There's something inherently cool about being an artist, and most people have dreamed of wielding a paintbrush. At the 2013 Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association Annual Meeting, Taylor Group Inc. created an in-booth activity that allowed attendees to revisit those aspirations and contribute to a philanthropic endeavor at the same time. On the back wall of its 10-by-20-foot exhibit, Taylor Group positioned a framed, black-and-white line drawing featuring a city scene with images of children at play. Throughout the show, Taylor staff invited attendees to strap on a painting apron, dip a paintbrush into a jar of paint, and help complete the painting. As they set to work, staff explained that the completed artwork would be donated to Sammy's House, a children's charity in Austin, TX. The creative tactic helped Taylor Group lure attendees to its space and allowed staffers to ease into a conversation about the firm's offerings.
Feeling Right at Foam
To the car-wash owner, a goopy wall of suds is almost as enticing as a frothy pint of Bud. So at The Car Wash Show, Simoniz USA Inc. crafted a sudsy product display that stopped attendees in their tracks. The company devised a mini car-wash-like contraption featuring a 7-foot-long header that was suspended roughly 10 feet high. Throughout the show, the header, which was lit with colorful overhead lighting for an even more dramatic effect, spewed the company's hot wax and shine product into a trough below. The ever-flowing gobs of foam were then recycled, as the device returned the product to the header where it soon plopped back into the trough like slime into a bucket. Granted, the display might not impress everyone, but car-wash aficionados were absolutely entranced by the contraption, and as they stood ogling, staffers drew them into conversations about Simoniz products.
Upside-Down Booth
It's hard to get noticed at a large show like RSA Conference. So to stand out from the aisles of upright exhibits, Webroot Software Inc. turned its exhibit upside down. The company worked with exhibit house Derse Inc. to devise the topsy-turvy design to match its marketing slogan, "Are we upside down, or is the rest of the industry?" The resulting 20-by-20-foot exhibit appeared normal at first glance, but further examination revealed that something was amiss. Featuring strategically placed bright-green banners (with an upside-down slogan in white text accompanied by an image of a woman "hanging" upside down), floral arrangements attached to the bottom of wooden shelves, and pendant-style light fixtures attached to the floor rather than the ceiling, the overall impression of the space was that the booth had been flipped 180 degrees.
Wonderful Waterfall
For years, homeowners have been told they must have an overhang over any exterior wooden doors to prevent wood rot. But all
that changed when Lemieux Doors Inc. unveiled its Torrefied wood doors at the 2013 International Builders' Show. To quickly communicate that its new doors are impermeable, Lemieux took inspiration from its ad campaign that features the door nestled in a lagoon, beneath a waterfall. To bring that campaign to life, Lemieux combined a large-format graphics image with landscaping blocks, foliage, and a lot of H²O to create an in-booth water feature. But the makeshift waterfall did more than pay homage to the print ad and demonstrate the doors' impermeability, it also created a kinetic and aural lure that attracted attention and left competitors' permeable products all washed up.
Graphic Tee
Exhibit house Aura XM Inc. wanted to show attendees at
EXHIBITOR2013 that it was listening to their needs. So instead of a standard polo shirt, booth staffers wore sound-activated, long-sleeve T-shirts featuring Aura XM's logo. When staffers or nearby attendees spoke, gradients within the orange logo lit up in response to the volume of that person's voice. The shirts not only provided instant visual feedback for attendee-staffer conversations, but they also doubled as conversation starters because curious passersby stopped to ask about the flashing lights. When was the last time your booth uniform got attendees' attention and let them know you were listening to their needs?
Cardboard Cutouts
Kermit was right. It ain't easy being Green. And it can be even harder to balance your ecologically minded efforts with your exhibit program's basic needs. But GreenSmart, a Grass Valley, CA- based designer of bags made from eco-friendly materials, came up with a sustainable idea that did triple duty at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show. Rather than using mannequins to display its products, GreenSmart used two-dimensional cardboard cutouts of human silhouettes. The exposed corrugated edges quickly sent a Green-themed message to passersby, while serving a functional role in helping GreenSmart display its wares. But the cutouts served a third purpose: Their bases functioned as recycling stations, where booth visitors could deposit their detritus.
Cute as a Button
Practice-management software is just about as dry as it sounds. So to add a little humor to its exhibit at the American Dental Association Annual Session – and stand out from the crowd in the process – Henry Schein Inc. handed out miniature buttons with tongue-in-cheek phrases promoting its Dentrix line of software products. The colorful little buttons featured the Dentrix URL as well as witty, dental-related comments such as, "I see numb people," and "Free cavity search: It's OK, I'm a Dentist." The cute, collectable giveaways elicited a few knowing giggles while simultaneously reinforcing just how well Henry Schein knows its target audience.
