Dress Code
Most booth uniforms are about as exciting and fashionable as a pair of denim overalls. Sure, they're functional and help attendees identify your company's employees, but they do little in the way of conveying your corporate culture. So rather than adopting yawn-inducing and ill-fitting branded polos, Mann+Hummel GmbH, a filter-solutions provider, gave its reps garments with a little more personality: bright-green letterman jackets with the company's name emblazoned on the back. Paired with staffers' self-selected business-casual attire, the corporate-hued coats made Mann+Hummel employees look less like stuffed shirts and more like the cool kids of the International Consumer Electronics Show. Games Within Games
To ensure that Amazon Game Tech (a division of Amazon Web Services Inc.) didn't overwhelm Game Developers Conference attendees with its nearly 30 demo stations, Pinnacle Exhibits Inc. (dba Pinnacle) helped the company turn its booth into a game of its own. Arriving attendees completed brief questionnaires about their interests, after which curated itineraries were sent to their phones. Visitors scanned into and out of each location, and the more demos they completed, the more points they earned. When they felt they had seen enough, attendees hustled over to the prize redemption zone, scanned their badges, and were prompted to open one of nine doors (based on how many points they'd earned) and collect sweet swag such as Amazon Echos and smaller-ticket items. Backyard Living
At Natural Products Expo West, Materne North America Corp. (dba GoGo Squeez), maker of on-the-go all-natural fruit snacks, tasked Nationwide Displays with creating a 20-by-30-foot island that captured the fun backyard vibe for which the brand is known. The thematic result couldn't have been more on point. A miniature suburban house provided storage, a 12-by-19-foot deck served as an ideal location for cozy business chats, and several raised "flower beds" supplied ample space to display the company's healthy offerings. To round out the experience, a hand-sculpted, 16-foot-tall faux apple tree in the center of the exhibit featured a treehouse and tire swing. Taken together, GoGo Squeez's family-oriented exhibit was as wholesome and sweet as its snacks. Safe Spaces
Employee and visitor safety was top of mind for L3Harris Technologies Inc. at the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – the company's first in-person trade show since COVID-19 hit. The producer of aerospace and defense technology tasked Global Experience Specialists Inc. (GES) with designing a booth that ensured the exhibit met the event's safety standards. Among its health-conscious components were a trio of side-by-side meeting spaces in a back corner of the booth. Divided by floor-to-ceiling frosted-Plexiglas dividers that created privacy while the external 5-foot-tall walls facilitated ample airflow to reduce airborne particles, each space consisted of a high-top table that was approximately 5 feet long and 2 feet wide. With two chairs set at the far ends, the simple arrangement ensured proper social distancing and reflected the company's ability to adapt to a changing world. Now That's Branding
At World of Concrete, Robert Bosch Tool Corp., a major player in the construction industry, wanted to make a permanent impression on its loyal customers – literally. Knowing its audience's affinity for tattoos, the company set up a two-chair parlor (designed by Matrex Exhibits Inc.) inside one of the 21 shipping containers that comprised the 95-by-135-foot booth. The first 50 walk-ins scheduled 30-minute appointments to get inked by Revolt Tattoos LLC, whose owner, Joey "Hollywood" Hamilton, won the third season of "Ink Masters" and drew celebrity attention. Available time slots filled fast. Visitors showed up for their appointments and chose from a slew of Bosch-branded options that ranged from 1-by-1 to 5-by-5-inches in size. Now that's a giveaway attendees will never throw away. Remote Control
Red Hat Inc. was slated to exhibit at the in-person Gulf Information Technology Exhibition in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. But in a major hiccup, staffers couldn't attend due to global travel restrictions. So the company partnered with The Freeman Co. LLC (Freeman) to design an unstaffed experience that shared its products and virtually connected attendees with Red Hat's stateside specialists. Large arrows guided visitors on a one-way journey through four demo pods featuring gesture-based technology. The exhibit also offered several meeting rooms where attendees could have private video conferences with Red Hat's employees. All in all, the staffless stand engaged visitors for an average of 24 minutes and facilitated 50 virtual meetings. Who says distance learning has to be hard? Food and Leverage
It's not unusual for exhibiting companies to be saddled with less-than-ideal booth spaces. But when Powersoft S.p.A. faced such a challenge at Integrated Systems Europe, it devised a unique solution. While Powersoft initially wanted roughly 200 square feet to house a hospitality-centric stand on the ISE show floor, what it got were two back-to-back (rather than side-by-side) in-line spaces. So to join the two footprints into one cohesive exhibit, the company created a 20-foot-long, galley-kitchen-like space. The resulting tunnel-shaped lounge featured a coffee bar, ample seating, and a sizeable storage area, offering guests a perfect place to take a seat, grab a drink, and comfortably talk shop with Powersoft reps.