“Snakes on a Plane” was a bomb and “Snakes in a Booth” doesn’t sound any better. So when Classic Tile & Mosaic introduced its Reptile line of tiles at the 2007 Hospitality Design Expo, it decided to forego slithering creatures and instead, hired a male model and covered him with body paint designed to make him look reptilian. When attendees stopped to gawk at the scaly-looking fellow, he handed them a product brochure. Ssssmart move.

Billboards are a great way to get your message across, especially if those billboards can walk and talk. At the 2008 ConExpo-Con/Agg show in Las Vegas, steel producer SSAB Hardox Corp. turned willing booth visitors into mobile advertisers by air-brushing the company’s name on them. A tank-top-and-skirt-clad model bore Hardox’s air-brushed tattoos all over her arms and legs and invited the mostly male audience into the booth to get their own body art. The approximately 6-inch temporary tattoos underscored the company’s motto, “Show the world what you’re made of.” Plus, since the tattoo took roughly three days to wear off, SSAB Hardox’s name was undoubtedly on the minds — and skin — of attendees for days after the show.






When Eby-Brown Co. wanted to draw attention to its new line of sandwiches at the 2008 National Association of Convenience Stores show, its marketing department created an appetizing in-booth promotion: the World Chicken Sandwich Eating Championship. Prior to the show, Eby-Brown contacted the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters, which sanctioned and emceed the event, and even convinced eight of its elite eaters to compete. On the second day of the three-day show, booth staffers set up tables at the front of the company’s 40-by-20-foot space where contestants then stood or knelt as they positioned themselves and prepared to chow down. Attendees, drawn to the booth by a pre-show e-mail and a direct mailer, looked on as the eight competitors raced to devour the exhibitor’s Wakefield Sandwich Co. chicken sandwiches. Out of 250 invited attendees, more than 100 curious onlookers showed up. Now that’s a feeding frenzy.






Trade show pressrooms are loaded with paper and pocket folders — not exactly a scenario that screams Green. So for the Go Green Expo, Eco-Bags Products Inc. dreamed up an eco-friendly solution: It printed its release on its reusable produce bag. The unforgettable releases attracted at-show attention and generated post-show memorability, while educating journalists about the company’s product.

At the Upper Midwest Electrical Expo, exhibitor Tom Enlow didn’t monkey around when it came to demonstrating how easy it is to use Enlow Cos. Inc.’s power-control systems. As attendees filled the company’s booth, his sales associate offered an in-booth presentation extolling the system’s ease of use. Meanwhile, Enlow stepped behind a curtain at the back of the booth and slipped into a monkey costume. And just as his associate said, “It’s so easy, even a monkey could do it,” out stepped the costumed Enlow. He walked over to the system and turned it on and off with the simple pull of a switch. He then crossed the aisle to a competitor’s exhibit, scratched his head, and appeared puzzled as he looked at the competitor’s product. It wasn’t high-tech monkeyshines, but it delivered the company’s message with a memorable twist.