The trade show at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference closes today, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, after a five-day run. The 200 exhibitors (ranging from big businesses to nonprofits) and 11 international pavilions offered new products and educational information to the 2,000 attendees at the conference's receptions and workshops (including a visit from President Bush on Wednesday). This year marked the conference's first in the U.S., after previous stops in Beijing and Bonn, Germany. With many booths built to impress, here's a look at some of the large-scale displays and conversation-friendly planning.
W.I.R.E.C.'s globe-friendly entrance
Photo: BizBash
Massive freestanding displays covered the convention center.
Photo: BizBash
G.E. evoked the sun (for its logo) and the earth, with a green-carpeted living-room space.
Photo: BizBash
Vestas looked to its wind energy focus, and added comfortable seating in a model of a globe.
Photo: BizBash
Volvo introduced its new line of Mack hybrid electric trucks with a seaside backdrop.
Photo: BizBash
Norwegian energy company StatoilHydro offered visitors a white-on-wood lounge area.
Photo: BizBash
Companies from Japan (including Nedo and Zephyr Corporation) partnered on a booth to show off their wares (such as new hybrids from Toyota and Nissan), with an Antarctica photo display as the interior.
Photo: BizBash
The exhibit from Germany offered separate partitions, each focused on different goals, such as wind and solar energy.
Photo: BizBash
Virginia-based Babcock & Wilcox Company created a circular station with interior seating.
Photo: BizBash
B.P. offered an open-air design, with a new solar utility vehicle featured in booth's center.
Photo: BizBash
Canadian representatives kept it simple, homing in on the national color—red.
Photo: BizBash
!['The Cathedral of St. John the Divine [in New York] is such a striking hidden gem and one of my favorite event venues in the city,' says Tinsel Experiential Design's Erica Taylor Haskins.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2024/09/_M627287_pano.66db3413ac491.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)