The 2006 Exhibit Builder Magazine Transportation Survey was mailed to 150 exhibit builders and 100 transportation suppliers, which included exhibit carrier head offices, corporate branch offices, agents, and exhibit transportation consultants. Potential exhibit builder respondents were selected from a variety of sources that comprise a database of approximately 1,500 potential respondents.
Back to 2006 TOC
The Exhibit Builder Economic Survey is mailed to potential respondents who are selected from a master database. Three-hundred and fifty potential respondents were selected to receive the survey. The survey shows that the typical exhibit builder’s sales volume rose, in the past year, by 10.17%, up to nearly five and three-quarter million dollars.
Back to 2006 TOC
Do you want more traffic at your display booth?
Lightboxes are an effective way to answer the challenge.
Click on the link to read how...
Back to 2006 TOC
Constructed of high quality aluminum and using solid connectors, pins and clips, QuickTruss is a departure from the usual truss connection methods. Read how Milos creates this this unusal truss.
Back to 2006 TOC
Virtual Gallerie, LLC (VG) provides museums and galleries with leading-edge 3D visualization software to plan their spaces and exhibitions online. The company’s mission is to enable museum and gallery exhibition planners to visualize their creations in interactive 3D and share them online with their peers and the public.
Back to 2006 TOC
The addition of lighting, video and the color and motion they bring, are just more tools in the creation of experience and the desire to separate from the neighbor’s booth.
Back to 2006 TOC
A key to success – and avoiding problems – is for the exhibit builder to be intimately involved with the transportation process, and, in fact, the whole of the system that makes up exhibit transportation logistics..
Back to 2006 TOC
"With Sealed Exhibit service, each shipment is segregated and sealed behind a tamper-resistant partition. And these less-than-truckload shippers pay only for the trailer space they use."
Back to 2006 TOC
Cutting edge technology enabled The New Yorker Hotel to send a message to New York City visitors, residents and workers that The New Yorker Hotel is more vibrant and alive than ever before.
Back to 2006 TOC
So you are designing an exhibit and have spent a great deal of time selecting its size, materials to give it that special look and feel, graphic components and accessories. Now it is time to get it noticed by selecting from the right lighting options.
Back to 2006 TOC
It's not all that often that museum curators want visitors to look up or look down. They're more concerned about having them look at the artifacts on display or the carefully thought out interpretive information they've created, which is usually somewhere from eye level down to about the knees.
Back to 2006 TOC
Considerations about both illuminating the displays yet protecting often delicate artifacts that can be damaged by the very light that allows them to be viewed.
Back to 2006 TOC
Flooring can set a tone or even carry messages. It can also be the solid foundation on which visitors move, giving their steps traction and ensuring they don't slip.
Back to 2006 TOC
A company offering to rent rather than sell trade show exhibits. Today, many companies now have exhibit rental divisions. Read why and how renting your next exhibit might save your company money and time.
Back to 2006 TOC
The museum industry is doing fine. I discovered that for myself when I asked some exhibit designers, "What are the newest trends in the museum exhibit design/build market?"
The responses varied tremendously.
The Head First! Theater is the first thing visitors see when they enter HealthSpace Cleveland's new facility. It's also likely to be the first thing non-visitors notice when they pass the new building, which is located on the corner of busy Euclid and 89th and sports a three-story glass atrium. "It's fabulous. It's fun. It stops traffic!"
The Buffalo Bill Historical Center, located in Cody, WY, features five internationally acclaimed museums, all under one roof. Widely regarded as America's finest Western museum, the Historical Center is devoted to Western cultural and natural history, and consists of the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, Buffalo Bill Museum, Plains Indian Museum, Cody Firearms Museum and the Draper Museum of Natural History. Approximately 250,000 people from around the world visit the Center annually.
Almost three years ago, the EAA approached Exhibit group/Giltspur (E/G) and a number of other design firms and asked them to help create a traveling museum telling the story of the first 100 years of flight. E/G's winning design was a radical departure from the other sleek, contemporary concepts. In sharp contrast, it looks and feels like something the Wright brothers, co-owners of a bicycle shop, might have built themselves.
