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Top 10 Best of Show Booths from EXHIBITOR 2008 in Las Vegas
TradeShow Teacher and Exhibit City News announce the first winners of a new annual award program for the Top 10 Best of Show exhibitor booths at the EXHIBITOR show.
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AVENTURA, FL - APRIL 22, 2008: TradeShow Teacher and Exhibit City News have announced the first winners of a new annual award program for the Top 10 Best of Show exhibitor booths at the EXHIBITOR show; typically held each March at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. Promoted as the National educational conference for trade show and corporate event marketers, the show floor at EXHIBITOR 2008 is one of the most competitive show floors in the world. Like every year, the majority of this year’s booths were setting standards for trade show exhibiting; many were creative and some were downright exceptional.
With a detailed list of criteria for making the Top 10 selections; TradeShow Teacher and Exhibit City News Editors walked the show floor to find the crème de la crème of show booths. Winners were selected after discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the booths that fit the stated criteria and then comparing the components of the design that formed the biggest impression.
“Selecting the Top 10 booths from this caliber of exhibitors was a challenging task”, said Linda Musgrove, President of TradeShow Teacher. “The majority of these exhibitors take ample time to clearly understand their target market and how to reach them. This process starts long before the show opens, in strategic planning meetings, with lengthy preparation, employing a wide variety of marketing tactics. Working with businesses to improve their trade show ROI on a daily basis makes me appreciate the detail and professionalism that went into many of those exhibits. But after much contemplation and discussion the editors at Exhibit City News and myself were able to come up with this year’s list of the Top 10 Best of Show Booths.”
Listed in alphabetical order, rather than any order of preference, The Top 10 Best of Show Booths for EXHIBITOR 2008; selected by TradeShow Teacher and Exhibit City News are:
• CORT® TRADE SHOW FURNISHINGS
Cort offers upscale tradeshow rental furniture. What impressed us when walking by the booth is that it made us want to come in, sit down, hang out and learn about the products and how they can be used in a wide variety of booth styles and sizes. The massive chandelier in the center of the display was striking, adding additional character, class and attractiveness to this booth.
• CREATACOR Inc.
While this booth was a repeat from the previous year, it deserves kudos for its stylish look and creativity. With its tagline, “Be a Trade Show Big Fish,” Creatacor used a theme that was skillfully and consistently applied throughout the booth and cleverly carried through to the corporate Web site. The height of the structure helped draw attention to the booth, but it was the brilliant sea of blues, the bright tropical colors and the underwater theme that delighted the senses and lured attendees inside. Hiring the informative, engaging and entertaining presenter was another smart decision.
• Fabric Images®
This booth’s exterior was so unconventional and stunning that it was compelling to find out what treasures might be waiting within. Stepping inside was like being transported to a hip, trendy lounge. The exterior’s red theme and imagery carried through to accent pieces within, where there was a respite from the noise and chaos of the show floor. The overall effect made a big, bold and remarkable impression; while showing how very versatile fabric structures can be.
• Gallo Displays
Those wooden figures climbing the stairs are what did it for us, plain and simple! This booth was fairly neutral and simplistic, yet the striking “wood people” grabbed our attention and gave insight into this company’s creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. The originality and openness of the floor space made us take an even closer at this booth and add it to the Top 10 list.
• Hadley Exhibits Inc.
The cheerful, slate blue, light yellow-green and hint of red color combined with the light wood floor and flat-screen monitors displaying company information suggested the reception area of a modern TV Station. The wraparound seating cornered on the side of the exhibit showed how a cleverly crafted design can maximize the footprint and impact of a fairly small booth. This is a great example of how you don’t always need a big booth to make an impact on the show floor; just a good and space-conscious design.
• Live Marketing®
For starters, you couldn’t miss the bold red, black and white color combination Live Marketing used for its booth and materials. Though we were rushing through the show floor to get somewhere, this booth stopped us in our tracks. We were fascinated by its use of the words “stretch the experience” in combination with a sizeable hand that appeared to be pushing through the fabric. We were also impressed by the energetic presenter and by the information illustrated on the screens. Effective use of many techniques to attract and captivate attention is what got Live Marketing on the Top 10 List.
• MC2
The design approach MC2 took for its display was entirely focused on providing attendees with the ability to sit down and talk to the long list of company speakers presenting EXHIBITOR2008 sessions. Use of touch screen displays containing the presentations combined with the availability of the various experts made for a truly interactive booth experience. It was also fun and interesting to learn about the many display options this company has to offer.
