Message in a Box
Nothing hammers home information like a visual aid. So at the National Apartment Association show, Property Solutions International Inc. crafted a nifty aisle-side display that communicated a message in a glance. The company wanted apartment-complex owners to know its property-management tools could cut their paper and office-supply usage by up to 85 percent. So Property Solutions filled a roughly 3-by-4-by-4-foot Plexiglas box with crumpled paper leasing forms. The transparent container included a red banner across the top with white text that read "Your property wastes this much paper every six months." With little more than a plastic box and some wadded-up paper, this attention-getter imparted the company's core message in a visual manner that attendees undoubtedly heard loud and clear. Angling Toward the Aisle
Product displays are a dime a dozen, but most require attendees to step out of the aisle and into a company's space to get their hands on with the wares. That's why Basalte bvba tilted its in-booth counters, which housed a variety of the company's offerings, up from the floor and out toward the aisles at Integrated Systems Europe in Amsterdam. The angular arrangement added visual intrigue to Basalte's exhibit while bringing the company's products closer to passersby, enticing them ever so gently out of the show-floor aisles and into the stand. Graphic Cover-Up
Salem Flat Glass & Mirror wanted to draw GlassBuild America attendees inside its island exhibit to view its Quota CNC glass-cutting machine. As such, the firm positioned the Quota immediately adjacent to an aisle to make the most of the stand's interior space. However, that placement meant that the somewhat unsightly side of the Quota faced the aisle. So to dress up the machinery's "back side," marketers placed a graphic panel featuring an image of the Quota's front across the aisle-facing side of the display. Thus, passersby got a sneak peek of the machinery even if they didn't step foot in the booth. A Historical Perspective
To subtly convey that it has a long and storied history in the outdoor industry, Mont-bell Co. Ltd. listed its accomplishments for all to see by creating a timeline along an aisle-side wall of its exhibit at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. Four 3-by-8-foot canvas panels listed death-defying summits and other adventures executed by outdoor enthusiasts using the company's gear during the last 40 years. The graphics appealed to the company's target audience and gave attendees a taste of Mont-bell's illustrious past that teased them into the exhibit to learn more.


Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'
Hoping to showcase the flexibility and durability of its entrance-mat systems (think metal and AstroTurf-like mats in corporate entryways), Emco Bau- und Klimatechnik GmbH & Co. KG created a simple yet effective demo at EuroShop. At a front corner of its space Emco positioned a reception-desk-like structure, the front of which featured a photo of the company's entrance mat installed in an office environment. The top of the desk offered a roughly 1-by-3-foot "swatch" of mat material. A tiny motor affixed to the left side of the desk operated a nearly invisible wire that continuously raised and lowered the mat during the five-day event, kinetically demonstrating the product's ability to withstand an onslaught of wear and tear. Soundproof Strategy
Noise-blocking Bluetooth headsets from Orfeo Soundworks allow users to easily hear callers when using their cellphones in loud environments such as concerts or nightclubs. To demonstrate this unique feature, the company created a soundproof booth of sorts in its exhibit at the International Consumer Electronics Show. Wrapped with graphics bearing the text "What the F@#$!!," the enclosure piqued the curiosity of passersby, and staffers along the aisle seized that moment to invite attendees to handle the headsets. Those that appeared interested were beckoned inside the soundproof booth, where loud music played. A staffer then called them on a cellphone equipped with an Orfeo headset for a demonstration of the wireless product's noise-blocking qualities. Personalized Promo
On-site screen printing is all the rage on the trade show floor these days, so Ceridian HCM Inc. capitalized on that popularity at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. Lured to the company's exhibit via an armada of multiarmed screen-printing machines, attendees who engaged with staffers and had their badges scanned were invited to choose from three colors of T-shirts, a full range of sizes, and four different designs. They could then watch as a T-shirt was decorated on the spot to meet their specifications. The opportunity to customize the shirts not only made the branded items far more desirable than run-of-the-mill giveaways, but also required more of attendees' time – meaning Ceridian staffers could engage with and qualify prospects as they waited in line for their complimentary couture.