At the 2022 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference, Snowflake Inc., which offers cloud-based data-management solutions, wanted to avoid coming across as clinical. So it broke the ice with attendees through an exhibit that was in line with its modern and welcoming branding. And since you'll find nothing more hospitable amid a blustery winter landscape – or on the somewhat sterile show floor of HIMSS – than a ski chalet, that's just what Exhibitus Inc. crafted. "The design doesn't look like a trade show booth," said one Exhibit Design Awards judge. "And that's a good thing." This contemporary take on a classic alpine lodge began with a 20-by-40-foot chalet-like structure boasting exposed timber framing, a peaked roof of snow-white tension fabric, and a faux brick chimney. But from there, the design become less traditional. Designers eliminated two-thirds of the main wall and roofline on each side of the stand to reveal an inviting interior. "By using A-frame architecture, this design starts to carve away the main forms, creating unusual but intuitive openings that inspire a clean flow and multiple entry points," said Matthew Beck, creative director at Exhibitus. A suspended demo station with back-to-back monitors mounted on a pipe hearkened back to the iconic floating fireplaces invented by Dominique Imbert one cold winter in France, making the element simultaneously mod and modern.

Exhibitus also needed to mind Snowflake's sustainability benchmarks. To that end, the exhibit house sourced recycled materials and made use of its in-house modular system for the chimney, all of which earned extra praise from our design judges. By offering visitors an eco-friendly and cozy retreat from the comparatively cold booths surrounding it, Snowflake garnered an avalanche of warm feelings from attendees and jurors alike. E