capitalized on this nostalgic longing at the 2012 Northern Green Expo in Minneapolis. To capture attendees' attention and lure them into the 10-by-20-foot booth, the company unfurled 13 rolls of 24-by-81-inch sod squares upon the floor. Staffers invited attendees to tug off their snowy boots, walk on the company's spongy show-floor lawn, and discuss their sod needs for the coming season. The display caught the eyes of many passersby, who took staffers up on the offer. Now there's a creative way to roll out the green carpet.		When you've seen one hand-held spectrum analyzer, you've seen 'em all. Or at least that's the case for most attendees at the International Wireless Communications Expo. So to help attendees remember its products, recall their benefits, and differentiate them from competitors' wares, Agilent Technologies Inc. created a distinctive handout the same size and shape of its products. Measuring 4-by-8 inches, the folded, four-sided card featured an image of the company's Handheld Spectrum Analyzer on one side and its Cable and Antenna Tester on the other. Product buttons were labeled with numbers, which corresponded to related callouts, and the reverse side of each image revealed features, available models, and more. The clever cards provided attendees with the products' key differentiators and a life-size image of the item to help jog their memories after the show ended. Concerned that a less-than-ideal booth location could mean attendees missed its presentation, Cleaning Systems Inc. decided to double its chances of reaching visitors at the Car Care World Expo. Instead of one booth space, the company bought two. While one 20-by-30-foot booth hosted a full-blown presentation for its Lustra division of professional car-care products, a second 10-by-20-foot booth on the opposite side of the show floor featured a graphic back wall, literature stand, staffer, and map to the company's presentation theater located in booth 1345. Not only did the two-booth strategy make attendees twice as likely to encounter Cleaning Systems on the show floor, but the company estimates it increased attendance at its Lustra presentation by nearly 20 percent. Business cards and fishbowls go hand in hand at many trade shows. But at the 2011 National Business Aviation Association show in Las Vegas, the North Texas Commission left the bowl at home and instead used a leather cowboy boot to corral cards. The simple substitution was not only synonymous with North Texas' cowboy rep, but it also served as a clever conversation starter, as many attendees stopped to ask what the boot was all about. After explaining the Texas connection, staffers invited attendees to drop in their business cards for a chance to win a pair of authentic leather cowboy boots being given away via random drawing after the show. The unusual receptacle paid off, as the North Texas Commission collected a boatload - or rather, bootload - of cards during the three-day show.
		What's The Big Idea? Do you have a clever exhibit-related tip? Did your last exhibit have an über-cool traffic builder? Contact Kelli Billstein at kbillstein@exhibitormagazine.com.