Stand construction / Design: The product becomes the stand

Stand designers like to be inspired by products and their characteristics in order to stage exhibits. The principle works again and again.  

How can a variety of materials be presented to visitors? This question preoccupied the team from Bluepool Messen und Events from Leinfelden-Echterdingen as they worked on the stand design for 3A Composites. The company is a leading supplier of board materials for stand, shop, or display construction. 3A Composites would like to convey to its visitors how directly-printed digital images appear on the boards. Instead of simply displaying the printed boards, however, the Bluepool staff became thoroughly familiar with the materials and their properties ​​at a training course held by the manufacturer. Then they constructed the furniture for the stand, such as tables and reception desk, from these materials. Visitors were to perceive the different products by their sense of touch as well. In order to invite visitors to feel them, the stand designers created oversized flower sculptures placed in the centre of the stand. The petals were made out of the different board materials. They became eye-catchers and aroused strong interest among visitors.   

Moreover, the exhibition designers wanted to also give the presentation at the FESPA Digital exhibition in May 2014 in Munich a certain dynamic. Thus they arranged the components diagonally in regards to the longitudinal side of the stand. The themes of sustainability and reusability of materials was also important for the exhibitor. The custom-built components as well as other parts of the booth were designed for modular use. This permits a flexible use of the stand concept at the most different fairs and in various stand sizes. While it was realised at the Munich trade fair on approximately 100 sq. meters, for example, the presentation at Viscom in Paris in September 2014 is planned to be only half as large. "With its sophisticated concept and creative ideas Bluepool was able to win over 3A Composites as a new customer," says Bluepool managing director Rainer Müller (www.bluepool.de).

Making the invisible visible was the theme of the current exhibition concept for Leoni AG. Without the inconspicuous wires, fine optical fibres, and onboard or cable systems of this company none of the end products from its customers in industry and automobile manufacturing would function. Expotechnik, as a full-service provider of brand experience spaces, therefore developed ideas on behalf of Leoni to stage its product range fittingly and effectively. The Expotechnik team enlarged cross-sections and fanned-out exhibits such as charging cables, wires, or cables for power or data transmission. Circular incisions in the walls and round platforms recalled display exhibits such as cables or wires in their shapes. The product presentations were strikingly and vividly presented in a simple, black-and-white graphic environment. "We bring the inner life of the products to the fore. A visual language that also works at the international level," says Alexander D. Soschinski, Group President of the Expotechnik Group, explaining the stand concept.   

Expotechnik is a globally active player with many branches and assists Leoni worldwide. The stand concept was already presented at exhibitions in Germany and the USA. Further countries in Europe and Asia are on the schedule. Thanks to its modular design, the Leoni stand can be erected in a variety of stand sizes. The long-distance effect was not neglected: it was achieved through the illuminated three-dimensional logo. This concept not only convinced the exhibitor, but also the prestigious German Design Council. It nominated the presentation for the German Design Award 2015. "We are very happy. Through the nomination for the award we again have the opportunity of winning one of the most important awards in the international design scene," said Alexander D. Soschinski (www.expotechnik.com).

Customers, interested persons, and guests of the Swiss manufacturer Ammann received an invitation card to an exhibition a few weeks ago. "Of to the Ammann hut!" one could read on it – before a picture of the traditional Alpine hut. The invitation was to GaLaBau 2014, the Nuremberg trade fair for urban landscaping and open spaces. There visitors in mid-September actually encountered the Alpine hut, seemingly transported from the mountains. It was the attention getter of the stand and with its rustic wood construction attracted additional inflow from the aisles. An almost 200 sq. meter artificial grass meadow was laid out in front of it. Artificial trees, plants, decorations on the lawn and flowers in boxes in front of the hut’s windows infused an Alpine atmosphere under the hall roof. Textile cubes with the Ammann logo as well as sky and clouds motifs hung from the roof and were visible from afar, contributing a variety of colours.   

Tree trunk sculptures served as pedestals for screens displaying novelties and proven products from the manufacturer in multimedia recordings. At first glance these devices seemed to have little to do with the Alpine hut: These were high-performance compactors, known above all from road construction. But they also compress the soil for roads and green areas for landscaping and gardening. And here is where visitors are brought full circle from the product presentation to the stand idea. "Ammann wanted to show its technology in an environment that makes you want to work in the countryside, as well as create a reference to the company based in Switzerland," recalls Branco Tomic, responsible designer and project manager at the Nuremberg exhibition stand design company Wörnlein. "That is why the Alpine hut came into play." Conveniently, the hut also housed a kitchen and the storeroom, as well as a quiet, cosy meeting area. "With wooden flooring and beer garden tables we created a really fitting ambience. This was high-tech engineering – represented in a different manner," says designer Branco Tomic (www.woernlein.de).