 
Telling customers that your company provides “Three-Dimensional Brand Solutions” is one way to share your message, but letting them create their own 3-D structures is a lot more fun. That was the reasoning behind exhibit and marketing firm Phoenix Formations Inc.’s giveaway at the 2007 TS² show. Booth staffers handed out palm-sized branded tins that contained magnetic building sets — bright colored magnetic rods and ball bearings — that attendees took with them and used to build their own creative structures. Now that’s one way to literally build brand awareness.
 The adage “what goes around comes around” is especially true for FKI Logistex Inc., which provides automated conveyer systems such as those used in airport luggage carousels. However, trade show attendees have a difficult time understanding the systems’ intricacies by observing them at eye level. So at ProMat 2007, FKI Logistex built a second-story viewing area overlooking the ground floor of its booth. Visitors could come upstairs to observe the circuitous action and see how a similar system might fit their needs.
When you want to demo your company’s car wax, a real car is undoubtedly the demo vehicle of choice. But if your booth is only 20-by-30 feet, fitting an entire car into your space is almost impossible. So at the 2007 Car Care World Expo, the Auto Wax Co. brought in the next best thing — the front end of a Ford Escort. Chopping off the car’s rear portion, AWC transformed the front end into a demo desk. Staffers could demo the products for attendees, or eager prospects could get hands on and try the products themselves. Either way, the shiny hood and headlights were a sure-fire attention getter that drove the company’s message home.
Having the right tool for the job is imperative, whether you’re a trade show marketer or a carpenter. That’s why FastenMaster created a special demo station for attendees to test its construction-related screws, bolts, and other fasteners at the roughly 30 trade shows it attends annually. The demo station is about the size and shape of an electronic-piano keyboard, but instead of black-and-white keys, it holds seven pieces of building materials, such as a 2-by-4, a slab of composite deck material, and a chunk of exterior siding. As attendees approach the space, staffers hand them drills outfitted with various bolts, screws, and clips along with the appropriate drill bits to install them, allowing them to test the fasteners on the different pieces of building materials. After the test drills, attendees receive a plastic bag with their own set of fasteners to take with them. The kiosk-and-bag combo allow attendees to test up to seven different fasteners in their proper applications — an activity that FastenMaster believes will eventually turn testers into customers.
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Most exhibitors understand the golden rule of graphics text: Less is more. But Safegate Airport Systems Inc. found a way to use a considerable amount of text and still make it noticeable at the 2008 Aviation Industry Expo. It enlarged an article about its product to roughly five times its normal size and mounted it to a freestanding sign. But since the article contained a lot of text that most attendees wouldn’t stop to read, Safegate placed yellow-highlighter circles around two key areas of text: one explaining its new installation in an uber-busy airport, and the other a quote from an American Airlines Inc. rep calling the product a “promising technology.” While interested attendees could read the entire Dallas Business Journal article, passing attendees could identify the two key points in a glance.
The International Consumer Electronics Show attracts thousands of attendees every year, from high-tech types to the consumer crowd. At the 2008 show, AV-technology company Dolby Laboratories Inc. found a way to draw 2,500 attendees to its exhibit by appealing to their inner movie fan. Dolby, which provided digital sound for the “Transformers” movie, positioned an 18-foot-tall replica of Bumblebee, one of the film’s Transformers, next to its reception desk. In addition to providing a couldn’t-miss photo op, the metal dude’s gigantic size and bright-yellow hue made him visible from aisles around, and something of a landmark on the show floor, transforming average attendees from passersby into intrigued booth visitors.
When it comes to baby strollers, maneuverability is key, especially in tight urban spaces. So when stroller maker Bugaboo International wanted to demonstrate its Bee stroller at various trade shows, it created an obstacle course full of cramped quarters, all within its 10-by-20-foot booth. Once attendees enter the 5-by-9-foot course, Bugaboo staffers help them stow the Bee in a car trunk, move the pram through an airport metal detector, hop up a flight of stairs, and buzz through a busy train-station turnstile. By the time they leave the booth, attendees have experienced how quickly and easily they can buzz through tight situations with the Bee in hand.
What's The Big Idea?
Do you have a clever exhibit-related tip? Did your last exhibit have an über-cool traffic builder?
Contact Janet Van Vleet jvanvleet@exhibitormagazine.com.
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