Beyond Pipe & Drape

small exhibits

alk into any American trade show for any industry sector in any state in the union, and you're bound to see pipe-and-drape walls up and down practically every aisle of the show floor.

Most European exhibit halls use a sleek, streamlined shell or modular system, but their American compatriots cling to the dated drapery and show no sign of evolving anytime soon. While the ubiquitous fabric-and-pole configuration offers a uniform look, the stuff is downright dreadful - not exactly the impression any exhibitor wants to make on customers and prospects.

Many companies simply plop a table and chair in front of those less-than-pretty partitions under the impression that a pipe-and-drape back wall is the only choice available to them. But there's no need for despair; hope is out there. From cardboard to fabric, and banners to back walls, there are plenty of products available to conceal that drab drapery.

Whether you're looking for an eco-friendly exhibit, one that's easy-as-pie to set up, something lightweight and simple to transport, or one that exudes a sense of sophistication, these alternatives to bare-bones pipe-and-drape walls are guaranteed to take your 10-by-10-foot exhibit from frumpy to fabulous.

Pitch a Tent Block out dreaded pipe-and-drape walls with the Tenttoo Graphic Tent from Instant Displays. The 11-foot-tall tent features marine-grade vinyl or 500-denier nylon fabric stretched over an extruded-aluminum frame, and the entire structure can be erected in mere minutes. With a back wall, an overhead structure, and half walls on two sides, the tent creates the illusion of an enclosed space without the risk of making claustrophobic staffers and attendees feel uncomfortable. The Tenttoo Graphic Tent comes in four standard sizes: 5-by-5, 8-by-8, 10-by-10, 10-by-15, and 10-by-20 feet. The fabric can be digitally printed with your company's name and logo, or Instant Displays' creative team can produce a custom graphic design specifically for you. Contact: Instant Displays, Deer Park, NY, 631-254-6698, www.instantdisplays.com
Exhibiting Outside the Box Aluminum, steel, and substrates are all well-known and proven exhibit-structure materials. But what about corrugated cardboard? The Out of the Box Exhibits system is made of corrugated cardboard and requires no tools for assembly. Comprising 94-percent recycled materials, it is 100-percent recyclable. A 10-by-10-foot structure fits into three cardboard boxes that weigh 30 pounds each, allowing them to be hand-carried into the exhibit hall. After the show is over, the exhibit can be disassembled and carried home, or you can eliminate return-shipping costs and put the entire structure out with the recycling. Contact: Out of the Box Exhibits LLC, Madison, AL, 888-317-8865, www.outoftheboxexhibits.com	Easy Does It Rather than cursing the pipe-and-drape structure, you can camouflage it. The EZ Backdrop from Say It With Style Targeted Promotional Solutions is a seamless, full-color, 9-by-8-foot fabric panel featuring cable loops that slip over the existing pipe frame. The dye-sublimated, wrinkle-resistant panel weighs less than 5 pounds, and folds up into a 13.5-by-11.5-by-2.5-inch case - which means its small enough to fit in your carry-on luggage. What's more, the EZ Backdrop sets up in less than five minutes. Contact: Say It With Style Targeted Promotional Solutions, Las Vegas, 702-327-9042, www.ezbackdrops.com
Take and Environmental Stand Going Green in a 10-by-10-foot space just got easier with the Purity modular portable display system from Go Green Displays. Made of recycled aluminum with biodegradable hubs, the system features support shelves, monitor mounts, counters, and more. Purity consists of a series of squares covered with fabric or hard-substrate materials that can be added or removed to change the look of the exhibit. The lightweight display fits into one case and can be set up in approximately 30 minutes. Contact: Go Green Displays, Woodbridge, NJ, 732-602-3281, www.gogreendisplays.com

