Derse Inc.'s exhibit was part booth, part destination. The modular stand earned jurors' praise as “a clever, immersive concept that was refreshingly practical,” and they not only gave it top honors in the Best Fabric Exhibit category but also awarded it with the competition's top honor, The Zeigler Award.

Designed and fabricated in-house, the 20-by-20-foot island exhibit rose 18 feet high and drew inspiration from old-world apothecaries, complete with rich detailing, storefront-style windows, and a sense of curated discovery. But beneath the nostalgic exterior lay a thoroughly modern solution. The entire structure was built using Derse's Big Metal 6-inch-by-6-inch modular rental frame system and fabric graphics, eliminating the need for rigging and saving an estimated $40,000.



Dubbed the “Derse Apothecary,” the stand used its theme as a metaphor for the real-world pressures event marketers face. Every element, from pre-show outreach to in-booth messaging and giveaways, reinforced a 360-degree campaign designed to attract, engage, and nurture prospects.

Two 10-foot-tall LED tile video walls depicting storefront windows framed the main aisle and subtly guided attendees into the space. Inside, strategic furniture placement created distinct storytelling zones, each presented like a remedy.

The result was a guided, intuitive journey that demonstrated how thoughtful modular design can deliver both emotional resonance and measurable ROI. In the end, the stand offered a clear lesson for exhibitors: Modular design doesn't limit ambition. It sharpens it.

Updater Inc. brought a touch of home to the National Apartment Association â?" Apartmentalize 2025 show with a 10-by-20-foot booth that underscored how small spaces can make a big impression. The team focused on immersive, memorable storytelling through graphics and carefully integrated 3-D elements.

Condit Exhibits LLC leveraged Aluvision Inc. system components to transform a simple back wall into a whimsical, home-inspired environment. Spanning 20 feet, the illustration comprised a snapshot of a kitchen and living room interspersed with real 3-D elements. Flowing curtains were draped alongside an illustrated window while glowing lights emerged from illustrated floor lamps and range vents.

To maximize functionality, the booth included a corner slot-machine activation, encouraging hands-on interaction without crowding the space. Meanwhile, subtle personalization elevated the rental pieces, making the modular framework feel tailored and bespoke. The result was an inviting, visually cohesive environment that judges hailed as “a clever, clear, and delightfully engaging use of modular graphics.”

At EXHIBITORLIVE 2025, BlueHive Inc. demonstrated how a 10-by-30-foot modular booth can deliver a high-tech, fully immersive experience. Rather than relying on static displays, the exhibit guided attendees through an interactive journey that showcased BlueHive's capabilities while making each visitor's experience uniquely their own.

Hailed by jurors as “an exemplary fusion of technology and storytelling,” the stand employed tech to attract and engage attendees. Visitors explored six core traits of a successful trade show marketer. Each choice illuminated the counters, triggering animated responses on the back wall screens and reinforcing the theme of personal growth.

Meanwhile, a curiosity-provoking “step up” portal comprised a captivating one-on-one interaction that helped them realize their individual strength as a trade show marketer. Following this experience, attendees proceeded to the hexagonal back wall, where they selected the trait they wished they could strengthen. Tips based on this feedback popped up on a screen along with a QR code that allowed attendees to download the info later. Giveaways included feather pens and wooden pins representing their selected traits.

Additional interactive elements included touchscreen kiosks that let visitors explore BlueHive's service offerings and capabilities at their own pace, while the modular design ensured seamless transitions between stations. Meanwhile, a wall-mounted LED screen added another layer of engagement by showcasing custom animations and BlueHive's past projects in a bold, visually striking way.

The exhibit's seamless blend of interactivity, digital engagement, and storytelling ensured visitors left both inspired and fully aware of BlueHive's ability to curate trade show experiences.

Arcitecta Pty. Ltd.'s stand at Super Computing 2024 felt like a living data ecosystem. Classic Exhibits Inc. selected its Gravitee One-Step Modular System and ClassicMODUL Aluminum Extrusions to create a dramatic backdrop. Within it, video walls showcased large-scale demonstrations of Arcitecta's software, while the open layout ensured that visitors could move freely, explore demonstrations, and engage in meaningful conversations without interrupting the visual experience.