Always a Hot Issue:Fire and Electrical Codes for McCormick by Jim Judson (February 2004)
The National Fire Protection Association, founded in 1896, is in its second century as a safety standards-making organization. I'm sure the great Chicago fire in 1871 contributed to its creation, but it wasn't until the fire in McCormick Place years later that most likely cemented the need for codes and standards in exhibition halls throughout the country. These codes, rules and regulations are "created by people in the industry, they reflect the latest technology and advances" says, George D Miller, President, National Fire Protection Association. more...
Trade shows are typically an
annual event. Months of preparation are put into designing, implementing and
following up on a trade show plan to make the show a success. Every step of
the process is important, from designing the "perfect booth" to following
up with the prospects while the products are still fresh in the mind of the
attendees.
Global Desktop Resources by Ray C. Rogowicz,
Founder/CEO,
EXIBITTRADER.COM, Inc.,
Dallas, TX ,
(July/August 2005)
Throughout recorded history,
innovative designers, businesses and marketers have been building, renovating,
remodeling, overhauling, buying, selling and trading pre-existing assets as
a major part of commerce and trade.
It was this consoling tidbit of historical fact, coupled
with a personal passion toward an unresolved industry stigma, that ultimately
led to the creation and development of our ecommerce Internet portal EXHIBITTRADER.COM,
Inc. The unique online platform is specifically designed as a global desktop
resource for connecting buyers, sellers and rental users with pre-owned trade
show exhibits, new properties, accessories, related products and services.
Art On A Grand Scale
by Mary Ann Crenshaw,
May Ann Crenshaw & Associates,
New Your, NY,
(March/April 2005)
From
the cave drawings of Lascaux to Michelangelo's soaring Sistine Chapel, from
Diego Rivera's revolutionary images to pop-meister James Rosenquist's jazzy
abstractions, history's great artists have been inspired to create monumental
art for monumental spaces.
Customizing The Basics
by Cynthia Mark-Hummel,
Director of Exhibits and Programs,
DuPage Children's Museum,
Naperville, IL (March/April 2005)
Very young children love, and need, to experience
the world from a variety of perspectives – from high and low, from inside and
outside, from back and forth.
Truss systems have
been likened to Erector Sets, the children's set of modular metal components
that can be used to create working toys. They have also been likened to metal
two-by-fours. That might be a stretch because few people seem to equate the
two. And it's probably a good thing they don't because it's pretty limiting
to think of truss as something just structural. Click Here to View the Charts.
In early 2004, when
the Gloria Vanderbilt New York Showroom wanted to create an attention-getting
welcome for customers, ExpoTrans developed a bright LED lightbox display to
greet them as they walked in the door. The 16-section illuminated display system
blinks from white to red light, and back to white light, in bursts from one
to two seconds. The system uses a new LED technology that provides bright,
even illumination with a life-expectancy of seven years. The LED display adds
to the elegant architecture of the Vanderbilt store design and also serves
as a source of advertising to build Gloria Vanderbilt brand recognition.
Click Here to View the Charts.
Finding The Best Talent by Calvin Cook,
Founder,
ExhibtiRecruiter, Inc.,
Smyrna, GA (Sept/Oct 2004)
As with any recovering industry,
trade show exhibit designers and producers across the nation are finding themselves
in search of quality, seasoned talent to help support their incoming client
projects.
In the custom
trade show industry specifically, this increased demand for support personnel,
including exhibit design, project management, account management and estimating
is a strong indicator of a stable business environment.
The Four E's = 3-D by Anne Watson,
(Anne Watson is a freelance writer in Chandler, AZ). (Sept/Oct 2004)
A 3-D animation in
your trade show booth can attract customer attention
while educating your customers in a high-tech, polished display.
3-D animation has improved greatly since the crude and jerky graphics created
for early video games. Thanks to computers with faster processing speeds and
video cards, 3-D graphics can be created for multiple purposes.
The competition
to land large exhibit building contracts is getting tougher and tougher all
the time. Most exhibit builders enter design competitions hoping they will
profit not only from building a new booth, but also from servicing, repairing
and continuously modifying it for years to come. If they do their job well,
they will have established a relationship with a client that could continue
to pay off with more exhibit construction well into the future.
With so much to gain, exhibit builders today must exploit every advantage available
to them to win new projects. Luring large accounts often requires sizable investments
of time and money to create impressive design presentations. Losing a project
due to underestimating what competitors will do for their presentations is
even more costly. In short, losing design competitions is more expensive than
making the proper investment to win them.
