LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
& WHAT WE PUT THERE Trade Show & Display Design

TRADE-SHOW,
DISPLAYS & OOH

Whether it’s a B2B 10′ x’ 10′ section of floor, 3000 square feet at an exhibition, a B2C store’s window, a digital billboard, a vehicle wrap, taxi sign or retail floor space, what we design needs to be visually and emotionally impactful, and often informative.

Designing to square footage requires more that just a pretty picture. The executionable details can often be complex and challenging… but that’s the fun of it.

Design For Trade-shows

Overview

I do enjoy event work as a whole. From the displays themselves, small to large, to all of the peripherial elements like supporting literature, interactive elements, video, lighting, team coorination, and even a smoke machiune once (don’t worry the smoke was contained). Yes, you still have have several Excel files loaded with tracking for each detail, budgets, drayage concerns, electrical, WiFi, team lodging and the list goes on, but it’s still fun to wrangle the hurricane.

Below are a few example of more recent projects I’ve either contributed to or in most cases ran point on the creative side.

Sample Work – DME® at the NPE SHOW

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Description:

Filling 3000 square feet of convention center floor space is always an exciting challenge, but the complexities are always a Kraken waiting below the surface of the water. It is often said we learn the best when we “learn it the hard way”. There is no better example of this than designing in this arena.

Make it big, make it fresh, make it consistent in brand, rich with information (without being too wordy), and make sure our clients are drawn in and space. Oh, and don’t forget to set up power, WiFi, lighting, a clean ergonomic flow, a demo-station area, videos, animations, and this year we’d like a smoke machine and waterfall (yep, did both successfully).

This is one of the larger shows I’ve been ask to “get creative” on. The target was to breath new life into a once major brand (DME-Detroit Mold Engineering) that had waned at showings for the last two decades. The exhibition location was the National Plastics Exhibition (NPE) Show.

Engagement Definition:

As the Creative Lead/Director for this project I worked with executive management team of DME® and marketing team at Milacron® to design and execute all necessary display elements for targeted DME product and services being promoted at the event. Included one (1) large display, six (6) medium sized displays and various smaller free standing product-targeted elements.

An overview my responsibilities:

Operations:
- - Assemble internal core team: engineering, marketing, sales, & operations
  - Budget projections and tracking
  - Project task assignments
  - Project timeline development and tracking
  - On-site needs (electricity, WiFi, meeting spaces and more.)
  - Vendor selection and engagement
  - Customer/attendee engagement & data collection tactics
  - Tactics for tracking various metrics
  - Post project wrap and follow-up initiatives (tied to marketing)

- Creative & Marketing:
  - - Work with executive team to develop show theme and messaging
    - Develop initial concepts for each product/service display
    - Develop any new peripheral marketing materials to support show
    - Develop show centric pre and post show omni-channel marketing tactics
    - Metric collection for the aforementioned tactics
    - Coordination and direction of external creative resources (video production, display builds)
    - Creation of majority of graphics element for event
    - Maintaining DME brand guidelines and Milacron show specification

Nine (9) unique display zones focusing on different products, services, or technologies offered by DME
Nine (9) new product/service launches highlighting new innovations or offerings that were being revealed at the event.
Five patron interactive elements that engaged attendees with hands-on or participatory activities related to the products and services.
- - - - Interactive gas purging system using an acrylic glowing mold that patrons could fill with smoke and then watch all the potential air pockets purged – MoldVac Display
      - “Drive to Win” branded model car race track with prizes – DME/MoldMasters® display
      - Live interactive area with demos, giveaway and patron participation – DME Demo Station
      - Interactive WiFi enabled kiosks at the DME eStore Mall allowed patrons to interact with digital content, exploring more about DME’s products and services. DME team members helped patrons create accounts on the DME eStore.
      - “Hands on” interaction with product – Master Unit Die Rapid Prototyping Display
      - Reusable displays for future use. More than 50% of the displays are designed to be repurposed for smaller shows in the next two years, offering cost-saving benefits and providing ongoing marketing support materials for the sales team.

- 100% increase in attendance, growing from 1,700 guests at the previous show to 3,600 guests. This significant rise, based on badge scans, reflects strong interest in the event and suggests that the interactive, engaging displays and new product launches drew in a larger crowd.
- 100% increase in the number of sales follow-up requests compared to the previous show. This indicates that the event successfully sparked interest in DME’s products/services, leading to more inquiries and leads for the sales team.

The combination of a higher attendance rate and a significant jump in sales follow-up requests demonstrates that the event’s interactive elements, innovative displays, and product launches effectively attracted the target audience. The boost in sales points to a clear connection between the event’s success and tangible business outcomes.

Finishing set up the night before the show (I love a good suite as much as a good pair of jeans). The cars for the track and iPads that controlled them safely stored in the front “Drive to Win” Podium.

Extended Use

Below are images taken at later events where the Sales & Marketing Team used individual display from the NPE Show again. Planning ahead saved us time and money.