Futuristic Fabbing: Booth and Exhibition Designs Inspired by High-Tech
TRADE SHOW
We like us some TRON-inspired goodness. Stumbling across an old Bizbash post about the glowing arrivals carpet at the 2012 premier of Total Recall, we were reminded of some rad spatial design we d seen recently. Take a look at these LED-bedecked exhibits (and remember, we can get anything built for you, so drop us a line if you need something custom):
Yota Devices Pavilion
Man, trade show booths don t usually warrant their own videos, but this one was is a real joy to look at. Created with extreme skill by artists at External Reference Architects, the Yota Devices Pavilion was out and proud on the expo floor at the 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
INFINITYCONST Europshop
Another future-forward booth design captured on video, the first of these was made by Studio Dega from St. Petersburg for the 2011 World s Fair in Dusseldorf. Three cheers for consistency: Studio Dega followed up in 2014 with a similar, but updated, design.
Cloroflot Booth for Levi Strauss
Creator Ningning Zhang tells us that this exhibit design was inspired by chrysalis. A chrysalis pulsates with emerging life and draws us to look closer and feel its energy, she says.
Something Russian This Way Comes
All we know about this lovely piece is that it was created by Russia s Dimitri Androsov, and that we like it. Dimitri has a killer portfolio of clean, sharp booth concepts, but this is our personal pick of that litter.
Nike Shanghai Exbition
Created by China-based designers Queenie Yehenala and Jay Chi, Nike SH Marathon EXPO Centre was a hub to serve marathon runners premium experience of pre-race gearing, running consultancy and product trailing. The 1200 sqm warehouse space was divided into 3 sections: the House of Tee, Gait Lab and Nike Running Retail.
Milan Expo 2015 Wrap-up: Five Exhibitions That Totally Rocked It
TRADE SHOW
The most recent Universal Exposition (better known to us Americans as the World Fair) was held this year in beautiful Milan, Italy the city s second time hosting the international event, which is staged every five years or so. The theme of the 2015 expo was Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life, which urged the 140 countries participating to build pavilions that explored how new technologies and old gastronomic traditions combine to create new ways of nourishing people, both physically and spiritually.
As expected, the participants came through with some seriously impressive pavilions, the best of which were recently recognized by Exhibitor Magazine. We picked five of our favorites for a bit of design porn (or simple inspiration for you next exhibition), courtesy of some of the world s best creative minds.
Best Use of Technology: Inside the Supermarket of the Future
No exhibit better captured the complex ideas behind this year s theme than the Future Food District, designed by innovation and design firm Carlo Ratti Associati. At the interactive exhibit, attendees were able to wander through a modern-looking supermarket and learn about how food will be produced and consumed in the future. Also, there were cool two-armed robots;
Best Exhibit United Kingdom Pavilion s The Hive
The UK took home Best Exhibit for their pavilion dedicated to the beleaguered-but-environmentally-essentially bee, which has made headlines in recent years for its dwindling population. The structure, which was designed by Wolfgang Buttress, is intricate and incredible; watch its construction over a period of months below:
Best Pavilion German Pavilion
Not to be outdone, Germany won recognition this year for its airy, strangely Ikea-like pavilion,
conceptualized and designed by SCHMIDHUBER and Milla & Partner. The pavilion s air exterior was designed to convey flowing natural landscapes, while its interior offered educational exhibits about food production on a more granular level. See their explanation of the pavilion here:
Best Exterior Design United Arab Emirates
No surprises here with its flowing, curvilinear walls that mimic the windblown ripples of the Middle East s vast deserts, the UAE s pavilion was arguably the most visually striking of them all. Inside, the pavilion explored themes of sustainability with a focus on the low-carbon ccity of Masdar. Designers Foster + Partners explain the concept s evolution below:
The Winningest Swag for Your 2016 Conference
TRADE SHOW
Somewhere, in some God-forsaken corner of the earth lies every conference planner s nightmare: a graveyard of last year s discarded swag. Remember that keychain you tossed moments after finding it at the bottom of your swag bag? The branded mug that you conveniently forgot in your hotel room? The gaudy phone case that never even had a chance of making it anywhere near your phone? They re all there, in a towering pile of neon plastic and polyester, where they ll languish forever because someone didn t have the damn sense to realize that conference attendees don t need a thousandth branded USB drive.
