Money Talks
Money flying through the air is going to stop just about anyone in their tracks, especially once they find out they have a chance to nab some of it. That was the theory behind Riso Inc.'s money booth at Print 2018. All attendees had to do was listen to a presentation about Riso's printers to be entered in a raffle to win a chance to hop in a money booth immediately following each presentation. Alternatively, purchasing a Riso machine at the show guaranteed the buyer entrance. Each winner and buyer had the opportunity to climb into the 7-by-3-foot plastic capsule while a blower hooked up to its base created a flurry of faux currency. Contestants had 30 seconds to snatch as many bills as they could before the fan stopped. Participants turned over their hard-earned cash for an Amazon gift card of corresponding value, up to $100. Now that's a rich idea. Tool Time
According to Tools for Everyday Life, its products are more than mere furniture and home furnishings, but rather tools that consumers can use to enhance their lives and living spaces. So the company brought that mantra to the forefront of its booth at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair by hanging a number of its smaller products from simple pegboard panels. More artistic than utilitarian, the unexpected display prompted passersby to take a second look at the products. What's more, the clever arrangement put the items in the ICFF spotlight, while work-a-day materials positioned the products as literal tools ready-made for attendees' design arsenals. A Brite Idea
Nothing tugs on the heartstrings quite like nostalgia. And it turns out that it tugs feet to a booth as well. For example, Accurate Metal Fabricating LLC set up an oversized, aisle-facing Lite Brite-esque display in the corner of its booth at Greenbuild. The company, which fabricates customized sunshades, screens, and railings, built the childhood novelty using materials and techniques that it employs on a daily basis. On a pedestal below the display was a brochure explaining how it incorporated the company's offerings, as well as a jar full of colored pegs that passersby could place into the plug-by-color template. Several illuminated images emerged during the two-day show, including Accurate's and Greenbuild's logos, and the playful attraction slowed visitors long enough for staffers to spark in-depth convos about the fabricator's solutions. Pole Position
To demonstrate its vehicles' superior handling capabilities at the North American Auto Show, Acura, a brand of Honda Motor Co. Ltd., rolled out its VR Racing Pod. The activation, which was designed by George P. Johnson and Spinifex, both Project Worldwide agencies, provided attendees the opportunity to slide behind the wheel of Acura's NSX GT3 racing machine. The 9-foot-diameter pod resembled the vehicle's cockpit, complete with a racing seat, a replica steering wheel, and pedals. First, users climbed inside and donned an Oculus Rift headset. Next, they customized the car's color and design, and then it was off to the races on a solo trip along a virtual racetrack. To make the experience more inclusive, spectators could watch the driver's performance on a monitor mounted in front of the user. By the end of the show, more than 1,600 attendees drove away with an exhilarating high-speed memory and a precise understanding of Acura's performance promise. Classified Strategy
One surefire way to attract attention is to zig so far from the norm that you're in your own zip code. Foreo AB, a multinational Swedish beauty brand, did just that at the 2018 International Consumer Electronics Show. Guarded by staffers wearing army fatigues, the fully enclosed exhibit was plastered with warning signs denoting it as an "ultra top secret restricted area." Attendees were admitted in small groups, but only after donning blindfolds. Inside, guests removed their blindfolds and entered a dystopian world populated by mad scientists and seemingly unwitting test subjects who became lifeless beauty zombies after downing a mysterious pink liquid. Following the bizarre experience, staffers introduced attendees to Foreo's UFO face mask device, which the company bills as "Alien Skincare Technology." The highly conceptual experience undoubtedly left an impression on attendees and propelled Foreo's brand awareness to otherworldly new heights. Seeing Red
At the Healthcare Convention and Exhibitors Association's HCEAConnect show, Czarnowski Display Service Inc. took an approach to communicating its unique strengths that was as elegant as it was informative. Approximately half of the 20-foot in-line exhibit's back wall featured various- sized cubbies surrounding a 54-inch monitor. Each cubby contained a seemingly random object, such as an antique globe, a frying pan, and a microscope, all painted Czarnowski's signature red. The unifying hue did more than add cohesiveness to the display, however, as the paint contained conductive properties that were triggered with a simple touch. For example, when an attendee's finger grazed the globe, the monitor showcased content highlighting Czarnowski's international reach. More of an interactive art installation than an everyday piece of exhibitry, the display elicited countless conversations with curious passersby. Roughing It
Most exhibitors would cringe – and look sorely out of place – if they showed up in their booth spaces to find little more than a wrinkled back-wall graphic, some wood chips, a few pine cones, and a bicycle with dusty tires. But Ritchey Design Inc. isn't most exhibitors. The maker of rough-and-rugged mountain bikes eschewed all the traditional trappings of a trade show exhibit, incorporating the aforementioned materials and nothing else atop its 10-by-10-foot, bare-concrete booth space. What the exhibit lacked in polish, it more than made up for in gritty authenticity, which resonated with the company's target audience and provided a perfectly suitable context for its products.