This informal group of Women in the Exhibit Industry have been meeting live for several years as well as our connection through our LinkedIn Group

Forty women met live in Las Vegas, in March at the Exhbitor2012 show.  We broke up into groups of 10 and spoke about Building Your Personal Brand.

I want to encourage everyone to join into this discussion on LinkedIn and add points that were learned through our open discussion.

I look forward to read all about it!  I will repost the discussion here to make this post rich with our collective knowledge!

Meanwhile, read my EXHIBITOR2012 Recap and take a look at our group photo!

The feeling and attitude in general of this year’s 2012 addition of the EXHIBITOR show was positive.  Walking in the hall your eye immediately focused UP!  And to me that feels like we are closer to being ”back” then we have been in the last several years.  Now mind you the booth size remained around the 20’ x 20’, 20’ x 30’ rather then the monster booths of the olden days BUT, the height returned.  Look up! Headers, integrated walls continued into ceilings (a trend) and over the top soffits and signage dominated the space.

Now I am speaking primarily about the Exhibit Houses – Additionally in the houses, full concepts – Experiences if you will, dominate – Telling a story, Branding a brand. And of course the use of technology was everywhere!

Now again, my observations tell me that everyone is “catching up” to these concepts – creating full concept environments that include dynamic visuals, technology, well trained staff etc.  And as this catch up happens, I am not so sure that everyone is really aware of what they are “really” doing, especially the technology area.  I imagine there is much rearranging, reorganizing and outsourcing of this work.  Let’s call it collaboration.

Common themes:

Overhead or ceiling treatments morphing into walls

Colors: white and orange / white and green, / red, white and black

Multiple screens for content traveling over all of them (creating very large digital media areas, in both touch screen and traditional)

Fabric, Fabric everywhere! Pop-ups, extrusion, and classic round tube construction. Primarily printed

Extrusion – I mentioned it in the fabric area but this is out of control everywhere!  And the beat goes on with each group pushing the next to create different profiles for a variety of uses.

Technology – It is everywhere yet, some understand it and are doing amazing work, others are showing it because it is in.

Blue Telescope is outstanding with their innovative work.

Blue Pony appeared as content and app providers

QuickMobile – Iphone and Ipad apps

V3touch – Vision3Creative.com – incredible 3d software on large touch screens and applications for live use.

NMR – Tech, production, content – stepping out of their typical comfort zone and looking great!

Favorites:

EEI Global – My Favorite! Elegant, classy, sleek while a nod to Detroit through some grittier elements

GES – won best large booth – Turning your thinking upside down!

Elements won best small booth – also a favorite – and very clever. 4 – 10’ x 10’ booths spread over the show – Water, Fire, Earth and Air. Great concept executed well!

Moss was a stand out with the curvilinear form in classic round tubing with a REFRESH theme and a re-skin from last years successful stand.

MG Design also had a REFRESH theme that was clean and well…refreshing – sorbet anyone?

MC2 and 3D Exhibits featured the “thought bubble” – makes you think doesn’t it?

Kubik – simple paper booth – loved the giveaway napkin sketchbook!

New Materials

More sustainable materials are making it into the marketplace at better price points and quality

SmartBoard by SMARTFORMS - Honeycomb paper product that can be

Printing – Pictura brings sustainable printing to the surface

Behind closed doors, I experienced the interesting and unusual paper products of Procedes Chenel.  Also Boothster – a sustainable booth builder.

Abex – reappeared after years of hiatus with an adorable booth – an airplane experience complete with their Abex stewardess.  Their Mod awards were delivered at the Hard Rock Café just before the infamous Exhibit City News Party.

And that infamous Exhibit City News party at the Hard Rock was great fun with sponsors that included Willwork and Moss providing specialty drinks such as The Grove and the Experience. The Spazmatics played to a dancing crowd and I must admit they are a very fun and talented music group disguised as some 70’s geeks!

Women in Exhibitions met with 40 women, mixing and speaking about “your personal brand”. Breaking out into tables of 10 we all learned from each other. The fact that we each have a personal brand whether you know it or not was a key first takeaway.  Pat Friedlander and I hosted the session. Thanks Pat! And if you are a Women in Exhibitions join our LinkedIn group!

