he word is out, and mum’s not it. From lucky bamboo to birds of paradise to triangle palms, exhibitors are branching out to include more exotic plants in their exhibit designs. “Five years ago, trade show people got mums and roses and that’s about it,” says Dale Harmon, special events coordinator for Plants Alive! Inc. in Silver Spring, MD. Mum-weary trade show exhibitors are now asking for cypress trees, orchids, bamboo, palm trees, anything and everything tropical, and even stuff you can find in your own backyard, such as grass, moss, and tree branches. Exhibitors are using foliage in a variety of applications — to direct the flow of foot traffic, camouflage computer wires, and even to replace exhibit walls. No matter how you use them, plants can create a warm, welcoming environment in your exhibit. Camouflage and Cover-up Despite all the show planning you do, there’s always a literature stand that didn’t get shipped, one piece of carpet that just won’t lay flat, or an unsightly column that wasn’t marked on the floor plans. Plants with dense or wide, sprawling leaves and full bodies like the Boston fern can hide structural defects, exposed wires, stacks of briefcases, extra literature, or even a forklift gouge in an exhibit wall. “We go through ferns and ivies by the thousands,” says Harmon. Bringing Dead Space to Life An empty corner or a solid white wall leave about as much of an impression on attendees as the convention center’s carpet. Just a touch of green, such as a branch of white apple blossoms against a black wall, can give instant life to uneventful spaces. For the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Sharp Electronics Corp. of Mahwah, NJ, placed potted ferns between its television screens to add color to its product display. Semco Manufacturing of Las Vegas did something similar in its exhibit at Surfaces 2004 in Las Vegas. To break up the monotony of a 16-foot gray wall, the stain and overlayment manufacturer positioned two large marble containers of pussy willows, eucalyptus, and purple orchids on either side of the wall. It then used floor spotlights to illuminate the arrangements and cast shadows on the wall, creating more depth and texture.		Exotic Beauties Exhibitors are using more tropical plants to accent their exhibit spaces.
Exhibit Structure Plants can also be used in place of costly exhibit structure, even to replace walls. They offer last-minute design flexibility and spatial definition without the mass and bulk. And you don’t have to crate, ship, set up, tear down, or store them. Most of the time, you don’t even have to water them. For an Optical Fiber Communications Conference in Atlanta in 2003, Optical Internetworking Forum of Fremont, CA, did away with its traditional booth and based its exhibit around the theme “Technology Park.” The telecommunications forum used 600 plants, flowers, and trees to transform its 50-by-80-foot island space into a landscaped garden — a stark contrast to other exhibitors at the high-tech show. A certified garden designer used 25-foot full-bloom cherry trees, mosses to fill cracks between bricks, and plants and flowers grown in a green house three months prior to the show to make the gardens look natural and established. Todd Cline, president of Fort Lauderdale, FL, based Gibbons Advertising, even threw in about 30 live crickets for ambience. At a price tag of $150,000, the Technology Park exhibit cost half what a booth that size normally would, Cline says. “Utilizing plants is pennies to the dollar. Floral is very flexible — and it provides a better sound barrier than your typical flat panel.” At CES 2004, Conairphone and Southwestern Bell Freedom Phone of Stamford, CT, used ficus, palm, and Azalea plants rather than hard flat-panel walls to block off meeting and lounge space. “We used plants as an alternative to walls to keep the small space open and airy, yet semi-private,” says Carol Monds, account executive for the companies at The Mash Group, an exhibit- and event-production company in St. Louis.
		3. THE FINAL TOUCH Floral arrangements can make your exhibit seem more personal and inviting. 4. CAMOUFLAGE AND COVER-UP Plants can easily hide structural defects, exposed wires, and other unsightly eyesores.
1. TRAFFIC CONTROL Strategically placed plants can direct attendees through product presentations and steer crowds away from exit areas.
2. EXHIBIT STRUCTURE Plants offer last-minute design flexibility and spatial definition without the mass or bulk of costly exhibit structure.
5. BRINGING DEAD SPACE TO LIFE Plants can add instant texture and depth to otherwise bland spaces.
Traffic Control As every exhibitor knows, trade show crowds have a mind of their own. They go where they want, when they want, with little thought to your grand plan. If you’d rather not put up a large black arrow that says, “Go this way,” try using plants. BR-111, an exotic and all-natural hardwood flooring company based in Laurel, MD, used plants to subtly guide attendees through its 2,500-square-foot, jungle-themed booth at Surfaces 2004. It grouped tropical plants like ferns, peace lilies, ficus, Monstera, Philodendron Red Princess, Jack in the Pulpit, and 15-foot palm trees to form entrances, exits, and paths around a large central fountain. You can also place plants strategically in your exhibit to direct attendees through sequential product presentations and steer crowds away from exit areas and toward your product demo stations. The Final Touch Whether you use a single spray of lime green orchids or two bunches of white daisies, floral arrangements make your exhibit seem more personal and inviting. “Plants are a feel-good item,” Harmon says. “They are the finishing touch on an exhibit.” While it used to be that flowers of any kind lent a touch of class, exhibitors today are more fashion and design conscious. “Exhibits are getting cleaner architecturally,” says Marsha Noer, president of Chicago-based Floral Exhibits. Exhibitors want their flowers to make a personal and customized statement, not just introduce a flash of color. “As booth designs have gotten more sophisticated, so have people’s requests,” Harmon says. Plants and flowers are a familiar and non-threatening way to accent your exhibit. They may even encourage a potential customer to stop and smell the roses — or the orchids, lilies, and cacti.
Rebecca Huls staff writer