lightweight materials

Shipping and drayage costs are sucking the life out of my program, so we want to switch out several components for less-heavy materials. What are some lightweight, exhibit-friendly materials we can use to lighten up?

Lightweight, easy-to-handle materials that install quickly are the Holy Grail of exhibiting. That's because shipping, handling, and installing heavy exhibitry eats time and money like monthly bills devour your paycheck. As a designer, then, I'm always asked to create structures that are feather light and easy to install. If I could design an exhibit that popped out of a carry-on bag and unfolded itself into an attention-getting booth, I'd be a millionaire 10 times over.

Since I'm still in business as opposed to sailing the Caribbean, this magical booth concept obviously doesn't exist. However, here are seven lightweight materials that can be used to decrease the heft of your exhibit. Surely, not every one is a perfect match for your brand or booth objectives. But by trading traditional heavyweights for these featherweight options, you can lighten your load â?" and plump up your budget.

If a more traditional look is desired, you can use a frame and fabric system that gives the appearance of a hard wall. The resulting designs often have the look and feel of traditional exhibit systems but weigh far less and have the added benefit of being adaptable to many configurations.

The exhibit industry has its own Eames-esque systems comprising interlocking cardboard or substrate structures that can be customized with your graphics and organized into everything from back walls to inventive artwork. The Nomad Screen System from Mio Co. LLC is a prime example. Comprising recycled, double-wall cardboard, this modular system can form freestanding partitions, or even table bases and other structural components. Shipped flat, the customizable sheets require no tools for assembly.

Along these same lines, design firm Kuhlmann Leavitt Inc. offers a product called Stax Modular. Using the same interlocking, card-stacking concept, the lightweight system features panels made of a variety of sustainable substrates, so you can pick and choose what works best for your application.

A prime example took home EXHIBITOR's top design honor in 2009. Crafted by Projektpilot GmbH, the exhibit was a 10-by-53-foot, wave-like wall comprising roughly 8,100 cardboard tubes. In fact, if you just Google "corrugated cardboard structure images," you'll find everything from chairs and partitions to reception desks and conference tables made entirely out of cardboard.

Again, your designers will need a bit of engineering knowledge to turn a piece of cardboard into an exhibit element. But cardboard can often be covered with plastic laminates, printed vinyl, or even painted.

PlyCorr, which is sold through PlyVeneer Products, uses the same sandwiching technique as honeycomb products, but it has a corrugated core that can be drilled or cut with conventional woodworking tools.

Procedes Chenel International offers various exhibit-ready paper products, such as suspended light fixtures, decorative ceilings, and more. Meanwhile, Molo Design Ltd. sells several types of expandable-paper products such as light fixtures and partitions, as well as benches, chairs, and even a pod-like lounge.

However, at least one exhibit-industry company is testing foam's capabilities as well: Freeman. It's using high-density 2-pound foam as the core for wall panels, which are sandwiched between plastic laminate or other surfacing materials.

Cort Event Furnishings offers the Blofield Air Design line of inflatable chairs and couches. Meanwhile, Ibebi Design offers a wide range of inflatables, ranging from conference-room structures and reception desks to dramatic freestanding arches.

Keep in mind each of the aforementioned materials needs to meet city, state, and venue standards for fire safety, which means you may need to add fire-retardant or flame-proof treatments to make them trade show ready. Nevertheless, each option can help you decrease your overall exhibit weight, and thus your exhibiting costs. What's more, these atypical materials can often set your exhibit apart from the competition, turning a cost-cutting ploy into an attention-getting lure.