Aleader in digital design solutions for businesses and consumers, Adobe Inc. wanted an eye-catching stand at the National Retail Federation Big Show. On top of requests for interactive elements and semiprivate meeting rooms where staffers could interact with attendees in different ways, Adobe had one additional ask: The well-known brand wanted its new booth to feature plenty of white space offset by bold, impactful, and memorable graphics.

The resulting 1,600-square-foot space, designed and fabricated by Elevation 3D LLC, was topped with a 40-foot-wide hanging sign that branded the booth below, which was adorned with colorful graphic illustrations. Projection mapped onto a 16-by-20-foot fabric wall, the otherwise static illustrations came to life, adding a sense of movement. Backlit graphics embedded into a reception desk and two bar-height, aisle-side dividers added additional visual interest via Adobe's illustrations. Meanwhile, a semiprivate meeting room continued the colorful theme with a two-dimensional skyline of iconic world landmarks.

"Every surface inside the exhibit was artfully and strategically used," said one Exhibit Design Awards judge, adding that "the interplay of different mediums and substrates up-leveled the already arresting graphics." Once inside, interactive elements, demo stations, and retail product displays optimized with smart technology helped visitors understand what the brand's software could do for them. In other words, the artful integration of Adobe's primary-hued sketches helped the company perfectly illustrate its design-centric offerings. If the typical in-booth theater equates to a trip to the local multiplex, Subaru of America Inc.'s multimedia masterpiece at the 2022 Los Angeles International Auto Show offered attendees an immersive experience akin to seeing "Avatar" at a 3-D IMAX. Designed by Exhibit Works Inc. (dba EWI Worldwide), Mike Hansen Productions, and Next/Now, the dynamic space highlighted Subaru's support of the U.S. National Parks System by transporting visitors to a variety of stunning natural locales. "Subaru's marketing is more about the destination than the vehicle," said one Exhibit Design Awards juror. "And this exhibit is really on brand for that."


To evoke that requisite wanderlust, designers concocted a curved LED wall approximately 24 feet tall and 80 feet wide that displayed high-res footage from several national parks. At key moments of the show, the wall parted to reveal a new vehicle that then slowly made its way to a rotating dais for all to ogle. An additional 900 LED tiles embedded in the floor added another dimension to the space while hidden scent machines dispersed the aromas of wet grass, soil, and flowers. Even the majority of the plants and mosses dotting the faux boulders placed along the perimeter were real. "We really wanted this space to feel like a lush forest and to push the boundaries of what can be done at auto shows," said Shane Wilson, creative director at EWI. And to cap it all off, faux snow gently fell whenever the screens showed wintery imagery. Your move, James Cameron. Large machines and robots are commonplace at Modex, a trade show dedicated to supply-chain logistics. But Knapp AG decided to leave the big stuff at home and asked Exhibitus Inc. and Synchronicity Inc. to craft an experience that facilitated conversations about how its software and mechanization solutions are helping streamline the labyrinthine industry. The tactic they came up with was to leverage the power of storytelling via a trio of interactive demo stations in the center of Knapp's 50-by-60-foot exhibit.


Each demo comprised a tabletop of four embedded LCD monitors, atop which were 3-D-printed replicas of distribution centers equipped with shuttle fleets, robotic pickers, automated sorters, automatic depalletizers, and the like. Individual visitors or a sales rep initiated a narrative – either about the pharma, retail, or food industry, depending on which table they were at – with the tap of an iPad mounted to the front of each tableau. As the story unfolded through videos and images on the tablet, LED lights inside each miniature element lit up at key moments. Large monitors mounted to towers behind each scene replicated the tablets' content, allowing groups of visitors to take the educational journeys together. Meanwhile, the tabletop screens displayed dynamic animations explaining how Knapp's software and mechanics methodically move products through the complexities of a supply chain.

Judges were equally moved by the engaging interactives, with one juror saying, "They took digital products and made them tangible. That's incredibly difficult to do, but they made it look so simple." Now that's a model of success.

Projecting a confident air of serenity and sophistication, Luhkee B.V.'s humble in-line is one of the smallest stands to receive a nod in the history of the Exhibit Design Awards and, in the words of one judge, "punches above its budget" of less than $40,000. The Belgium-based maker of highly refined covers for outlets, lighting control keypads, and other smart accessories wanted to provide Integrated Systems Europe attendees with a calming experience while showcasing its material expertise. Designed by the renowned creative multihyphenate Jan Van Lierde – who just happens to be the father of Luhkee's founder – the exhibit impressed both our jurors as well as the those judging the ISE Stand Design Awards, who last February named it the winner of the Small Booth category.


Van Lierde's vision comprised little more than a reception desk, meeting table, and six freestanding columns displaying different product groupings. "The side walls were deliberately left empty to draw visitors in, and the black carpet and curtains provided visual relief from the overly lit booths around us," Van Lierde said. Each of the columns placed along the back wall was made of MDF panels and featured a sheet of sandblasted dyed cork, the textured, matte surface of which served as an inspired foil for Luhkee's satin-smooth offerings. As a finishing touch, pencil-thin LED arm lights bathed the products in a warm, irresistible glow that elevated them to the status of fine art.

The design was also as logistically sound as it was alluring. Staffers were able to set up and tear down the exhibit in under two hours, and everything fit into a pair of crates – easy as flipping on a light.

