I am happy to be newly back from TSE 2012 – The Special Event 2012 in Tampa, Florida.  I have lots of thoughts and experiences so I will present a series of posts. Welcome to the first!

REthink REPink Powered by Moss booth and lobby installation Reconfigured

Pink Powered by Moss booth – When our creative team came together we created a campaign based on the mood of the times that we reflected as RE. REdefine REignite, REfresh, REthink, REPink! So REconfiguring our booth was of utmost importance with REconfigurable products. The time today requires us to REnew, REinspire, REcharge and the more we played with RE; the more fun we had!

Graphics enhanced our color identifying booth with a giveaway of 8 assorted pink campaign type buttons for you pinning pleasure (you have heard of Pinterest by now; havent’ you?) and our REshuffle ipod shuffle giveaway was fun.  We had a winner each day, and we still have more iPods to giveaway in our REshuffle iPod shuffle giveaway so stay tuned!!!

So below, see our booth REconfigured three different ways.  Our décor was REarranged each couple of hours out in the lobby, thank you Jesse Zryb for REvitalizing the lobby and documenting The Special Event 2012 for us.

This fall at the Pink Powered by Moss booth at the LDI Show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando we took a different approach.  We approached the show as a tool for market research. Under that umbrella, we present the Wave Forms. These 4’ x 4’ units stack to create a textural backdrop, wall, ceiling treatments and towers.  Arrange the Wave Forms in different configurations to create dynamic textures.  Take a look and let us know what YOU think!

BizbBash West went off without a hitch this week at the Pasadena Convention Center. Exhibitors and attendees from the region and beyond to experience education, new trends, new ideas, networking and recognition!

Many event professionals walked the exhibition hall where assorted great ideas and products anchored the floor.  I was there to exhibit with our fabric structures and event décor design.  Below you will find photos of the work we executed at the show.

Our trade show booth featured our new Portico with a branded Circle Surround. The fabric printing of our work showed not only the range of our experience but actually shows the amazing quality of our dye-sublimation printing on fabric.

A large lounge area in the middle of the show floor showed AFR newest products as we delineated the garden area with several works from our Garden Line.  Spears and Vines, Lily’s and Daisy’s as well as Turning Birds created a colorful décor, separated the three distinct lounge areas and raised your eye, creating a complete vision.

Ribbonesque greeted guests as they arrived into Rose City’s convention center.  The yellow ribbon strands were sunshine in the all white lobby area. Several configurations added interest.

We are happy to announce that we won a BizBash award with the MTV- VMA show. Take a look at the massive project that we won the Best Staging and Set for.  We are also happy to be a part of the Warner Bros award-winning L.A. Screening Event which took home the honor of Best Event Decor (Budget Under $50,000).

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!

This year 2011, as most years, I hopped over there for a look see! I did see lots of materials – bits and pieces if you will. And some cool booths and holiday products.

Take a look at my impressions of the Visual Merchandising, POP and Store Fixture Displays that makes up the world of Global Shop!!!

Both Live Marketing and Freeman have introduced an aggregator that will take all your digital feeds and put them in one place. Whether you are onsite or online these are the tools we will all be using.  My first time using something like this was the election in 2008. (And I was AMAZED!)

QR codes, Microsoft codes were everywhere! And I did snap a few myself. For the most part right now I was taken to websites – most of which had been optimized for my device.  These codes were used simply but hey, we ARE at the beginning now aren’t we. I enjoyed MG Designs take on several Technologies, RFID, QR codes and Augmented Reality woven into an Integrated Marketing Program with the board game CLUE as their theme. Fun, educational, and a good demonstration of how these technologies can enhance and educate.

Gaming, prizes etc. Even I won something – A 22” Philips Monitor from Exhibit Fair International (EFIINC.com) just for re-tweeting! And of course I want to mention this so they get the value of their giveaway.