Why Buy? Want the look of a custom exhibit paired with the benefits of a rental property? Check out the Ultra-Small Concept rental exhibit system. The Concept boasts a sleek, contemporary look that belies its rental roots. The unit includes a presentation counter/reception desk, a fabric backdrop, sophisticated lighting, an LCD monitor and stand, and a literature holder, all of which fits into a single, self-contained modular unit. Contact: Expotechnik America Ltd., Suwanee, GA, 770-277-1120, www.expotechnik.com	Speedy Setup An aluminum frame and fabric graphics make the Quick Exhibition Solution a lightweight option to dress up any 10-by-10 booth. The exhibit structure features a digitally printed graphic back wall, with two sleek aluminum support posts, a curved sign holder above the wall, and an assortment of accessories such as display tables and monitor mounts. Plus, weighing less than 100 pounds, the unit comes with its own shipping case. Contact: Wenzhou ACPass Display Equipment Co. Ltd., Wenzhou, China, 86-0577-865-50801, www.acpass.cn	Presto, Chango Who doesn't like to change things up now and then? With the DesignView Presentation System from Skyline Exhibits, you can alter your graphics without the hassle and expense of printing new ones. The system bundles a 10-foot projection screen with a short-throw projector, and the resulting exhibit has a decidedly hip feel. Changing the look of the booth is as simple as switching the images in the projector. Contact: Skyline Exhibits, St. Paul, MN, 800-328-2725, www.skyline.com
It All Stax Up The STAXmodular system by Kuhlmann Leavitt Inc. offers a multidimensional structure that assembles in about 15 minutes. Each standard kit contains 34 individual rigid panels - 12 panels measuring 22-by-22 inches and 22 panels measuring 22-by-44 inches - that fit together to create a 10-foot back wall that looks a little like an elegant house of cards. The interlocking panels come in sustainable and recyclable substrates, such as Plyboo, aluminum, and polycarbonate. STAXmodular panels can also be printed on both sides with color, images, and text, offering exhibitors the ability to change up the look of their booths by simply flipping over the individual pieces. The standard kit weighs 100 pounds and fits into a single wheeled case. Optional accessories include shelves and tables. Contact: STAXmodular by Kuhlmann Leavitt Inc., St. Louis, 314-725-6616, www.staxmodular.com

Exhibiting in High Definition

Turn your 10-by-10 booth into a multimedia hot zone with the System4M from DejaVueDisplay. The curved, 8-foot-wide tension-fabric backdrop features four 22-inch high-definition monitors mounted on a composite frame. The built-in hard drive lets exhibitors change their presentation easily and instantly to fit different audiences. Plus, the system allows a different application, such as flash movies, slide shows, Web cameras, and video, to play on each separate monitor.
Contact: DejaVueDisplay, Seattle, 360-209-9833, www.dejavuedisplay.com

Please Recycle

The Circo 10-by-10-foot inline booth from Eco-Systems Sustainable Exhibits Inc. offers a fresh look that's as kind to Mother Earth as it is easy on the eyes. The sustainable exhibit is constructed from a variety of recycled, recyclable, and rapidly renewable materials, including recycled plastic soda bottles, bamboo panels, recycled aluminum extrusions, and more.
Contact: Eco-Systems Sustainable Exhibits, Grand Rapids, MI, 866-463-2611, www.ecosystemsdisplays.com

Back-Wall Banners

Hide that pipe and drape in a snap using Skyline Exhibits' Myriad Banner Stand. A sleek, streamlined housing base holds the retractable banner, and has two slots for shelves, literature pockets, and graphic clips. An easy-to-reach switch keeps the graphic housing in place, and makes swapping graphics a breeze. Use three Myriad banner stands to create a 10-foot-wide back wall. Optional base-mounted shelves and lit stands create a complete exhibit that sets up in seconds.
Contact: Skyline Exhibits, St. Paul, MN, 800-328-2725, www.skyline.com

Glide into Green

Freshen up the look of your trade show booth with a touch of Green. The Glide portable exhibit line from Exponents Inc. offers a modern design that's also environmentally friendly. The Glide comprises bamboo ply, aluminum, bonded metal, and recycled fabrics, and features integrated fluorescent lighting. It comes in 10-by-10- and 10-by-20-foot sizes, and each 10-foot increment fits into a 2-by-4-foot rolling, molded-plastic crate. The lightweight exhibit includes an oval-shaped back-wall graphic and a double-trapezoidal-shaped storage unit that also supports a 42-inch LCD monitor.
Contact: Exponents Inc., San Diego, 800-451-4723, www.exponents.com

These 12 pipe-and-drape alternatives feature a variety of designs and options. Use this chart to conduct a side-by-side
comparison on price, weight, accessories, setup time, and more.

Tenttoo
Graphic
Tent