These Boots Are Made for Throwing
Wild Turkey Distillery brought its Longbranch bourbon to SXSW and served up smoked cocktails from a down-home trailer bar in an outdoor lounge. Festival attendees who stopped by for a sample were offered a challenge made more difficult by those samples: Humanshoes. Organizers turned the traditional game of horseshoes on its head by handing people cowboy boots and daring them to toss them onto a rod buried upright in a nearby sandbox. Onlookers gathered, laughing and cheering as players fumbled with the boots. We don't know if any vengeful horses showed up after hours to test their skill, but we do know that anything's possible in Austin. Call of the Wild
Instead of a pavilion inspired by something cliche like the tulip at the International Horticultural Expo in Doha, Qatar, the Netherlands went in a totally different direction by basing it on the Dutch artist Mondrian, with his signature straight black lines and yellow and blue panels. One interesting — and contrasting — touch to build traffic was their decision not to continually landscape the site like it was a suburban lawn. Consequently, the surrounding flora absorbed the modernist pavilion and adjacent areas, allowing bees to build hives, cats to hide out — and curious attendees to wander in. The untamed look offered a unique experience, drawing attendees in with its unexpectedness. Good Bunny
In the crowded environment of a trade show, standing out is a challenge Commvault met with an innovative strategy. At RSA 2024, the company unveiled its Cloud Cleanroom Recovery with a stark white exhibit designed by Sparks, with audio by John McNeil Studio. The booth, promising rapid data recovery in a sterile environment, featured a single entrance guarded by mannequins in bunny suits. A staff member, similarly dressed, handed visitors glasses for a bit of technological magic. Inside, a robotic voice announced security scans every 15 minutes, accompanied by scanning sounds and purple lights. Hidden messages appeared on seemingly blank screens when viewed through the glasses, thanks to clever screen privacy technology. Adding whimsy, videos of lab techs in bunny suits doing yoga and martial arts looped in the background. For deeper dives, visitors were funneled to a second location for detailed demos. This cleanroom wasn't just a booth — it was a high-tech oasis blending innovation and fun, resulting in more than 960 demo sessions. Corporate Takeover
Some exhibitors are savvy enough to take advantage of unforced errors by their competitors. At EuroShop 2023, EpiLED may have had the smart idea to create a branded photo op along the unused portion of its aisle-facing backwall, meant to capture the attention of passersby. However, Yangzhou Huacai Opto Co. Ltd. (dba Colors LED) turned out to be the main benefi ciary of this clever setup. Located just across the aisle from EpiLED's unstaffed display of LED angel wings with EpiLED branding overhead, which stopped visitors in their tracks, Colors LED had a staffer who spent most of his time offering to take photos for visitors. While snapping their photo, he pointed out his firm's exhibit and offered to show them around the Colors LED booth. We're certain his framing of the photo managed to crop out the competition's branding as well, giving Colors LED the advantage. EpiLED's untended bait allowed Colors LED to flip the switch and effortlessly steal the spotlight. Mirror, Mirror
Schaeffler Group USA Inc., a firm that makes motion technology solutions, returned to the 2024 International Consumer Electronics Show to show off its electrification packages, including e-axles and electric motors, all demonstrated on a retrofit pickup truck. Unfortunately, that tech was positioned beneath the truck's rear axle meaning that attendees would need to shimmy under the vehicle to get an ant's-eye view of the undercarriage to fully appreciate the innovations on display. To save visitors from this graceless task, the company cleverly hoisted the back end onto a pair of blocks and affixed an angled mirror low to the ground for easy viewing of the tech. The simple solution no doubt saved some scuffed knees and craned necks while allowing visitors to experience the technology. Mugshot
At EXHIBITORLIVE 2024, Hamilton Exhibits LLC came up with a unique way to spotlight colleagues who couldn't attend the show and allow attendees to put faces to the names they encounter when interacting with the organization. On the outside wall of its booth, Hamilton posted a 5-foot-tall version of its logo covered with black and white photos of employees. Their smiling faces created a unique mosaic of the company logo that showed off and celebrated the people behind the brand. Love Triangle
Don't let the size fool you — Bicycle Therapeutics' 20-by-30-foot exhibit at ASCO 2024 packed a punch with its unique triangular design. This first-time exhibitor turned heads with a bold look that defied the usual rectangles and curves. Featuring a triangular structure inspired by the cutout in its logo, the A-frame design captured the company's molecular precision. An immersive tunnel allowed attendees to listen to Nobel laureate and Bicycle co-founder Sir Greg Winter discuss the company's platform and its groundbreaking research. This booth did more than stand out. It created an experience that left a lasting impression on visitors.