Sweet Meets
In-booth conference rooms are often the pulsing hearts of their respective exhibits. After all, they're usually the prime locales where exhibitors host top prospects, and where serious buyers meet with salespeople and executives. So boring hues, ratty-old furniture, and a transient air simply won't do. Here, then, are six exhibit conference rooms that not only offer a slick, corporate aesthetic, but also provide a sense of enduring permanence. Seemingly transporting visitors off the show floor and into a metropolitan office complex, they say "constant" and "stable," not "fleeting" and "makeshift."
By Linda Armstrong
PHOTO: Info-Expo Communications Ltd.
Bank on It
Exhibitor: Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd.
Show: Sibos
Design: Info-Expo Communications Ltd., Beijing
Chinese banking institutions are about as buttoned up as they come, which is why this conference room is right on the money. High-back chairs and a traditional conference table strike a balance with the space's red-and-white walls, carefully placed palms, and unobtrusive lighting.
Functionally Fantastic
Exhibitor: 3DBA
Show: International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions
Design: RBF Expo BV, Nuth, Netherlands, 31-45-711-3210, www.rbf-expo.com
3DBA's sophisticated space is a study in functionality. A glass wall and doors sidestep a claustrophobic feel in this conference room, while gray panels attached to the back wall slide open to reveal storage space.
PHOTO: Olaf Schiemann photodesign
Neutral Zone
Exhibitor: Solon Energy GmbH
Show: Solar Expo
Design: SMD + Partner, Aachen, Germany, 49-241-609-14-0, www.smd-partner.com
Awash in beige and white hues, bathed in white light, and featuring smooth, slick surfaces, this meeting room for Solon Energy GmbH proves that simple colors and forms can still pack a punch. In keeping with the nature-themed exhibit, the white tree unifies the experience.
PHOTO: Line 8 Photography
Heli Yes
Exhibitor: Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.
Show: Heli-Expo
Design: McMillan Group Inc., Westport, CT, 203-227-8696, www.mcmillangroup.com
When your exhibit is filled with state-of-the-art helicopters, every exhibit environ should offer a glimpse of the action. Featuring a slanted glass wall, along with high-end furniture and accoutrements, this second-floor space offers an unobstructed view of the wonderful whirligigs below.
Show-Floor Studio
Exhibitor: Ernst F. Ambrosius & Sohn Gegrundet 1872 GmbH
Show: EuroShop
Design: Ernst F. Ambrosius & Sohn Gegrundet 1872 GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany, 49-69-789-1010, www.ambrosius.de
Modern and uncomplicated, this conference room for an international design firm seems utterly at home in both an exhibit and a world-class architectural firm. The soft tones of the wooden floor and bookcases create a warm environment for the sterile yet stylish white table and black chairs.
PHOTO: Olaf Schiemann Photodesign
Red Square
Exhibitor: Citrix Systems GmbH
Show: Cebit
Design: Ingenieurburo Christina Salvador, Munich,
49-8121-989076, www.salvador-design.de
To support the exhibit theme "Simplicity is Power," this stunning space uses little more than color and form to create a dramatic effect. The design pairs smooth surfaces with angular and curvaceous forms, while an accent light fixture adds a warm glow to the bold color palette.
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