Don t let this happen to you! Something that seems to be lost on so many trade show and conference organizers is that the purpose of swag is not purely as a vehicle for promotion, but rather to provide gifts that attendees will value and hopefully keep around for years to come. So how do you avoid swag bags that end up in hotel trashcans at the end of the day? Check out our guide for recommendations that are sure to please.
Umbrellas
The first rule of good swag is functionality and it doesn t get any more functional than an umbrella. Pedestrian as it may seem, umbrellas are a great choice for two reasons: first, unless you live in a dry climate, they re sure to get a lot of use; and second, they re used exclusively outside, which makes them a great vehicle for advertising. If you don t skimp on the quality, this is a piece of swag people will both appreciate and keep in their regular rotation for years to come.
Portable phone chargers
Speaking of functionality, it doesn t get much more useful than a portable phone charger especially at an event where folks will likely be on their phones all day long. It s an item that most people won t go out of their way to buy, but will get a lot of use out of, and appreciate your brand whenever they do. Best of all, they re not as expensive as you d think you can buy a Jolt charger, for example, for as little as $13 each.
Quality totes
The key word here is quality. Chances are, anyone who regularly attends trade shows, conferences, or media events has their very own mausoleum of crappy totes stuffed in a cabinet somewhere. You know the kind we re talking about the gross, polyester/ polypropylene bags that feel kind of like fabric but not quite, and that you keep around on the off chance that you ll need them for grocery shopping. Ditch those in favor of real cotton or canvas totes, ideally with a unique image screened on the front. They may cost a little more, but it s worth it to provide a quality product that people will be proud to use, rather than one gathering mold under the sink.
Moleskine notebooks
Forget funny-shaped USBs in little metal boxes these days, it s better to go old-school with your office-related swag. Among the classiest choices is a good Moleskine notebook. Not only do people go gaga for them as planners, organizers or journals, Moleskines are perfect for branding because you can easily have your logo imprinted in the cover. Show us someone willing to throw out a perfectly good Moleskine, and we ll show you a man with no soul.
Mobile phone speakers
The beautiful thing about phone speakers is they re sure to get people to associate your brand or event with something they love music. Whenever they re out and about at the beach, at a party, on a weekend trip they ll pull this little guy out and be reminded of your brand as they groove along to some of their favorite tunes.
8 Bad Ass Products You Need For Events from CES 2017
EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, TRADE SHOW
When you re a kid, wonderment can be found around every corner. When you re an adult, there are three main places you can go to experience that same childlike rush of awesomeness: Disneyland, Legoland and CES.
Unlike Disneyland, the magic displayed at CES is real; and unlike Legoland, it isn t larger than life, it is life. These are the futuristic, cutting-edge products straight out of The Jetsons and they re right here, right now. (Or at least in prototype.)
The Consumer Electronics Show featured 3,800 companies showing off products in a record 2.6 million net square feet of exhibit space with gadgets ranging from the brilliant to the fucking insane. So, we ve rounded up our favorites for rock star event professionals. Take a look:
Razer Project Valerie Triple-Screen Laptop
(Photo Credit: Razer)
Razer has created the world s first portable laptop with triple monitors. The additional screens are built-in and fold back into a 17-inch laptop case to take on the go. Unlike most laptops, it s a 12-pounder, but has a top-of-the-line graphics card and technology to date.
It may be meant for gamers, we re imagining the Project Valerie used in a command center overlooking your event floor. Even at 12 pounds, it would be easier to lug around than your laptop and two monitors when you need extra screen space to quickly and efficiently manage your next main stage. Unfortunately, this bad boy is only a prototype for now and isn t for sale yet. Our credit card is ready, Razer. Just say the word.
