At its core, this minimalist desk is little more than wood and laminate. But combine those mundane materials with unusual colors, angles, and forms, and you’ve got yourself a chic one-off design. Ghosted floral images over a dark background draw the eye directly to the exhibitor’s logo.

Bencore Srl’s composite translucent panels have an almost cult-like following among designers and architects. So using its ruby-red panels to create a reception desk was a no brainer. Positioned in front of a product display, the internally lit desk stops attendees faster than a red-light camera.

A play on texture, light, and scale, this oversized desk is equally suited for an artist’s loft as it is for a trade show booth. Overhead lighting illuminates the vast counter surface, which is perfect for perusing the exhibitor’s portfolio, and accentuates variations in board length on the desk’s sides.

When you’re angling for attendees, a 16-gallon aquarium filled with real fish is the perfect lure. Built into an otherwise stark 40-inch-tall desk comprising a wood frame and colored laminate, this eye-catching aquarium had clients and prospects falling for it hook, line, and sinker.

When you’re selling wooden hangers, a glitz-and-glam reception desk is overkill. That’s why this simple beauty is the perfect solution for International Hanger. Featuring only a decorative vase and a handful of product brochures, it’s clean and organized — and uber appropriate.

Sometimes, inspiration comes from within. Elements Exhibits LLC used its own icon — featuring a stylized symbol for a chemical bond — as the focal point of this reception desk. Comprising aluminum, glass, wood, and stone, the desk says “elements” from top to bottom.