The EDPA crowd was in full force; the FIT and Bemidji State University students were available on the show floor for meetings to see their portfolio’s.  Jump in if you need a design intern!  The EDPA international breakfast brought together exhibitors from around the world. The group discussion led by Marco Alvarez made us to realize that even though the USA has advanced our trade show habits, the rest of the world is still in crash and burn mode about creating and disposing their trade show booths. One reason for this is the high cost of storage in many places.

The social media channel was hot for those that DO participate.  Tweetups, checkins, and QR codes through BoothTag  all added to the value, info and fun.  I was personally excited to meet Ian McGonnigal (@iandavmcg ) a high level strategist from Jack Morton in real life (IRL) for the first time – and “old” favorites John Lindsey (@JohnDLindsey) from Moss, Melissa Skipworth from EFI (@EFIInc ) Exhibit Fair International and Eric Lukazewski (@EricLukazewski) from Echelon Exhibits were all tweeting away!

All in all this was another great year at Exhibitor.  The tradeshow floor was buzzing and the education was excellent.  I do attend a lot of events, conferences and trades show and I want to thank Lee Knight and his entire team for what they do for the Exhibit industry.  They have raised the bar on education, they care and train their instructors, something that is different from many education providers.  The Opening Night Party with drink tickets is open to anyone that comes to the trade show.  This party is always well attended and a great place to meet all the who’s who in the exhibit world.  All in all EXHIBITOR is a very well attended event and a must go for anyone in the exhibits industry!

Side bar:  Coincidently the TSEA has dissolved during this time.  The remains have been “given” to EACA and Jim Worm for dissection.

I spent last week in Las Vegas visiting with clients and at the EDPA – The Exhibit Designers and Producers Association.  It was a great meeting on several levels especially the Networking with both my peers and my own company.

I spent last week in Las Vegas visiting with clients and at the EDPA – The Exhibit Designers and Producers Association.  It was a great meeting on several levels especially the Networking with both my peers and my own company.

The education was focused on doing business internationally. This conference draws attendees from all over the world and this year the focus was China.

Being a creative I am always looking for more of the “D” Design! I love to talk about Creativity, Ideas and Innovation – but HEY that is me!

Pink Powered by Moss brought in a stage set which I just loved (if I do say so myself!) It is our not-yet-a-product, The Wave Forms that I just adore!

The most exciting thing that happened is that our CEO Charlie Corsentino was honored with the Hazel Hays award, this is like being inducted into the “Hall of Fame” of the exhibit world.  It is for those individuals that have really changed and effected the exhibition industry!  Congratulations Charlie!

You can click here for some more photos from the conference as well as a complete list of award winners.

Next year will find us in Palm Springs. Join us!  If you are in the Exhibit World you should join EDPA and come to Access to learn, network and have your voice heard.

1. The cars are the stars!

With some trade shows I attend I don’t always know what is being shown.  No guessing here! The Cars are the Stars!

2. Fabric. Fabric. And more fabric!

Talk about materials that these exhibits are built out of… Lots and lots of fabric!  Often in the form of walls or other flat surfaces fabric stretched into extrusion -(SEG) silicon edged graphics – into flat or simply curved surfaces.

3. Printed Graphics. Many fabric surfaces were printed. The trend seen here is not just the fabric printing, high quality dye- sublimation print process in wide widths and high quality imagery, but other flat panels in solid color as well.

4. Graphic Imagery. The idea and the feeling of the graphical treatments were repeated over and over again. The highlighted image in many backdrops featured super graphics that were abstracts of speed, the blur of the road, or the feeling of travel movement imagery.

5. Screens. LED screens were out in full force! Some curtains, many were LED tiled squares that were put together to create approximately 12′ x 16′ digital surfaces. While most LED screens showed traditional commercial imagery in a sameness kind of set up -Toyota broke the mold for the Prius. Toyota used sticks of truss jutting out above the Prius and covered them with the LED 12” squares.  The imagery was vibrant….Take a look at some of the photos below…

6. Signage – Clean. Fabric with elevated letters or logo’s.  This is a great look and another similar treatment seen reapeatedly.  Over and over again 3-D letters or graphics were shown as a relief over a flat, usually fabric wall or banner hanging above.  Lighting was often involved, backlit, reflection off the back wall or projected light.

