While the overall look of the hub didn’t dramatically change from day to day, the content and items on display did. “We wanted to use merchandise and gifting as storytelling content," said Shechtman. For example, on creation day, attendees could take home "design a bag" kits; on sports day, hand-stitched baseballs were handed out.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
A large, freestanding wooden sign was changed daily to highlight the rotating themes.
Photo: Courtesy of Microsoft
One of the most popular features of the hub was the photo booth, where guests could pick up props related to the day’s theme and have photos taken with the Nokia Lumia 1020, which features a 41-megapixel camera. To encourage social interaction, attendees could tweet or Instagram their snaps with the hashtag #MsftAW for the chance to win V.I.P. tickets to see DJs Avicii and Cazzette spin at Microsoft’s Wednesday night Advertising Week event.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Prints from the photo booth were pinned to a branded column near the activation's entrance. Guests could use Microsoft Surface tablets to share the images on social media.
Photo: Courtesy of Microsoft
To highlight Thursday's creation theme and the software company's partnership with 3-D printer Maker Bot, which are now sold in Microsoft retail stores and powered by Windows 8, attendees could watch as a Maker Bot machine printed take-home gifts such as a comb or a bracelet.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
MG Design customized modular rental units with VMware’s corporate colors for the software company’s booth at VMworld 2011 in Las Vegas. Sixteen-foot-tall plexiglass towers anchored the space at opposite corners; Octanorm work stations were arranged in a serpentine pattern for easier foot-traffic flow.
Photo: Courtesy of MG Design
For the 2011 International Builder’s Show in Las Vegas, Formica asked Kuhlmann-Leavitt Inc. (314.725.6616, kuhlmanleavitt. com) to maximize its 20- by 30-foot space. Branded mesh fabric hung from a ceiling truss; light globes drew attendees’ eyes to the banners.
Photo: Gregg Goldman Photography
Designed by Visbeen Associates (312.810.5669, visbeen.biz) and inspired by consumer lifestyle trend research, the UNcontained exhibit at the 2012 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show used 20-foot shipping containers as oversize dioramas. The display was a look into how different generations are reinventing the rules of kitchen and bath design.
Photo: Oscar Einzeig
The concentric design of Motorola’s CES 2012 booth created by George P. Johnson engulfed guests in the brand experience. The outer ring was lined with a 19-foot fringed curtain of silicon tubes that functioned as a screen for projected media. At the center of the exhibit was an interactive zone where attendees could experiment with products.
Photo: Courtesy of George P. Johnson
At CES 2012, Pinnacle designed a space for Nixon that stood out on the busy, tech-focused trade show floor by exercising restraint. Natural wood displays were used alongside walls made of acoustical foam.
Photo: Courtesy of Pinnacle
Hershey Company
At the 2012 National Association of Convenience Stores in Las Vegas, MC2 created a “Convenience Store of the Future” for the Hershey Company that integrated physical and virtual components. On one wall, an 18- by 20-foot screen presented a 3-D model of a convenience store that visitors could navigate with an Xbox controller to see Hershey’s marketing ideas in context.
Photo: Proto Photography
Ericcson
One major trend in trade show booth design right now is bilevel exhibits, like the one by Jack Morton Worldwide for Ericsson at Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona.
Photo: Courtesy of Jack Morton Worldwide
Ericcson
Jack Morton Worldwide's bilevel booth for Ericsson at Mobile World Congress 2013 also included an on-site coffee shop with exposed lightbulbs and an eclectic mix of seating.
Photo: Courtesy of Jack Morton Worldwide
JTI
At the 2013 Duty Free Show in Orlando, Tangram created a multi-brand booth for JTI that sought to display the company’s cigarette brands in a sophisticated way. An entryway showcased the different products while each of the three private meeting rooms featured a different brand and its own design.
Photo: Exposures Ltd.
Education and content on the trade show floor helps to attract and engage attendees. At the P.G.A. Merchandise Show in Orlando in January, organizers used a stage in the corner of the exhibit hall for keynote addresses, award presentations, and panel discussions.
Photo: Claire Pacelli for BizBash
3. Photo map
The Exhibitor Show also invites attendees to attach their photo to a large world map to indicate where they are from. The map was first used eight years ago and participation increases each year, reaching more than 500 photos from every state and 60 countries at the 2012 conference. Photographers are stationed at the map to take instant thumbnail photos of attendees. Organizers say the map is an easy conversation-starter as attendees look for others from their area or from cities where they have lived in the past.
Photo: Courtesy of Exhibitor Show
7. Photo contests
At I.B.M. Connect in January, the company created a Twitter photo contest to encourage the 5,000 attendees to interact with its "I.B.M. Champions," a group of about 75 bloggers, analysts, clients, and business partners who are active on social networks and voluntarily share their experiences with the company's products. The conference welcome packet included a yearbook-style page of photos of the I.B.M. Champions who were at the event. Attendees who took a photo with one of them and posted it to Twitter using the #IBMChamp hashtag were entered in a drawing for prizes. The Champion who had the most photos tweeted was also rewarded with a prize. Organizers met with the Champions before the conference to give them a deeper understanding of content, so they could reinforce key concepts as they interacted with attendees.
Photo: Mitra Sorrells/BizBash
10. Scavenger hunts
Mashable hosts a two-day conference each spring at Walt Disney World. The event, for about 300 senior-level executives from digital firms, brand leaders, senior-level marketers, and entrepreneurs, ends with a social-media-based scavenger hunt. In 2012, the networking activity took place at Epcot, where teams of five attendees worked to identify things in the park based on a set of clues and then posted photos of their findings on Instagram, tagged with #Mashcon.
Photo: Michael Cummings & Dream In Pictures
Makeup artists from Neiman Marcus had a steady stream of attendees wanting to receive a complimentary makeover. Participants could also purchase the products.
Photo: Mitra Sorrells/BizBash
The Gametime zone included pinball machines, Pac-Man, Wii consoles, and two NASCAR simulators.
Photo: Mitra Sorrells/BizBash
Some of the lifestyle activities included a take-away, such as the free caricatures created on an iPad in the Beauty and Fashion area.
Photo: Mitra Sorrells/BizBash
Organizers said both men and women took advantage of the free manicures offered at 10 stations in the Beauty and Fashion area.
Photo: Mitra Sorrells/BizBash
Attendees could have their golf swing analyzed by a computer provided by Prestige Golf Arrangements.
Photo: Mitra Sorrells/BizBash
Local Zumba instructors provided 20-minute workouts four times a day.
Photo: Mitra Sorrells/BizBash
The app's "Trending Now" stream shows a live feed of products other attendees are photographing, and the map displays information on specific exhibitors and their products.
Photos: Courtesy of 1Track
On a crowded show floor, a specialty showcase can help new exhibitors get exposure.
Photo: Mitra Sorrells/BizBash
Photo: Courtesy of BlogHer