Central to the concept was the idea that software engineering could be art. Arcitecta's chief creative officer guided the creation of digital artworks that visualized complex data processes — turning abstract computations into visual experiences. Judges called the design “an evocative fusion of technology and imagination,” highlighting how the exhibit captured the scale and sophistication of Arcitecta's platform.

When Element Logic AS made its U.S. debut at ProMat 2025, the company developed a 30-by-50-foot exhibit that judges called “the perfect marriage of storytelling and tech demonstration.”

Designed by a trifecta of talent — Exhibit Concepts Inc., 900lbs, and Graphic Dimensions Design Group — the booth made technology tangible through media, experience, and human interaction. At its heart, a custom-built 8-by-4-foot Lego warehouse city let attendees explore four key Element Logic solutions. Drawing inspiration from Element Logic's Norwegian headquarters, a large arch overhead shifted colors and shimmered like the Northern Lights, while a backlit “E” wrapped around a closet, disguising storage while reinforcing the brand's U.S. launch. The result was a visually striking, interactive environment that conveyed sophistication and innovation.

When your booth needs to make waves, sometimes you have to build an actual boat. At least that was the creative approach Southern Convention Services Inc. (dba SCSWORX) took for Cerrowire LLC.

Hailed by jurors as “a refreshingly bold concept,” the 20-by-40-foot exhibit made its debut at the 2025 National Electrical Contractors Association show in Chicago. It was meant to connect Cerrowire's copper building wire products to the Windy City's Lake Michigan locale, so designers crafted an ingenious vessel using BeMatrix b62 frames.

The frames formed the hull of a boat facade, with seamless fabric graphics completing the illusion. Wire reels doubled as life preservers, and a cardboard tube wrapped in vinyl served as the mast.

But the exhibit's showstopper was its functional raised pool feature. Engineered for visual impact and practical breakdown, the water element featured an interlocking plywood base and a pond liner secured by a laminated rail system that doubled as decorative siding. A magnetized island floated at the center, displaying miniature products without compromising the watertight seal. The result? Cerrowire navigated the Windy City with a booth that was as structurally sound as it was imaginative.

For Hultec TopCo LP, exhibiting at the Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) marked a major leap forward. The company was in the midst of a rebrand, so elevating its exhibit from banner stands and tablecloths to a purposefully designed 10-by-20-foot exhibit was ambitious.

Designed and fabricated by Acer Exhibits and Events LLC using BeMatrix USA components, the 10-by-20-foot exhibit required a consultative approach. The design team worked closely with the client and its brand agency TBC Inc. to align show goals, engagement plans, and budget realities. Built-in flexibility let production move forward without compromising quality or timeline.

Product displays became the exhibit's defining challenge — and its greatest strength. To balance hands-on access with a refined, museum-like aesthetic, designers developed a flexible, three-pronged system built around custom-sized, removable pucks. Vertical displays of suspended rings, illuminated with subtle puck lighting, attracted passersby while giving staff quick access to multiple gasket sizes. The approach kept the product front and center without cluttering the compact footprint.

Judges praised the exhibit as “a remarkably sophisticated solution for a first-time exhibitor,” citing its elegant presentation and future scalability within a modest budget.

At EXHIBITORLIVE 2025, Exhibit Concepts Inc. turned a 10-by-40-foot space into a decade-spanning narrative about trade shows and the company's history.

The stand's linear footprint allowed the space to be a chronological timeline. The design team created four decade-based pods, each comprising a platform, video wall, and directional sound dome. Headers for each pod offered historical renditions of Exhibit Concepts' logo.

Music was essential to capturing the spirit of each decade, but no era-specific videos existed for the trade show industry. The solution? AI-generated music videos crafted from real photography. Judges praised the solution as “a clever workaround.”

Subtle visual cues, including period-inspired striping, reinforced the timeline. Paired with nostalgic giveaways, the approach underscored how a carefully edited palette of details can carry an experience.