7. Total Environments.  Full ceiling treatments. These massive trade show booths were truly integrated environments – they are little villages. Really impressive!

If I didn’t know better I would say that a small group of people designed many of these trade show booths. Many of the elements observed here were repeated. The graphic, the screens, the open-ness of the spaces and similarity in the branding all made me think that between Czarnowski and George P Johnson most of the designs must have come from a few Exhibit Buiders.  Does anyone know?

AND Although there were the tons of fabric walls, I don’t want to call them Tension Fabric Structures as I find this a different way of working from the classic aluminum tube frame covered in fabric –In this case the Extrusion/System and the flat stretched fabric with the silicon strip (SEG) inserted into a frame with a recessed groove was prominent. Does anybody have a name for this “new” way of working with Fabric Architecture?

We at Moss DID do some of the fabric at the show and we are proud of it!

All and all, The New York International Auto Show is QUITE impressive.  Now I have to go back and look at the cars!

Our NYC team dreamed up and designed the PowerStation booth that we cleverly used for 2 shows with a re-branding built in. The Pink Powered by Moss booth was seen in Phoenix at The Special Event show. The EXHIBITOR show saw the Power of MOSS this past week!

This giant form circled around our perimeter – a visual demonstration of the Power of fabric and design. Seen from far away this fabric structure pulled you in to discover the Power of Moss. Our own branded energy drink heightened your awareness while the Juice Bar powered your devise! Our iPads and EZ Engage allowed you to peruse our portfolio. Take a look at the photos posted here and don’t forget the cool new products – The Juice Bar – Charging Stations and The EZ Engage! In fact our EZ Engage won a coveted EXHIBITOR’s Buyer’s Choice Award! This interactive wall catches your attention through branded graphics, motion and technology! Its easy interface and realistic price point make it affordable for your clients. Available for rental and purchase this product is flexible therefore fitting your interactive digital demand!

Also look at our 10’ x 10’ booth – Moss+ = Display Hardware and Light Boxes. Right across from the PowerStation, our little booth was mighty with LIGHT! Take a look at how our R&D team are developing this technology in our Radiance product line!

Come back again soon as I will be posting more info on the Exhibitor show. Enjoy the Visuals!   Also take a visit to our team member John Lindsey’s blog about Exhibitor 2011!

What is the EZ Interactive Wall? Moss EZ Interactive is an interactive display combining an EZ Fabric Wall with reactive sensors, allowing users to drive content on the integrated LCD monitor. The monitor, sensors, and computer are completely contained within the 80mm thick wall, making it one of the most compact, interactive displays available. Moss EZ Interactive is a new way to highlight products and services to attract and keep customers in your trade show booth.

Each EZ Interactive wall includes eight LED-lit sensors so users can select from eight media files that you upload into the system. When you wave a hand in front of the sensors to select the media they want to see, LED-lit sensors light up and the corresponding video or slide show will begin to play. Click below for more information and images . . .

Enjoy more pictures of EuroShop and DO plan on coming to Düsseldorf in 2014!

Make sure you check my blog http://pinkincnews.com/ where there are more visuals about EuroShop posted.

EXHIBITOR Magazine has a EuroShop microsite filed with data and photos

Stefan Buss, a self proclaimed Exhibitionist writes about EuroShop on Stef’s Exhibition Blog

And don’t forget my guest blog about EuroShop on Philips LightCommunity

Xplace writes about their experience at EuroShop from the POS side.

Lighting is not my expertise however I went out there to look! This is some of what I saw…

LED, LED. LED.  Everyone now finally has WHITE LED light!  And lots of it!

I took the tour of the Philips booth. First I must say from an exhibition experience the tour was a great way to view and learn about new product. The stand was well designed to create flow and it proved an excellent way to show the work.