Smart Shoes from Under Armour
As if we didn t love them enough already, Under Armour has won our hearts again. Smart Shoes have been tracking running speed and cadence for about a year now, but this new update takes the cake. Jump six times in a row, and Smart Shoes 3.0 will measure how tired you are, letting you know if you re ready to run, need a break, or need an extra warm-up. Now if only they could design a smart shoe with a built in foot massager for those endless event days on the trade show floor. 4.0 release, pretty please?
Samsung Gear VR 4D Experience
(Photo Credit: Samsung)
One of the most popular demos at #CES2017 was the Samsung Gear VR 4D Gyro Experience. It had people seeing, hearing and FEELING the thrills of a space race. The line for this ride was super long, but also super worth it. Building a custom amusement park ride on your show floor really ups the ante for VR, and it wasn t the only virtual reality demo Samsung brought either, they had quite an impressive lineup! We re big on VR over here at dB, and can t wait to see where this technology will take us in the near future.
LG OLED TV Tunnel
(Photo Credit: Steve Marcus/Reuters)
LG is known for showing everyone up at CES, but they really outdid themselves with this stunning LG OLED TV Tunnel display. The TV Tunnel was a totally immersive display that transported you to another world, without the need for a virtual reality headset. It s made up of 216 55-inch LG OLED 4K TVs, working insync to display spectacular views of the solar system, jellyfish, whales and other astounding images.
While this display is showcasing the outstanding abilities of LG TVs, we can see this TV Tunnel being used at a variety of different events. Right off the top of our heads? We re thinking red carpet movie premiere entrance. Boom. You re welcome.
Kanex MultiSync Folding Bluetooth Keyboard
Here s a smaller, simpler, yet super helpful device spotted at CES 2017. The Kanex MultiSync folding keyboard is an uber portable keyboard that connect to any of your devices by Bluetooth. Event days are long and fast-paced, and the last thing you need slowing you down is slowing punching out an email on your smartphone. Whip out this bad boy and you ll get that email done in half the time, assuming you can type on a keyboard faster than you can text, that is.
The best part? The keys really compress just like those laptop keys you know and love. Bonus: it retails for just $50.
BACTrack Skyn World s First Wearable Alcohol Monitor
(Photo Credit: BACtrack)
There s nothing quite like enjoying an ice cold adult beverage after working a long event day. (Truth be told, we prefer Don Julio to Dos Equis, but don t tell The Most Interesting Man in the World.) Chances are if you don t have another early call time, you ll need to be up early to catch a flight home, so monitoring your alcohol consumption is key. And that s where BACtrack Skyn comes in.
BACtrack Skyn is the world s first wearable alcohol monitor. While wearing the sleek BACtrack Skyn, you can learn when you re approaching higher alcohol levels so you can make better decisions about when it s time to call it a night. There are currently two working prototypes, a standalone wearable that goes around your wrist, or a band that integrates with your Apple Watch for seamless alcohol consumption tracking, continuously and in near real-time. Bottoms up.
Fossil Releasing More Than 300 Fashion Smart Watches in 2017
(Photo Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Move over, Apple Watch. Fossil Group is releasing a line of smartwatches this year, but promise to continue to focus on being fashion-first. So you can still look sharp while getting your emails, checking your event schedule, and tracking your steps.
There are over 300 connected watches to be released in 2017 from brands like Armani Exchange and Misfit, in addition to 2016 s brands Kate Spade and Michael Kors, to name a few. Classy yet functional, that s how #eventprofs roll.
Moshi s Arcus Backpack
The Arcus Backpack may not be the flashiest item at CES, but it certainly is quite useful for hard-working, ridiculously good-looking event professionals like you and I. Described as the clown car of backpacks by CNET, this bag certainly has a place for everything. It can easily fit a DSLR camera and several lenses, as well as a 15 computer, tennis shoes, notebooks, cords, candy bars and more. It has a special crush-resistant compartment for your cell phone, glasses or other delicate items, as well a side water bottle holder to keep you properly hydrated.
The designers at Moshi said they wanted to create a backpack that they would actually use, and we can honestly say we would be happy to use this one.
What did we miss that could be useful in our event management corner of the universe? Get at us on Twitter at @decibelevent or on Instagram at @DecibelManagement and let us know!