At the 2024 Radiological Society of North America show, Hologic Inc. created a moment around its newest technology. The company's 80-by-80-foot island exhibit showcased its next-generation 3-D mammography platform via a choreographed experience that one judge called “a clinical product launch elevated to educational theater.”

Designed and fabricated by Derse Inc., the modular environment supported both spectacle and substance. A soaring overhead arch comprising a hybrid of Derse's Big Metal system and Aluvision Inc. panels framed the primary entry and pulled attendees toward the action. Concurrently, flanking tower arches reinforced the brand's visual language while discreetly masking back-of-house functions. Together, the combination proved that scale and efficiency don't have to be at odds.

Designers positioned a massive LED canvas at the center of the space where it doubled as architecture and narrative engine. At the moment of unveiling, LED doors slid open to reveal the new mammography technology, while lighting, music, and motion graphics worked in sync across the environment. Interactive LED plinths extended the message outward, inviting hands-on exploration once the reveal concluded.

To maximize the footprint, a Highmark TechSystems USA double-deck structure supported private meetings above and immersive demonstrations below. In the end, Hologic proved that a modular footprint can deliver not just flexibility but also unforgettable impact when it matters most.

The 30-by-30-foot Reduce Everyday island exhibit at Inspired Home Show offered a comfortable vibe that drew buyers and casual visitors alike. Designed by Storylink Creative, the stand comprised multiple home settings that felt familiar and aspirational.

Strategic layout choices allowed multiple experiences to coexist without crowding. Open areas encouraged exploration of current product lines, while a private meeting zone provided a discreet area for buyer previews.

Comprising Aluvision Inc. components, the home-inspired aesthetic extended into every detail. Natural and recycled materials reinforced Reduce Everyday's commitment to sustainability, while wood tones, greenery, and soft-industrial accents created a lived-in feel.

Judges praised the exhibit as “a masterful blend of brand storytelling and functional design,” and noted how the environment encouraged authentic connections between attendees and the product.

OluKai LLC's goal wasn't simply to show shoes with its design. It was to translate the relaxed feel of its Hawaiian-inspired brand into a trade show environment.

Developed by Condit Exhibits LLC using BeMatrix USA components, the 30-by-30-foot concept showcased 180 pairs of shoes and allocated space for meetings and try-ons. The concept pulled inspiration from OluKai's retail environments. It featured custom shelving imagined as live-edge slabs, cut to length and layered across the walls. The solution put the product center stage while reinforcing OluKai's connection to materials, place, and lifestyle.

The open island featured two opposing cove-shaped environments. One comprised a relaxed try-on zone. Opposite, a meeting and social area with tables and seating supported longer conversations.

Judges praised the concept as “a strong example of retail thinking applied to a modular exhibit,” noting its ability to balance heavy merchandising with a welcoming, intuitive flow.

In an industry where booth size and objectives shift from show to show, Core-Mark (a Performance Food Group company) built an exhibit designed to do the same. While it was initially intended for the 2024 National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show, the modular environment could be reconfigured seamlessly across multiple events and purposes.

Designed and fabricated by Storylink Creative using Aluvision Inc. components, the system flexed from a commanding 50-by-80-foot presence to larger 50-by-100 configurations, while also breaking down into smaller 30-by-60-, 10-by-30-, and 10-by-20-foot exhibits. Across each iteration, the design positioned Core-Mark as a one-stop shop for food service, fresh offerings, and technology-driven solutions.

Treating sampling as a central traffic driver, designers replaced the traditional aisle-side sample bar with a thrust-stage-style open kitchen that projected into the booth's center — a strategy that drew attendees inward and eased congestion. Peripheral demo zones featured LED-assisted presentations, interactive touchscreens, and tech-forward displays, while faux marble, tile, and wood finishes added visual weight and permanence, and vertical elements maximized branding.

The stand took home the People's Choice Award, and judges praised the design as “a study in adaptability” and “a scalable solution that proves modular doesn't mean generic.”