Our tour guide took us through three distinct spaces – the fashion section, the food section and new product development.  These spaces were set up with demonstrations so that we could see the products in action. Featured fixtures demonstrated a full spectrum of white light that can change from to warm to cool depending on the product you want to enhance.

The AIT award winning product Pure Detail allows for details to be seen, showing off texture and color while casting shadow to give product three dimensions. All this AND  the full range of white light!  Another product that was presented is a beautiful delicate LED track light system – take a look at the photos below!

I loved looking at the comparisons of white light on product and the demonstration that allowed me to see it.

In the last bit of the tour our guide explained how Philips fits into the changing world.  They continue to look at their mission, develop product, and think ahead to not become extinct. This was a fitting end for our journey!

17 Exhibit Stands entered the competition. 10 judges gathered Sunday morning to get the list of instructions.  Several of us walked through the show together with our clipboards. Russ Fowler from Derse, Mitchell Mauk of Mauk Design, Matt Hubbard from Exhibit Works, Tom Yurkin from Freeman and me, Debra Roth from Pink Powered by Moss, traveled, viewed and judged the entries. We had questions which to answer on scoring 1-10 and the highest score won.

I wanted to explore some of the things I thought about while judging this type of event.

To begin with –

•   Do you know what this company does from looking at the products?

•   After you hear the pitch did you need to hear it to know the intension?

•   Judging/scoring points – Calibrating, re-calibrating as you see what you are looking at going forward you may need to go in and change the range of numbers for each entry.

•   I remembered from other shows I have judged that I prefer to use a larger spread – in other words give out your 8’s, 9’s and 10’s but do not be afraid to give out 1’s, 2’s and 3’s if you feel someone has really missed the mark.  This way you really affect the tally.

•   Take notes as you go – photos as well. You are looking at a lot, so you should be able to go back and see how the first impressions hold.

•   Look first and gather your thoughts. Do listen to the rep talk about the intensions of the company and the design. Speak with your colleagues after scoring.

A fun experience was had by all and CONGRATULATIONS to all the award winners!

Listed here:    EXHIBITOR Magazine – Euroshop Awards

The jurors:

• Dirk Bachmann-Kern, principal, Bachmann.Kern & Partner, Solingen, Germany
• Russ Fowler, senior director, corporate creative, Derse Inc., Milwaukee
• Matt Hubbard, president of Exhibit Works, a division of EWI Worldwide, Livonia, MI
• Rainer Mauer, head of architectural design, Uniplan GmbH & Co. KG, Cologne, Germany
• Mitchell Mauk, principal, Mauk Design, San Francisco
• Debra Roth, director of design and creative events, Pink Powered by Moss, New York
• Nico Ueberholz, principal, Ueberholz GmbH, Wuppertal, Germany
• Tom Yurkin, creative director, Freeman, Dallas

The winners:

Best of Show – Small Exhibit
Holtmann GmbH
Location: Hall 10, Stand A54
Design: raumHOCH
Fabrication: Holtmann GmbH + Co. KG

Best of Show – Medium Exhibit
Burkhardt Leitner Constructiv GmbH
Location: Hall 10, Stand A64
Design: Ippolito Fleitz Group
Fabrication: Burkhardt Leitner Constructiv GmbH

Best of Show – Large Exhibit
Umdasch AG
Location: Hall 12, Stand C62
Design: Syndicate Brand & Corporate Design AG
Fabrication: Zeissig GmbH & Co. KG

Honorable Mentions
Wit Design
Location: Hall 10, Stand A26
Design/Fabrication: Wit Design

LG Hausys Europe (HI-MAC)
Location: Hall 13, Stand E75
Design: Yasmine Mahmoudieh
Fabrication: Holzwerkstatt Dreyeckland

Atelier Dambock Messebau GmbH
Location: Hall 9, Stand G56
Design/Fabrication: Atelier Dambock Messebau GmbH

Aluvision
Location: Hall 9, Stand D37
Design/Fabrication: Aluvision

Read more and see more photos at the EXHIBITOR’s 2011 EuroShop Microsite