The Store Within a Store by Mitch Acker,
Founder/President,
Infinite Dimensions,
Atlanta, GA (May/June 2004)
With an intent to
demonstrate the possibilities available today in the home-computing environment,
Microsoft and HP decided to develop a customer experience in a "store
within a store" retail display. Design firm Design Forum, Inc. (DFI)
was brought on board to design a 15' x 15' display that met the project's
multiple objectives.
One of the many challenges within the scope of the project
was that twelve prototype displays had to be fabricated and installed in select
Circuit City's, Micro Centers, Comp USA's and other independent electronic
stores across the U.S. with in a five-week period.
Exhibit builders
are increasingly challenged to be all things to all people as clients push
for one-stop shopping to make their lives easier and their budgets more accommodating.
While the added revenue channels can be great news to an exhibit company,
there's always the double-edged sword of being able to deliver beyond your
core business strengths.
In many ways, the whole industry is changing and going this way. Clients prefer
a single source supplier. The key to meeting this demand is to be able to select
project partners that ensure success, no matter the scope of the project. And
nothing happens without good, solid project management coming into play.
Imagine that you're
looking for banners for exhibits. A cursory search through catalogs, the Web,
and some exhibit industry trade magazines will take you amidst a sea of promotional
materials, instant signs, badge holders and other plastic-based goods, as
though they were all in one big category of trade show kitsch --and available
at THE LOWEST PRICES ANYWHERE!
Chicago Scenic Studios,
Inc.(CCSI) partnered with the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago to
build an extension of the Museum's popular Hands-on Habitat exhibit. Designed
for children ages three to seven, the exhibit serves as a 1,300 square foot
space for kids to learn about natural wetlands, prairie environments and the
animals living in these natural settings.
Audio Media for Public Spaces by Bernard L. Krause, Ph.D.,
Wild Sanctuary, Inc.,
Glen Ellen, CA (September/October 2003)
Exhibit
design is theater. Great theater (assuming a successful premise) balances
five major components to express one or more themes: 3-D elements, graphics,
space, light and, if appropriate, sound. For impact, information transmission
and cost-effectiveness, no single theatrical (exhibit) component is more
forceful or conveys more information than well-produced and delivered audio.
However, for the past several thousand years traditional design concepts
for most museums and other public spaces have primarily conveyed information
through an emphasis on the visual.
Ipswich Massachusetts is one of the oldest towns in
the U.S., settled in 1633. It was here, in 1687, the Reverend John Wise denounced
taxation without representation, encouraging the town's citizens to rise up.
Ipswich hence was dubbed The Birthplace of American Independence.
On your next summer visit to New England, stop in Ipswich and visit the
antique shops, have some Ipswich fried clams and by all means visit the
historic house
that talks!
Magic Wings Butterfly
Conservatory Soars Unique Digital Wallcovering Media Makes A Statement by Ed McCarron, Product Manager, Display Electrographics & Grand
Format Media, InteliCoat Technologies, South Hadley, MA (May/June 2003)
The
Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens in Western Massachusetts
provides visitors with a variety of live and symbolic butterfly displays
that aim to inspire,
educate and entertain. The one-of-a-kind facility contains a 4,000 square
foot glass conservatory filled with butterflies, moths and tropical vegetation.
Sun shines through the glass walls and heats the conservatory and its heart-shaped
pond to tropical-like temperatures year-round.
To create a new gallery on one of
the most diverse and culturally rich areas of the world in an irregular 2,600
square foot space at The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and in just seven months,
was a formidable challenge for exhibit designers Reich + Petch Design International.
The gallery displays artifacts from a diverse area that includes India, Bangladesh,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal and spans 200 million years of history.
Organized
Space, The Forgotten Frontier Bringing order to chaos through thoughtful
design by Jim Judson, Design Director,
Innovations, Inc., Shrewsbury, MA (March/April 2003)
Don't
underestimate the power of a well-designed space. The Christa Corrigan McAuliffe
Center at Framingham State College in Massachusetts owes its success to
a few notable factors: It is a well-conceived program that is presented
beautifully by its dedicated staff. The subject matter is exciting and the
children are, without exception, captivated by the experience. However,
there were some "space" issues at the Center including a lackluster
briefing room and entryway that left a less than stellar first impression
on visitors. Thanks to a thoughtful update by Innovations, Inc., The Center
now provides a cohesive experience from start to finish that not only runs
more smoothly, but actually offers more richness for the students.