But seriously – back to gaming – Blue Telescope brought in a wonderful interactive experience that used music as a theme. You were engaged through questions and experiences and awarded a prize all right there in the confines of the trade show booth. This is also very significant as the Blue Telescope booth won Best in Show of the Large booths.  This really demonstrates that the Digital Technology IS the prize winner as the components of the digital technology with the complete experience IS their booth.  Take notice agencies and exhibit houses! This was the first time that a non-exhibit builder won this high honor!

And just a little plug for us at MOSS, our EZ Engage won a coveted EXHIBITOR’s Buyer’s Choice Award. I understand it was a unanimous vote and the reason this product is in demand it fits the new requirements of digital interactivity with an easy to use interface (both for the user and the provider). The motion censors trigger the content to appear on the screen. The fabric front is easily customized for any brand. And at an affordable price point the EZ Engage is available for both rental and purchase.

AND I declare FABRIC as the #2 Trend at EXHIBITOR 2011!

My last little comment is – I was at EuroShop trendspotting in Feb 2011 and digital technology in integrated marketing programs were NOT out in full force. In Europe, handshakes, a coffee or beer and relaxed focus relationship building ruled. Different cultures, different approach, perhaps we have a lot to learn from each other!

Enjoy! Keep digging into digital, it ain’t going away!

Not surprising to me, the EXHIBITOR show exhibitors heartily embraced the power of NOW! The technology available to us today, integrated into full marketing programs. Some of the practitioners really understood and highlighted the technology, to others it was secondary but it surely was out in force on the trade show floor AND in educational sessions.

Where last year social media was being questioned as what and why, this year it is but of course we are! And if one is NOT you surely have the sense of being left behind.

Interactive, touch screens, 3-D visuals have invaded the tradeshow floor. This year, few were pushing the virtual trade show and many realized that Hybrid is not only the way to go, but the way your company needs to think if you want to stay in the live marketing, exhibit or events game.

Speaking of games, finally we are seeing some of these components come into our world, the idea of discovery, growing and learning to naturally take us to the next skill level through honest PLAY – focus, interest and repetition. And of course the idea of winning, whether or not there is a small prize. a big one or none at all, the idea of healthy competition (often with oneself) is finally starting to be a potentially exciting concept on the show floor.

This is my personal choice as the #1 trend at the EXHIBITOR show.  It was everywhere! Any Agency that is NOT looking closely at this as the new frontier, well, I would like to let you know that indeed, you WILL be left behind. As you know, The Future is NOW!

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 . . .

For the winners of the Spotlight Awards you can check the Event Solutions site here!

The past few years Event Solutions relationship with Catersource has made this show a very vibrant place for Caterers and the food industry.  The tradeshow floor continues to show us lots of food, food service and a small area for non-food Event oriented product. The surprising part about that is that the dozen events participants I spoke with all were having a fantastic show. So go figure…

7 Trends seen on the Event Solutions trade show floor!

• Green Service is HUGE – I saw it over and over again

Here are three to view – more natural service utensils, plates etc. Verterra • Bamboo Studio • PackNWood

• Inflatable Decor

Inflate‘s inflatable Décor elements have been around for some time although they are new to the events industry

• Lounge Furniture continues to be hot hot hot

Including CORT who won Best Rental Company of the Year 2010

• LED lighting continues to push into the events industry

Wire-freeLED debuted the Caterlight at this show, a totally revolutionary product, a decorative wireless catering light!

• Photo Booths

Such as – Fifth Avenue Digital YouBooth

• Cupcakes, cake pops, mini cakes etc with parts and props to go with it

Roundabouts cupcake sleeves had an adorable booth concept – the wall was alive with chefs hands demonstrating the product (take a look below)

• ice free ice skating! Ice skating on synthetic ice!

The BH Skating Parks people really have there stuff together! Ice Skating anywhere! You and your guests just love the excitement of live ice skating!

Also take a look at some of the Table Top Designs on the trade show floor.