• Nomadic Display®
The bold color and lighting combined with the neutral wood paneling inside, cream carpet and wood chairs presented a lively expression, yet had composed elements that pulled this booth together so the brilliant colored items are dramatic, but not overwhelming. This booth made the Top 10 list for using the variety of components mentioned which lets attendees grasp how to pull such a look together; to present a striking, yet controlled image.
• Phoenix FORMations, Inc.
The bold, vividly colored (to some, it even seemed fiery) centerpiece of this booth immediately attracted our eyes. Phoenix FORMations, Inc. cleverly integrated its logo into the display to make a dramatic statement. The brand was well incorporated throughout an open booth, making it inviting to visit. This was a pleasant place for attendees to rest their feet by sitting on curved couches inside while chatting with a representative about the company’s offerings.
• WISE INDUSTRIES, INC.
Management of Wise Industries, Inc., made a “wise” decision (sorry, we couldn’t resist the pun) in having Caroline Fisher design the company’s booth. As a former interior designer, Fisher, now vice president of the firm’s flooring division, was able to combine her considerable experience in that profession with impressive tradeshow design skills.
The displays’ charming wild zebra theme was well carried from the floor to an impressively large and compelling graphic, not to mention carefully executed details that included zebra print-covered chairs and at the top of an eye-catching column. This booth was strikingly different and attention grabbing, and also radiated an animated warmth (again, those zebras!). Ample open space invited attendees to drop by for a chat to learn more about the flooring products.
Interestingly, we later learned that the large, mirrored column of this booth – an appealing part of its overall design – was added deliberately after such a feature had to be incorporated at Surfaces 2008, where the exhibitors were confronted with an unsightly column sitting in the middle of the assigned booth space. Turning the lemon into lemonade, Fisher and Robert Wise, the company’s president, converted the eyesore into a reflective surface that provided great visual interest by amplifying the floor pattern. This booth therefore wins kudos not only for being in the Top 10, but for using ingenuity to turn a potentially detrimental eyesore into winsome eye candy.
To Speak with a TradeShow Teacher Company Representative, Contact:
Linda Musgrove
linda@tsteacher.com
Phone: (305) 677-3543
Toll Free: (888) 547-7410
To Speak with an Exhibit City News Representative, Contact:
Judy Kackley
newsdesk@exhibitcitynews.com
(702) 309-8023
About Linda Musgrove, the TradeShow Teacher
Linda Musgrove is President of the Miami based Trade Show Training & Consulting firm, TradeShow Teacher, catering to businesses nationwide. Over the years, she has taught many companies how to improve their Trade Show Results through Educational "Trade Show Tutoring" Programs for individuals, departments or teams and with her Trade Show Training Manual titled: Trade Show Training, for Increased Return On Investment. Learn more at http://www.tsteacher.com
About Exhibit City News
Exhibit City News is the trades show industry’s only newspaper, published monthly by Mr. Tradeshow Communications, LLC; covering a wide variety of relevant trade show industry topics for the entire industry. Aiding exhibit managers, service providers, meeting/event planners, designers and more with topics they can apply to their businesses. The focus of the publication and website is regional, national and international news on in-depth trade show industry articles on proven techniques and methods, “how to” steps, reviews of trade shows, lists of upcoming trade shows, local restaurants, destinations and more; written by Exhibit City News Editors and industry professionals. Learn more at: http://www.exhibitcitynews.com
About the EXHIBITOR Show
EXHIBITOR2008 is produced by Exhibitor Magazine Group. Founded in 1982 by Lee Knight, Exhibitor Magazine Group is the recognized leader in trade show and event marketing management education, providing techniques, tactics and trends through its publications, online offerings and educational conferences. The company's cornerstones are its award-winning monthly magazine, EXHIBITOR, its online resource, ExhibitorOnline.com, the only industry site that is updated daily; and Corporate EVENT magazine, its training and education conferences, EXHIBITOR Show, ExhibitorFastTrak, and Gravity Free, the highest rated programs in the trade show marketing industry. For more information about Exhibitor Magazine Group, please visit www.ExhibitorOnline.com.
Send an email to Linda Musgrove of Tradeshow Teacher
(305) 677-3543
Keywords:
trade shows, exhibitor booths |
