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 According to Luther Vandross, a chair is still a chair, even when there's no one sitting there. But the chairs inside Wilsonart International's exhibit at the 2009 International Contemporary Furniture Fair were more than meets the eye. To generate media attention and
foster the careers of emerging furniture designers, Wilsonart, a manufacturer of decorative acrylic and laminate surfaces, sponsors an annual student-design scholarship competition called the Wilsonart Challenge. The competition challenges students at a designated design school to create unique chairs that incorporate the iconic shape of the Wilsonart laminate sample chip. Then, in addition to awarding scholarships to the winners, the company displays the finalists' chairs inside its exhibit each year at the ICFF show. The creative designs - including this year's winning "Armadillo Chair," designed by University of Philadelphia student Aodh O'Donnell and "upholstered" using Wilsonart sample chips - not only attract the kind of design-minded attendees Wilsonart is looking for, but they also generate
a tremendous amount of media coverage each year in high-profile design blogs and publications.
 
To prove that its storm wrap can protect a home during hurricane-force winds, Typar, a Fiberweb Brand, installed a batting cage inside its exhibit at the 2009 International Builders' Show. At one end of the batting cage sat the pitching machine, poised to hurl fastballs directly toward a sample of the company's storm wrap. But when the balls hit the storm wrap, they simply bounced off without damaging it. Staffers manning the station likened the baseballs to flying debris, which can get caught up in hurricane-force winds and damage houses. Staffers also handed out branded USB drives pre-loaded with product info. But to earn one, attendees had to step up and drop a baseball into the pitching machine to see the product's strength for
themselves. Talk about an effective sales pitch.
 Faced with a bare-bones budget, Made By Humans barely had enough cash to cover shipping costs for a booth at the 2009 National Stationery Show. Even renting an exhibit locally proved too pricey. So the Canadian designer of contemporary giftware contacted a cardboard box company. Together, they custom designed white cardboard boxes that could be shipped flat and put together on site to create eye-level display tables. When Made By Humans' booth staffers arrived on site, they simply assembled the boxes, and positioned most around the exterior of the space. A two-tiered center-island structure - also made of boxes - completed the exhibit. The result was a significant savings on shipping and drayage, and since the cardboard was both recycled and recyclable, the custom structure was eco-friendly to boot.
LG Electronics USA took a fashion-forward approach at the International Consumer Electronics Show with a fashion show designed to personify six words the company chose to describe its product offerings: exciting, stylish, breathtaking, sparkling, sophisticated, and smart. LG outfitted six models in six looks, with each representing one of the six words. As the models walked an in-booth runway, announcers discussed the outfits and the adjective each model represented. For example, when a clean-cut model took the stage in a preppy ensemble, one announcer remarked, "He wants every choice to be smart, simple, precise, and easy." Another announcer then introduced a young woman in a stylish cocktail dress by saying, "Step into a world where life is stylish with LG's innovative LCDs and flatscreen plasmas. Every viewing experience will add an elegant accent to her personal style." With music pumping and flashing lights on the wall behind the runway mimicking paparazzi flashbulbs, the runway show positioned LG's offerings as fashionable must-haves.
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 As far as most people are concerned, the sky's the limit. But at TS˛ 2009, Elitexpo Cargo Systems Inc. wanted to communicate to attendees that its clients can set their sights even higher. So the company placed branded flyers that read "The sky is not the limit" inside attendees' show bags. Text encouraged recipients to bring the flyer to the company's exhibit for a chance to win a $250 Southwest Airlines gift card. At the booth, staffers explained the company's products and services and how they can exceed most clients' sky-high standards. Together, the bag drop and prize drawing kept Elitexpo's key message top of mind - and sent one lucky winner home with $250 toward a ticket to fly the friendly skies.
 Are you trying to cut costs? Start by bringing your own exhibit supplies, suggests Karen Carey, CTSM, an events consultant in Franklin, PA. "Exhibitors waste tons of money renting or purchasing items from show services when they could easily decrease costs by bringing their own," Carey says. Show-services companies often add significant markups for inexpensive items such as electrical tape, surge protectors, cleaning supplies, trash cans, electrical extension cords, etc. So before you leave for each trade show, find out which items you can supply yourself and pack them along with the rest of your equipment. After all, a penny saved is a penny earned.
 The United Fresh Produce Association show is a grab-and-go foodie fest, as most attendees walk the aisles grabbing exhibitors' samples, including everything from fruits and vegetables to juices and entrees. Problem is, if attendees are grabbing samples and eating them on their way to the next exhibit, it's tough to communicate your key messages. So to counter the grab-and-go effect at the 2009 show in Las Vegas, Mastronardi Produce Co. Ltd. turned a portion of its exhibit into the Campari Café. There, booth staffers worked alongside chefs to prep and cook sample-size entrees made using Mastronardi's Sunset Produce. Staffers invited attendees to take a seat on pub-height stools and belly up to the bar. There, they savored the flavors while the chef and staffers communicated the company's key messages to a captive, satiated audience. Now, for Mastronardi, "grab and go" has been replaced by "sit and stay."
What's The Big Idea?
Do you have a clever exhibit-related tip? Did your last exhibit have an über-cool traffic builder?
Contact Travis Stanton at tstanton@exhibitormagazine.com.
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