or Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., displaying five of its full-size aircraft inside a 60-by-120-foot booth at the 2011 National Business Aviation Association show would have been the equivalent of a Maverick fly-by. But fitting the aircraft inside an exhibit and still allowing for hospitality, lounge space, and technical presentations would have meant a marketing budget in freefall. Instead, the business-jet manufacturer enlisted the help of Czarnowski Display Service Inc. to devise a far more realistic - yet still awe-inspiring - way to display its planes.

Drawing inspiration from Gulfstream's aircraft, which have oval cabin windows, Czarnowski created a round product-display area on the front left corner of the exhibit - freeing up the majority of the booth for other purposes. At the back edge of this oval, designers positioned detailed models of Gulfstream's five most popular jets in front of 25-foot-tall fabric banners with cutouts in the shape of Gulfstream cabin windows.

Designers mounted the 3-D models to arced, powder-coated aluminum stands. The swooping stands' curves and the angled position of the planes atop them made it appear as if the winged wonders had just taken flight.

As standalone components, the models were certainly eye candy for the show's aircraft-enthusiast attendees. Visitors could peruse each plane's specifications at their leisure thanks to iPads integrated into the stands. "Attendees were no doubt drawn to the models," Exhibit Design Awards judges said. "And with additional information at their fingertips via the iPads, the display was spot on."

Offering prospective customers and clients an overview of the aircraft and providing them with detailed self-serve product specs, the solution allowed Gulfstream to infuse some drama into its exhibit at a fraction of the cost of displaying five enormous airplanes. e