ith 540 competitors scrambling for the mindshare of 29,000 industry professionals, the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) combines the rivalry of "Top Chef" with cutting-edge design. So when Jenn-Air USA wanted to relaunch its line of premium home appliances at the 2009 show, the Benton Harbor, MI-based company knew it needed an exhibit that really cooked.

Assisted by Star Exhibits & Environments Inc. of Minneapolis, Jenn-Air whipped up an elegant exhibit that was as cozy as Julia Child's kitchen. Attendees traversing the 7,000-square-foot booth's main entrance passed by walls totaling 151 acrylic panels as black as caviar set into silver aluminum wall frames. But once inside, the dark and icy facade gave way to an intimate interior comprising a demo kitchen and four model suites.
In the demo kitchen, celebrity chef Chris Covelli served prime rib slow roasted in one of Jenn-Air's new ovens. With their appetite sated, attendees strolled to the suites that each measured approximately 25-by-18 feet. In the Euro-style suite, the appliances were set against window panels with graphics of verdant forests. In the pro-style suite, marble countertops and porcelain-tile floors glowed under a crystal chandelier, surrounded by painted gold walls.

Like a savory meal topped off by pièce de résistance desserts, Jenn-Air also served up a duo of ultra-modern kitchens. In the black floating-glass suite, it arranged its high-end appliances on pitch-dark granite tiles and between sable-colored high-gloss walls that shined like obsidian. Last, in the oiled-bronze suite, the company let renowned designer Fu-Tung Cheng create his own earth-toned vision of the modern kitchen, which included a concrete crash-barrier-like sculpture and a provocative ceiling element made of faux twigs twisted into a trellis.

Thanks to the gorgeous galleys, 20 percent of visitors reported that they considered Jenn-Air a premium brand, a jump from just 8 percent before the show. It proves that in exhibiting, as in cooking, presentation is everything. e