olling into the 2011 Specialty Equipment Market Association show, Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc. wanted its tires to really squeal in an exhibit that offered interactive information and showcased the company's design prowess.

Exhibit design/fabrication house EWI Worldwide accomplished both objectives with a concept that Exhibit Design Awards judges deemed "delicious."

First, EWI worked with the tire manufacturer to create a microsite for the show, which was promoted in a bevy of pre-show e-mail blasts. At the website, attendees were instructed to download a Quick Response (QR) code to be used in a digital passport journey at the Nitto exhibit.

Then, EWI focused on designing a booth that would be educational and easy to navigate, and would echo Nitto's brand - which was all about precision, speed, and cool factor.

Revving up instant attention at the show, the Nitto logo was belted across a 22-foot-high banner, which in turn was suspended over a parallel 15-foot-tall archway - both made of steel-colored fabric stretched over a metal-tube frame. The archway's speed-suggestive slant mirrored the company's logo, and towered over the 13 tire stations as well as three swoon-worthy sports cars.

Nitto's treads were treated like museum-worthy gems, displayed above interactive touchscreens. Attendees could approach any tire and learn details about its performance by tapping the intuitive screen.

Judges gawked at the design, impressed by the pristine quality of the exhibit's overall composition. "It's just a bunch of tires, yet the designers made the exhibit sexy and sophisticated," one judge said.

It's standard procedure to cruise the convention hall "kicking the tires" at a trade show. However, as far as Nitto's exhibit was concerned, the tires weren't meant for kicking, but rather for ogling and educating.e