Always a Hot Issue: Fire and Electrical
Codes for McCormick Place, Chicago
The National Fire Protection Association, founded in 1896, is in its second
century as a safety standards-making organization.
I'm sure the great Chicago fire in 1871 contributed to its creation, but it
wasn't until the fire in McCormick Place years later that most likely cemented
the need for codes and standards in exhibition halls throughout the country.
These codes, rules and regulations are "created by people in the industry,
they reflect the latest technology and advances" says, George D Miller,
President, National Fire Protection Association. more...
Chicago
Scenic Studios, Inc.(CCSI) partnered with the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
in Chicago to build an extension of the Museum's popular Hands-on Habitat
exhibit. Designed for children ages three to seven, the exhibit serves as
a 1,300 square foot space for kids to learn about natural wetlands, prairie
environments and the animals living in these natural settings.
Audio Media for Public Spaces
by Bernard L. Krause, Ph.D.
Wild Sanctuary, Inc.
Glen Ellen, CA (September/October 2003)
Exhibit
design is theater. Great theater (assuming a successful premise) balances
five major components to express one or more themes: 3-D elements, graphics,
space, light and, if appropriate, sound. For impact, information transmission
and cost-effectiveness, no single theatrical (exhibit) component is more
forceful or conveys more information than well-produced and delivered audio.
However, for the past several thousand years traditional design concepts
for most museums and other public spaces have primarily conveyed information
through an emphasis on the visual.
Ipswich
Massachusetts is one of the oldest towns in the U.S., settled in 1633. It
was here, in 1687, the Reverend John Wise denounced taxation without representation,
encouraging the town's citizens to rise up. Ipswich hence was dubbed The
Birthplace of American Independence.
On your next summer visit to New England, stop in Ipswich and visit the antique
shops, have some Ipswich fried clams and by all means visit the historic house
that talks!
Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory Soars Unique Digital Wallcovering Media Makes A Statement
by Ed McCarron, Product Manager, Display
Electrographics & Grand Format Media, InteliCoat Technologies,
South Hadley, MA (May/June 2003)
T
he
Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory & Gardens in Western Massachusetts
provides visitors with a variety of live and symbolic butterfly displays
that aim to inspire, educate and entertain. The one-of-a-kind facility
contains a 4,000 square foot glass conservatory filled with butterflies,
moths and tropical vegetation. Sun shines through the glass walls and heats the
conservatory and its heart-shaped pond to tropical-like temperatures year-round.
To
create a new gallery on one of the most diverse and culturally rich areas
of the world in an irregular 2,600 square foot space at The Royal Ontario
Museum (ROM) and in just seven months, was a formidable challenge for exhibit
designers Reich + Petch Design International. The gallery displays artifacts
from a diverse area that includes India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
Bhutan and Nepal and spans 200 million years of history.
Organized Space, The Forgotten Frontier Bringing order to chaos through thoughtful design by Jim Judson, Design Director, Innovations, Inc., Shrewsbury, MA (March/April 2003)
Don't
underestimate the power of a well-designed space. The Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center at Framingham State College in Massachusetts owes its success to
a few notable factors: It is a well-conceived program that is presented beautifully by its dedicated staff. The subject matter is exciting and the
children are, without exception, captivated by the experience. However, there were some "space" issues at the Center including a lackluster
briefing room and entryway that left a less than stellar first impression on visitors. Thanks to a thoughtful update by Innovations, Inc., The Center
now provides a cohesive experience from start to finish that not only runs more smoothly, but actually offers more richness for the students.
"Brainstorming" is
a word we hear a lot in this business. Generally, it is used rather loosely to describe informal meetings in which an ideation process that generally looks like "spaghetti
on the wall" or "pie in the sky" ensues. Unfortunately, while any, even sloppy, out-of-the-box thinking can be a helpful catalyst for creative thought,
these exercises all too often fall short of their full potential -- short of a vivid and shared vision with which to move forwardinto a design process.
The Value of Light by Mike Canavan
President
Canavan Scenic & Light, Inc.
