Big-Ticket Item
Gatekeeper Systems Inc. hoped to educate EuroShop attendees about how its self-locking wheel system disables shopping carts holding unpurchased merchandise if a customer tries to exit a store. To illustrate how much money its product can save retailers, the firm positioned a roughly 8-foot-tall faux receipt on the front edge of its in-line exhibit. But rather than listing store items, the receipt provided valuable information supporting the need for Gatekeeper's system. For example, the top of the receipt offered industry statistics, such as the price of an average cart-based "pushout theft," i.e., 494 euros. The bottom of the ticket provided the costs of various items, such as a cartful of baby food (510 euros) or TVs (1,920 euros), along with a total of "Way Too Much." The couldn't-miss display quickly relayed a message and compelled attendees to stop and learn more. X-Ray Vision
When your company produces the so-called "ingredient technologies" behind other products' primary differentiators, it can be difficult to display those offerings in a tangible manner. That's why Robert Bosch GmbH's exhibit at the 2018 International Consumer Electronics Show included a concept car positioned behind a high-definition flatscreen mounted to a knee-height wall via a caster-lined groove. Booth visitors could slide the flatscreen in front of various sections of the vehicle, and the monitor acted like an X-ray machine capable of highlighting the Bosch technologies inside the cutting-edge auto. Live Wires
Industrial cables aren't particularly eye-catching, so Helukabel USA Inc. ratcheted up the interest factor of its products by crafting an ingenious aisle-side attraction at the American Wind Energy Association's Windpower Conference and Exhibition. Marketers drilled 15 holes into the top of the booth's reception desk and inserted clear Plexiglas tubes into each one. After positioning spools of cable under the desk, marketers poked a different type of cable up through each tube, creating an eye-level display. The simple solution allowed visitors to get hands- and eyes-on with the products. Honey, I Shrunk the Products
Carrollton, TX-based Event Architecture LLC wanted to spotlight three of its modular event structures at EXHIBITORLIVE 2018 in Las Vegas. But with a 10-by-10-foot booth, fitting even the smallest of the company's offerings inside its exhibit would have been like trying to squeeze 10 pounds of potatoes into a 5-pound bag. So rather than going big and increasing its footprint, Event Architecture went small by displaying three scale models of its products atop floor-mounted pedestals. Along with images of the structures in use at events and a toy car to show scale, the diminutive displays enabled the company to solve a big problem in a pint-size space. Heavy Lifting
Instead of providing a bird's-eye view of what's under the hood, the GMC brand of General Motors Co. gave visitors the racoon's-eye view of one of its Denali HD heavy-duty pickups at the New York International Auto Show. To show off cutting-edge auto systems that generally cruise within a foot of the ground, GMC used forklifts to raise one of its Denali HD heavy-duty pickups onto four roughly 8-foot-tall gleaming metal pedestals. Designers then affixed aluminum placards to the truck's noteworthy hardware, such as its automatic locking rear differential, Z71 off-road suspension package, and diesel exhaust brake; meanwhile, adhesive graphics attached to the signage explained each element's unique properties. Attendees were all too eager to stand under the 3-ton truck – which had been securely bolted to the pedestals – to pose for photos and get a rarely seen look at what makes vehicles go "vroom." Conversation Contraption
Move over, Rube Goldberg, and make room for the wildly talented writers at Shea Writing and Training Solutions Inc. To draw attention to Shea's 10-by-10 booth at the Offshore Technology Conference, these wordsmiths threw together a couldn't-miss mechanical gadget out of children's building toys. The device moved a series of hacky sacks up and down the 4.5-foot-tall construction. Doing its part to stop attendees in the aisle, the contraption provided staff with a conversation starter that lured in visitors to learn about the firm's offerings. Top Shelf
Try cramming 15 bikes into a 10-by-20-foot space, and you'll be able to relate to the challenge Zyclefix Bicycles Inc. was facing at Interbike Marketweek 2018 in Reno, NV. The company's DIY booth needed to accommodate more than a dozen bicycles if it wanted to showcase the breadth and depth of its offerings. So rather than positioning all of them atop the company's 200 square feet of concrete – a move that would have likely made the space look more like an abandoned locker on "Storage Wars" than a trade show booth – the company erected a pseudo second level. Mounted to the exhibit's back and side walls and supported via a dozen brackets, the shelf-like display offered ample space to accommodate all of the bikes the company wanted to show off while also adding height and visual interest to the stand.