It's easy for a legacy brand to become as stale as year-old dog food, which is exactly what Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. wanted to avoid at the 2022 Veterinary Meeting and Expo. So Purina tasked Exhibit Concepts Inc. with designing and fabricating a scalable exhibit with a sophisticated image that appealed to it professional audience – think more Westminster Dog Show than local dog park.

The 30-by-50-foot booth, which can scale down to a 10-by-10 when needed, employed linear architecture, dark tones, and dramatic illumination that drew inspiration from Purina's checkered logo, beginning with the bold header comprising 10-foot-square backlit panels that alternated between brand imagery and product shots of the brand's scientifically developed Pro Plan pet foods. Rigged just 10 feet off the floor, the header could only be described as weighty. "The ceiling structure gives a sense of gravity to this exhibit," one judge said. "There's a perception of permanence that a lot of trade show exhibits never come close to achieving."

The interior, which continued the patchwork motif via the placement of five discrete engagement zones, showcased Purina's latest advances. One area featured a touchscreen table facing a grid of spotlighted shelves displaying pet-food products. When an attendee touched a pro-duct icon on the table to learn more about it, lighting dimmed around the other foods to highlight the selection. A trivia activation allowed up to three visitors at a time to compete for branded merchandise, while a theater experience and two zones devoted to the Purina Institute and the Vet Direct brands rounded out the boxy booth.

The symbol "Rx" used on prescriptions is said to stem from the Latin word for "recipe," meaning "to take." For the 2022 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference, GoodRx Holdings Inc. prescribed itself an exhibit that became a winning recipe for communicating its personality. "The biggest design challenge was conveying that it was approachable and empowering," said Robert Herdman, a freelance designer working with Sparks Marketing Corp., which fabricated the applause-worthy exhibit.

Inspired by the brand's aesthetics, designers delivered a light and spacious island stand that was literally as approachable as could be. Guests could enter the 20-by-20-foot exhibit from three sides, and clear sightlines subtly emphasized the company's accessibility. Inside the booth, designers used scale, color, and light to imply that trait and empowerment as well. The reception desk and demo stations, for example, were also easily glimpsed from afar, allowing guests to quickly move to them and arm themselves with GoodRx info.

Two vertical towers just 10 feet tall – kept closer to human size to avoid the impersonal feel larger structures might generate – glowed the warm brand hue of sunshine yellow courtesy of internal LEDs, heightening the approachability factor. In one corner was a meeting room, its exterior clad with pictures of relatable customers. Islands may be synonymous with isolation, but GoodRx's spurred many guests to step into the space. "It's well done and played way above its budget," said one judge. Now that's a diagnosis any exhibit marketer would welcome.

To express the image Los Angeles-based Ittella International LLC, dba Tattooed Chef, wanted for its frozen plant-based foods at Natural Products Expo West, the company turned to 3D Exhibits, a Sparks Marketing Corp. company. "The challenge," said Jon Horn, senior designer at 3D Exhibits, "was to create an 'Italy meets LA' brand image."

Tattooed Chef met that pressure-cooker test, resulting in what one Exhibit Design Awards judge lauded as "a trade show booth that doesn't look like a trade show booth." De- signers rooted through Tattooed Chef's Instagram posts, finding many images that suggested the flair of Milan and the casual-cool of L.A., e.g., an aspirational intersection of industrial architecture, vintage furniture, and even a touch of nature. Indeed, what first caught attendees' eyes when they approached the booth was a 16-foot-tall beach tamarind tree that towered over the exhibit, whose walls and other surfaces were made of either high-pressure laminate in sleek wood-like finishes or silicone-edge graphics mimicking cast concrete.

Furthering that industrial look, black metal frames, dubbed "culture cubes," literally framed specific brand moments. One cube outlined a striking marble-topped table, where guests and staff chewed the fat about Tattooed Chef's healthy-but-hearty food offerings, while another edged a space filled with mid-century modern furnishings. After these appetizers, staff steered potential partners to the main course: a second-floor meeting area where they dined on Tattooed Chef specialties while talking business. If presentation is half of a good meal, Tattooed Chef served up a delectable feast worthy of a Michelin star. Born from the merger of Ultimate Software Group Inc. and Kronos Inc., UKG Inc. was looking for an exhibit capable of introducing the new brand and its human resources, payroll, and workforce-management technology and services to the industry at the HR Technology Conference and Exposition. But beyond something big and beautiful, UKG also wanted something scalable that could be reused throughout the year and had several product-demo stations, a theater space, and two meeting rooms.

Marquis Exhibits took that laundry list of must-haves and answered them all with a striking 50-by-50-foot design that Exhibit Design Awards judges felt would stand out on any trade show floor. Starting with a fully branded perimeter structure that allowed entry from all aisles to maximize incoming traffic, Marquis designed a sustainable and scalable exhibit with a metal skeletal system capable of contracting from 2,500 square feet to just 400 square feet. Even the product demo stations were modular, enabling them to accommodate any number of group sizes. To keep the ground floor of the two-story space open and welcoming, designers positioned two conference rooms on the second floor to accommodate private meetings with clients and prospects.

But the star of the UKG show was what judges called "an engaging exterior that captures attention via huge graphics and a unique color palette." Underscoring the company's offerings, as well as its "Our Purpose is People" tagline, the sleek and streamlined facade gave way to a colorful interior awash with UKG's signature teal hue. Anchoring the exhibit, a 19-seat theater space attracted attendees and provided the perfect place to introduce guests to the newly formed brand.