Orlando, FL (September/October 2003)
There is no such thing as an average client when it comes to lighting a trade
show booth. Expectations and style are unique to each company. There are, however, a few factors that
remain consistent across the board: planning, budgeting and a demand for quality
light. In addition to the key decisions a company makes regarding
structure, carpet and color scheme, lighting should be included in the initial stages of a booth's conception.
The new softwood and hardwood solid sawn wood packaging WTO standards are approved
for immediate use. The following information was submitted by Carr Lumber & Manufacturing,
Bedford Park, IL. (July/August 2003)
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Solid Sawn Wood Packaging Standard
covering export or import crating has been approved for implementation by
any participating country as of May 2, 2003. The standard has been approved for use
while a new logo is being registered for all 146 current member nations of the WTO.
The standard requires all crating made with softwood or hardwood,
new or pre-existing customer display crates to be heat treated
and stamped with an ALSC (American Lumber Standards Committee) approved agency
stamp issued to an approved packaging assembler. Shipments going into or through
the participating countries can be stopped at the border if they do not have
the proper stamp on the unit.
Sara Lee Ships
For Less by Carol S. S. Morganti
President
Munson/Morganti & Associates Advertising
Cuyahoga Falls, OH (July/August 2003)
"Custom-designed
portable systems give a definite look even though it is just
a modular system", said Al Morris of EDC. "We have
the ability to create a large island booth, then revert that
island back to a 10' x 20' in-line, to a 10' x 10' in-line,
even to a table top. What our clients find is that with a
modular custom exhibit system they're able to get more for
their investment."
Achieving
a properly balanced inventory stands as a complicated management
task that exceeds the province of the discussion here.
But recognizing a few basic principles can help orient
that task.
With home-environment
vignettes flanking its corners and a celebrity chef creating
taste-tempting cuisines, it's no surprise attendees poured
into the Kenmore exhibit at the first annual Taste of Home
Cooking Expo.
So we live in the
digital age. Everything, it seems, has a series of underlying
Os and 1s, from the images on our television sets to the
sounds on our compact disks to our electronic mail messages
-- and nowadays in the graphics we print.
[But] Fast, meaty hardware doesn't make up for the most common problems arising
from customer-created graphics files, the industry agrees. Those problems --
inadequate resolution, poor quality original scans, lack of detail in original
art, and a basic lack of knowledge about what the production operation needs
-- come from instruction, experience and talent.
When your client's
product is all about "fire and magic" only special
effects can effectively communicate the message. Premier
Displays designed and built the Electronic Arts exhibit for
the Electronic Entertainment Exposition (E3) Conference,
one of the most influential shows in the electronic gaming
industry.
Sound Design by Hal Chaffee
President
Technical Exhibits Corp.
Chicago, IL (November/December 2002)
Designing sound for
an exhibit is a craft requiring the blend of science and
art. For the world of museums and trade shows, an audio/visual
designer with experience is often worth the expense if you
want your exhibit to grab the viewer's attention and have
a memorable message or story. With today's demands to increase
booth attendance, you should be going all out to use the
best communication tool available -- sound!
Getting
Innovative With Substrates By Robert Hendricks, Consultant
Robert Hendricks Communications
Chesterfield, MO (September/October 2002)
"The intent of the design was to create an ‘environment'
in the 20' x 20' floor area," said Merrill Howard of
Artisan Complete. "In order to maximize the limited
floor space, a central hub was created with the counter while
illuminated lightboxes anchored the corners. Overhead archways
joined these parts together and created a canopy for the
booth -- giving the space width, depth, as well as height,
while maintaining an open and inviting character in its presentation." more...
Almost any science museum visitor has seen natural phenomena
like convection in action. When water is heated, hot water
rises rapidly, causing beautiful swirls. While convection
alone is fascinating, it is far more fascinating when the
Mad Hatter is heating the water in his teapot and you are
an active participant in the Mad Tea Party. This is the idea
behind Alice's Wonderland, an interactive exhibit at Children's
Discovery Museum of San Jose, based on Lewis Carroll's classic
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. more...
