Stand construction / Design: Moving experiences

When it comes to presenting brands and products, exhibition planners and stand designers reach deep into their bag of tricks. As three examples go to show.

The congress brand NürnbergConvention put on an Oscar-worthy performance at IMEX 2019, the leading trade fair for the meetings industry in Frankfurt. The motto of the fair was: Imagination. “A great theme for our exhibitor,” says Sabine Römpp. She is the project manager of Nuremberg-based Messebau Wörnlein who was responsible for planning and designing the project. The exhibitor transformed the theme into its very own motto: “Imagine you're in Nuremberg.” Messebau Wörnlein created a retro-look cinema hall for NürnbergConvention on a very small scale. A 130-inch Samsung LED monitor starred as the movie screen with an amazingly high resolution. There visitors could watch films on topics such as travel, accommodation, restaurants and event venues. The screen was built into a wall that completely concealed the technology. 

Guests could select their own programme on iPads. They sat on authentic cinema chairs, enjoying freshly-made popcorn from a popcorn station. A red velvet curtain was wrapped around the stand - like a cinema curtain. The curtain closed off the outside world while making the stand visible from afar and attracting visitors. The stand was lit by vintage light bulbs, that in reality contained LEDs. “We were able to create a magically romantic cinema experience and stop time - which was extraordinary amid the often hectic pace of a trade show,” Sabine Römpp recalls. “We really stripped down the cinema theme to its bare essentials. Nothing distracted people from enjoying the movie and having a good time.” Of course, for a design like this you need more than just stand systems and off-the-shelf products: “The stand was almost completely custom-built by Objektschreiner (www.objektschreiner.de) and assembled in advance for a trial run,” says the project manager (www.woernlein.de).

The brand is the product and the product is the brand. This applies to Julius Blum, the world's leading manufacturer of kitchen and furniture fittings. So, how to translate this motto into a trade fair presence? The solution could be experienced at Interzum 2019 in Cologne. Open, close, try it out - was one of the stand ideas. This gave visitors a full-on experience – ideally with all their senses - of what moves Julius Blum with the products on display. Munich-based Arno Design created the exhibition stand in close cooperation with Julius Blum. It had a size of just under 1,500 square metres. In the centre, display tables invited visitors to test the products and learn more about them. “The product experience took centre stage,” reports Peter Haberlander, CEO / Design of Arno Design. 

A façade out of perforated aluminium separated the stand from the outside world while still offering lots of glimpses of its interior - both visible and invisible. Wooden display tables created an exciting visual contrast with the modern, perforated aluminium façade. The entrance area looked inviting: Visitors stepped into the world of Julius Blum through an entrance portal. In the centre, a plaza offered space for encounters and insights into the individual segments. Last but not least, a spacious restaurant area invited guests to enjoy delicious treats. Modular by design, the stand is also sustainable and can be re-used for multiple trade shows (www.arno-design.de).

Bruns Messe- und Ausstellungsgestaltung from Munich faced two challenges in its project for e-recruiting firm Pergenta. Firstly, it was to develop a modern concept with a new minimal look after the company’s rebranding. And secondly, the exhibitor wanted visitors to experience a clear separation between its four divisions. Of course, the Pergenta umbrella brand was to be the connecting link. The solution: four different zones, clearly distinguishable from one another. It made its debut at the 2019 edition of Zukunft Personal in Cologne. “Thanks to partition walls, columns and different floor colours, the visitors were able to experience each zone of the stand as an individual presence,” explains Martina List, Head of Marketing with the Munich-based stand builder. 

The four divisions were represented by four names beginning with P: “Pergenta” for the recruitment agency, “Persy” for the e-recruiting software, “Poster” for the vacancy advertising shop, and “Parts” for the interface solution. The Pergenta brand logo is based on the capital letter P shaped as a square. Inspired by this, Bruns developed a grid for a square stand space. The exhibition designers positioned the four zones for the individual divisions on the four corner sides. Visitors were able to find out more about the exhibitor's range of job applications and advertisements at information terminals. In the centre, Bruns Messebau created a lounge area with armchairs and sofas. Warm wood tones and mood lighting created a cosy atmosphere. “In this way, we even mastered a third challenge for our customer's presence,” Martina List recalls. In addition to its rebranding in a minimal contemporary style and the clear separation between the divisions, the trade fair designers also created a communication zone that invited visitors to linger (www.bruns-messebau.de).