February 2012

ammunition

Attendees come to trade shows to see new products. But they also come to learn and network with their peers - two lures upon which Schwitzke Project GmbH capitalized at EuroShop 2011. Roving brand ambassadors distributed 3-by-3-inch square cards featuring Schwitzke's booth number and text inviting attendees to "unwind the day with us." From 5 to 6 p.m. on each of the show's four days, Schwitzke offered "Talk 'N' Taste" gatherings, with a different topic to discuss and corresponding wine to sip. On Sunday, for example, Schwitzke poured Swiss wines and shared info on how to build retail stores in Switzerland. During the informal sessions, guests networked while Schwitzke staffers circulated to discuss the company's offerings. The simple strategy branded Schwitzke as an authoritative company with global reach, while fostering a soft-sell atmosphere that felt more like happy hour and less like a sales pitch. At shows like the 2011 Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3), where there's more high-tech wizardry than a Harry Potter movie, the best way to cast a spell over attendees is to zig while others zag. That's why Electronic Arts Inc. took a low-tech approach to launch Sims3 (a game that allows players to create virtual second selves). The company commissioned multimedia artist Brandon Regner to paint a mural depiction of the popular game over the course of the show. Regner, whose artistic style is inspired by the digital world, created an ever-changing piece of art that kept attendees returning to the booth throughout the show, eager to see how the wall-sized tableau was evolving. At the National Apartment Association show, competition for attention is fierce. So to get attendees to enter its booth at the 2011 show, Apartments.com, a Chicago-based online rental-listing firm, created a little competition of its own it dubbed "60 Seconds to Success." Once every 10 minutes, an emcee gathered a crowd, and randomly called three members of the audience on stage before explaining each challenge. For example, staffers outfitted one group with corporate-green headbands to which they'd affixed pedometers. A $100 gift card went to the person who accumulated the most "steps" in 60 seconds by bopping their head around to rock music. The avant-garde activity not only drew hoards of attendees hoping to take home the $100 prize, but plenty more assembled in the aisles to see what wacky activity Apartments.com would challenge attendees with next. In late 2010, Kikkerland Design Inc. challenged design students to create new consumer goods with Mexican cultural references. Kikkerland representatives chose five finalists and put their work on display at the 2011 International Contemporary Furniture Fair in an exhibit bearing colorful Mexican-inspired graphics. Staffers invited visitors to vote for their favorite finalist via in-booth ballot or on the company's Facebook page. More than 1,000 votes were cast, and the winner - a bottle opener shaped like a Mexican wrestler - was announced via Kikkerland's Twitter account, and will be added to the company's product line later this year. The promotion generated buzz and media coverage, and the colorful booth attracted attendees like preschoolers to a candy-filled piñata.		To show attendees and potential franchise owners at the Car Care World Expo in Las Vegas how its car-wash facilities function, Cactus Car Wash Franchise Co. LLC created a tabletop model of its typical store. The highly detailed model included parking lots, drive-through lanes, and even elaborate building interiors. Moveable toy cars and a removable roof allowed attendees to follow the car-wash process from start to finish as miniature cars entered the facility, proceeded through the wash, and exited into the parking area. The clever 3-D display allowed prospects a drive-through view of the car wash without having to leave the trade show floor. You have to give potential clients a good reason to work with you instead of your competitors. So to help creatively - and memorably - communicate the numerous reasons attendees at the 2011 Door and Hardware Institute Expo should do business with it, Algoma Hardwoods Inc. invited visitors to snatch a Riesen Chewy Chocolate Caramel from a candy dish atop its reception desk. A sign near the dish read, "Hundreds of Riesens for choosing Algoma. Just ask!" Now that's a tasty tactic to turn sweet treats into effective ice breakers that give attendees a reason (or in this case, a Riesen) to do business with you. In today's world of seemingly unlimited connectivity, a secure Internet connection is absolutely imperative if you hope to avert identify theft. Connect In Private Corp. offers online privacy and identity-protection solutions, with a corporate tagline of "absolute privacy guaranteed." So to communicate its key message in an aisle-side glance at the International Consumer Electronics Show, Connect In Private's exhibit featured a bathroom stall with see-through Plexiglas walls, allowing passersby an unobstructed view of the commode. The unexpected toilet - featured beneath a graphic that read "There's more privacy in here than there is on the internet" - stopped passing attendees in their tracks, at which point booth staffers explained how surfing the Internet without the company's security services is like using a bathroom stall with transparent walls: Sure, you can do your business, but anyone who wants to watch is free to do so. Talk about a memorable metaphor.
		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.