Mouth
Watering Exhibits by Ruth Ellen Miller
President
NoUVIR Research
Seaford, DE (July/August 2002)
Presentation is as vital to exhibit
designers as it is to a five-star restaurant. In display
lighting, it is the difference between $2.95 Beef Stew and
$29.95 Beef Wellington. Fortunately, in lighting there is no
secret recipe -- just three simple ingredients: 1) Perfect
color rendition; 2) Excellent color balance; and 3) Precise
control. more...
New,
New Museums by Dean Weldon, President/CEO, Academy
Studios, Novato, CA
(May/June 2002)
Museums are in motion. In
order to flourish and, in some cases, survive in the new
millennia, museums across the nation are looking at ways to
make themselves more relevant and accessible to their
communities. more...
Being
Prepared At The Border European Union Emergency Heat
Treatment Compliance Regulations effective November 20,
2001 by Larry Miller, Carr Lumber and Manufacturing,
Bedford Park, IL (March/April 2002)
Crated shipments or shipments on wooden
pallets going to the European Union, China and Australia
can be stopped at the border if they do not have the proper
paper certification or stamps. This certification or stamps
tell customers the solid wood packaging material has been
heat treated to meet their requirements. The world is going
to this program in the next 12 to 18 months. Do not take
a chance. Foreign customs have said they can turn back, repackage
or destroy items that do not meet this standard.more...
Don't
start from scratch...renovate! Renovating an existing exhibit
offers a cost-effective, time-saving solution to building
a new exhibit from the ground up.more...
See The Sign
See See See by Ruth Ellen Miller, President, NoUVIR
Research, Seaford, DE (Sept/Oct 2001)
How sharp are you? Can you find the clues?
Can you solve this sign problem? The dilemma is real. The
names have been changed for fun, but this crisis comes up
almost every day. See if you can solve this mystery before
the hero does.
We Are Here by Carol Sconzert, Senior Designer, GES
Exposition Services, San Francisco,CA (Sept/Oct 2001)
As trade shows continue to raise the bar
on the overall experience for attendees, designing and installing
graphics for an entire building can be an exhilarating way
to help your client announce to the cosmos: We Are Here!
The exhibit business is often viewed as
a single monolithic enterprise. In reality, many firms can
produce a variety of products. Consciously or unconsciously
exhibit houses have acquired more than one specialty.
When David Benko constructed an exhibit
to display some of his vintage signs, it was his first experience
in exhibit building. The experience was so successful, it
led him to construct a far more elaborate exhibit as a "prototype"
American Sign Museum.
Grossology by Terry Sparks, General Manager Advanced
Exhibits & Advanced Animations, Inc. Bloomfield Hills,
MI (May/June 2001)
When we were kids, science was education.
Today, kids want entertainment. Advanced Animations brings
the two together in something they call "edutainment"
-- the ability to learn science and at the same time have
a lot of fun. Today's museums are adding entertainment to
their exhibits, while theme parks are incorporating educational
content into their attractions. Advanced Exhibits, a division
of Advanced Animations, has developed an innovative edutainment
exhibition for science centers and theme parks that is quickly
becoming one of the most talked about events in every city
it tours.
The very word "exhibit" conjures
up all kinds of images and ideas about attracting attention.
Being a show-off. Making a spectacle. Being exhibitionistic.
And that doesn't even take into account
"marketing," not known as the corner for shrinking
violets. Being the right kind of show-off. Making a spectacle
and being a spectacle that draws and keeps crowds. And there's
less time than ever to get the job done.
Mattel's
World of Wheels by Sandy Provenzano, General Manager,
Structural Display, Inc., Long Island City, NY (March/April 2001)
When the world's largest toy company, Mattel,
Inc., El Segundo, CA, was called upon to create a store within
a store for their wheels product group at the FAO Schwarz
New York City flagship store, they were faced with the classic
problem of needing to fit a wealth of product and information
into a limited high traffic space.
In pursuit of the client's desire to create
a retail friendly and entertaining environment, the designers
produced a raised stage that allows visitors to operate radio
controlled products in a supervised format -- thrilling for
participants while promoting product interest and awareness.
"We wanted to create an exciting and
compelling experience that engaged both Catholics and non-Catholics
in the process of exploring and understanding their faith,
and how their faith affected their role in their community,"
said Edwin Schlossberg, president and principal designer of
ESI. "We wanted this experience to enable both young
and old to examine their thoughts by interacting with the
exhibit experience and with each other."
