Exhibitor Show Trends for 2017
I recently attended ExhibitorLive 2017, the trade show for those of us who either buy exhibits or provide those exhibits, along with suppliers of everything from flooring to electronic wizardry.
Some take-a-ways from this year’s show:
I saw a lot more AV companies showing 4G monitors, monitor walls, and LED walls than ever before, and even some of the currently hard-to-get OLED screens (see picture below). There was also a lot of dynamic, eye-catching programming, proving the new equipment will only be as dynamic as the content. There were not a lot of booths showing virtual reality and augmented reality this year, as I expect some of the novelty has worn off and the logistic challenges may outweigh the customer experience.
Near the back of the hall I found a very large, very bright LED video wall, where viewers could see 3D effects by wearing simple plastic glasses – not headsets. I have to say that the visuals were very engaging, but perhaps not enough for the exhibitor who has to spend over $100,000 for this wall and technology.
More and more custom booth structures are made from lightweight aluminum frames which can be made into almost any shape and size. And covering those structures is typically fabric, a compact and lightweight medium on which to print your company branding and messaging. The color saturation of the fabric has never been better, and you’ll be seeing a lot more backlit graphic panels because of that.
See picture below:
There were some unique and specialized types of offerings on the show floor this year, including heat-conductive paint which made images react by passing your hand over them, as well as a self-contained meeting room that masked out a lot of the din of the show floor. It is always worth it for me to attend the annual Exhibitor show. It allows me to share the latest and greatest booth enhancements and improvements with our creative team and our clients, helping with the attendee experience as well as your own staff’s success with lead capture and other booth activities.
