Sign of the Times
There's no doubt that the pandemic led to the resurgence of a technology that to many seemed destined to go the way of the rotary phone: the Quick Response (QR) code. And while it remains to be seen if the pixelated squares maintain their relevance, one has to appreciate their ability to quickly and easily direct people to the information they seek. This renewed popularity and undeniable utility is why Truffle POS LLC, an online-ordering platform, featured a QR code so prominently on its rigged sign at the National Restaurant Association Show at Chicago's McCormick Place. If staffers in the bustling booth were too busy to help a curious visitor or if passersby were casually interested in learning more about the company, all that showgoers needed to do was point their phones at the backlit graphic, which took them to a landing page where they could schedule a 30-minute demo during or after the show. Green Screen
Palram Applications Ltd., a manufacturer of gazebos and other outdoor structures, faced a common exhibit-marketing conundrum at the National Hardware Show: what to do with the aisle-facing back wall of its 20-by-40-foot island exhibit. Rather than throw up some humdrum hard-panel infills, marketers covered the entire wall with swaths of faux grass. And to help drive traffic to the front of the booth, they added white foam-board letters spelling out "The grass can be greener on your side...," a hint as to the outdoor-living solutions just around the corner. A hanging fixture with seven Edison-style light bulbs completed the scene, offering illumination and another dash of whimsy to Palram's "backyard" back wall. Trash Talk
When is a reception desk not just a reception desk? When an exhibitor uses it to convey the very problem its product addresses. That's just what MedTekk Inc. did at ISSA Show North America, a cleaning-industry expo, where the company was featuring the Reva hands-free disinfectant wipe dispenser. The product significantly reduces harmful waste, as it uses biodegradable paper rather than plastic wipes and can be refilled with disinfecting liquids. To make those benefits readily apparent to passersby, marketers positioned an acrylic-paneled reception desk at the front of their in-line booth and filled it with discarded plastic wipes and single-use dispensers, both of which frequently end up in landfills and oceans. The addition of a few decals of aquatic wildlife served as a finishing touch and reinforced the message that one company's trash is another company's key differentiator. Into the Woods
To showcase its wood construction products in a captivating way at the International Builders' Show, Weyerhaeuser Co. – with help from Impact XM – built a trio of 16-foot-tall "trees" made from the company's wood panels, the tops of which supported a ceiling structure (fabricated from Weyerhaeuser's joist system) that resembled a forest canopy. The company then attached product samples to the trees, much like bark on a trunk, and added an arboreal header. Besides simply showing off its offerings, the sky-high display clearly conveyed that Weyerhaeuser is staying true to its roots. Color Guard
Some product demos are about as exciting as watching paint dry. Not so at Blackmagic Design Pty. Ltd.'s exhibit at Integrated Systems Europe in Barcelona, where the maker of professional-grade video cameras and other audiovisual equipment found a novel way to prove its gear captures and renders color with lifelike accuracy. At the front corner of the stand, marketers placed a small freestanding art studio with two waist-high walls and decorated it with live plants, paint-splattered furnishings, and an arsenal of art supplies. Throughout the show, a real-life artist sat in the studio and worked on colorful paintings and drawings. The product demo came in the form of an L-shaped bank of cameras and monitors in front of the studio, the former of which were trained on the artist and streamed the footage to the latter. With little more than a glance, passersby could see how Blackmagic's offerings replicated the kaleidoscopic scene down to even the most nuanced hue. Pup Patrol
At QuickBooks Connect in Las Vegas, the financial software company Avalara Inc. needed a traffic-building activation aligned with its "Avalarahhhhh" campaign, which aims to induce a feeling of relaxation amid the stress of filing taxes. So it devoted a part of its booth to the Avalara Cuddle Puppy Lounge. Partnering with the local Wagging Tail Rescue, the company brought in a dozen waggish "brand ambassadors." Working in rotating teams, the four-legged staffers attracted packs of attendees who popped in to snuggle, scratch, and enjoy a bit of puppy love. The paws-itively perfect activation helped Avalara amass more than 900 leads that are sure to result in some fur-ever friends. On a Sweet Note
Marketers at Stuffed Puffs LLC, a maker of filled marshmallows, rounded out their exhibit at the Sweets & Snacks Expo with immersive vignettes where no detail was overlooked. Take the kitchen scene, where a retro blue refrigerator was covered in the trappings of a typical family home. Dangling from a magnetic clip, a handwritten grocery list itemized all the ingredients for making s'mores. A few inches away, a "Greetings from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania" magnet – a nod to the location of the company's main manufacturing facility – held up a notecard with a crayon-drawn call to action asking attendees to tag Stuffed Puffs in their social-media posts. The thoughtful and downright whimsical touches brought to mind these words from Walt Disney: "There is no magic in magic. It's all in the details."