Why Scale Models
Pay Off by Hal Chaffee, Marketing Manager, Model
Builders, Inc., Chicago, IL (Feb 2001)
Sales models are used inside a trade show
booth as an attention-getting focal point in the sales process.
Just changing the scale of a product can command attention.
Small objects can become gigantic and large objects can become
small enough to fit in a 10' booth. An 8' tall new drill bit,
a 9' long windshield wiper blade with some new features, and
a 6' tall toothbrush with fiber optic bristles were featured
in the center of different exhibit booths. Ordinary products
command attention when produced in an unexpected scale.
Audience members scramble for the center
seat, place their 3-D glasses over their eyes, and get ready
for an action-packed, three minute adventure. Not just a throw
back to the ‘50's, today's 3-D movies are more intense
and technologically advanced, allowing for more enjoyable
and realistic experiences. They can include special effects,
sophisticated animation, and beautiful live-action footage.
Now, exhibit managers can bring these 3-D adventures into
their booths without the need for a large staging area. People
can experience 3-D movies in a variety of ways, from wearing
sophisticated Virtual Reality (VR) Helmets, to the traditional
projected screens with glasses, to Magna-Scopes (viewers where
you just ‘peer' inside, like a periscope). With immersive
technology, like VR Helmets and Magna-Scopes, every seat is
front and center!
The
Croc In Wannagan Creek by Lonnie M. Broden, Director, Exhibit
Design Department, Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul,
MN (Nov/Dec 2001)
Imagine stepping through a portal that
would take you back 60 million years. What would you see?
What would you hear? What would the air feel and smell like?
The new exhibit, When the Dinosaurs Were Gone, being developed
by the Science Museum of Minnesota, will take you back in
time to a swamp where crocodiles bask in the sun; a cautious
alligator eyes them carefully, and a small weasel-like creature
that is the ancestor of bears, dogs, and cats hides among
the bushes. You look around and see a forest of tall trees
with lush green leaves harboring a creature making an unusual
sound. And beyond the forest is Lake Wannagan, teaming with
the life of a subtropical climate.
Grand Illusions by Richard Royce, Executive Director,
Lightning Strikes, Clearwater, FL (Nov/Dec 2001)
The call came at 11:15 a.m. Exactly eleven
days later, at 11:15 p.m., truckers rolled in to load a 98'
x 26' Mayan Temple, including two 15' wedge-shaped doors and
four 7' sculptures. Once again, we earned our name by working
lightning fast.
We were in the midst of constructing our
new studio and sound stage when one of partner Jeff Litton’s
pals at Wizard Studios in Clearwater called for help. “We’re
skunked. We have these two humongous theme projects and don’t
have the manpower available to pull it off. Can you guys step
into the breach and give us a hand?”
What if you could create an entire wall
made of one high-resolution digital photo? Or create and hang
an enormous three-story banner heralding a new product above
a conference center entrance? ...
It’s All In
The Game Custom Interactive Games Add Excitement
To Trade Show Exhibits by Mark Fowle, General Manager, Innova
Applied Technology, Signal Hill, CA
“I’ve got a problem,”
are often the first words spoken when a call comes in to Innova.
Of course, these words are music to our ears since Innova
designs solutions -- specifically, we apply technology to
solve marketing and communications problems. ...
The National Fire Protection Association,
founded in 1896, is in its second century as a safety standards-making
organization. I'm sure the great Chicago fire in 1871 contributed
to its creation, but it wasn't until the fire in McCormick
Place years later that most likely cemented the need for codes
and standards in exhibition halls throughout the country.
These codes, rules and regulations are "created by people
in the industry, they reflect the latest technology and advances"
says, George D Miller, President, National Fire Protection
Association.
"If the design that we've learned from
working on the web does not translate over to exhibits, and
especially signage and graphics, then we're just not paying
attention,"
Testrite Visual Products, Inc., Hackensack, NJ,
is now offering the Framegraphix(TM) large format digital graphic wrap frames, perfect for mounting/displaying
digital printing.
The aluminum alloy frames offer exceptional museum-quality strength and stability, with no warping or bending.
Testrite Visual
Products, Inc.
216 South Newman Street Hackensack NJ, 07601
Exhibit Builder 2008 Media Fact Folder