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Feature Story
Kenmore Displays Authentic 'Taste Of
Home'
by Lisa Lupo
Senior Manager, Marketing
Exhibitgroup/Giltspur
Minneapolis, MN
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.
Sears, Roebuck & Co. debuted its new lines of Kenmore and Kenmore Elite appliances
at the Milwaukee, WI show. The exhibit, which was designed by Exhibitgroup/Giltspur
with a cross-directional "aisle" to promote a natural flow from the
show aisle into the center of the display, was almost constantly overflowing
with visitors.
"Although ease of access was a key feature of the exhibit, it did not just
rely on chance entry," said Stephen Schulte, account executive for Exhibitgroup/Giltspur.
Integral to its design were features which attracted visitors from all parts
of the show floor to its space -- a hanging sign announcing Kenmore's Elite line;
graphics along the vignettes' exterior walls depicting Kenmore and Kenmore
Elite appliances; Chef Nick Stellino, host of PBS television's "Nick
Stellino's Family Kitchen," producing show-wafting aromas;
and a large, well-placed space in line of sight of the entrance.
Once drawn inside, the visitor was ensconced within the exhibit's
inward-facing, kitchen vignettes at two corners, and plenty
of space in the center area to
congregate and observe Chef Stellino's cuisine cookery. "The use of home-environment
vignettes was a new direction for Kenmore," said John Woo, Exhibitgroup/Giltspur
designer. "Each vignette has a different feel, features a different product
line, and is geared toward a specific audience. Taste of Home included vignettes
showing kitchen scenes featuring the Kenmore Elite and Kenmore products."
The exhibit, which was designed by
Exhibitgroup/Giltspur with a cross-diagonal "aisle"
to promote a natural flow from the show isle into the
center of the display, was almost constantly overflowing
with visitors.
And
making it all look simple and natural can be the ultimate feat in the design
and build of an exhibit -- especially
when used at a vast variety of shows and events, including
those in hotels and other small-venue arenas. That meant
accounting for height restrictions, equipment limitations,
set-up time limits and producing a display with size flexibility.
"Our goal was to build to the highest possible quality with consideration
toward the lowest common denominator needed for installation," said
Schulte. For example, all the cabinetry, crafted to depict a typical, modern
kitchen are
actually faux. Show-site assembly of these sections requires no screws or
complex tools, rather the pieces connect with beveled battens and are hung
from a pre-placed
hook on the back wall. This enables the sections to be lined up and dropped
in place -- with the result that the cabinetry is always aligned in the proper
position
the first time.
Because some of the smaller events at which the components
will be used prohibit the use of even forklifts, Exhibitgroup/Giltspur
had to ensure that everything could be manipulated by hand.
All the cabinetry and wall sections were crafted to manageable
sizes, to be fit into compartmentalized, labeled crates,
then be simply slid out of the crate, assembled with our
beveled batten system and placed into position.
In addition, Exhibitgroup/Giltspur was able to meet all the
challenges with an incredibly cost-effective solution by
building the exhibit in one of Exhibitgroup/Giltspur's
own facilities. "Utilizing our network of manufacturing centers enables
us to provide build and warehouse options for all our customers," Schulte
explained. "For Kenmore, we evaluated our facilities, their capabilities
and current workloads, and location of the client's first show, and determined
the best solution for both Kenmore and Exhibitgroup/Giltspur at that time.
While many of the specifications were incorporated to allow
for the flexibility needed for the various events at which
the exhibit would be used, they all came
together to create an impressive, dynamic showpiece at Taste of Home. "As
a co-sponsor of the show, Kenmore had a vested interest in the entire event as
well as an image to uphold within its own exhibit," Schulte said. "The
results of both the show and the exhibit went well beyond expectations." With
attendance reaching upwards of 9,000 cooking enthusiasts, the line to get in,
at one point, wrapped around the entire convention center. From their exhibit
alone, Kenmore took home five packing boxes filled with leads. eb
Testrite Visual Products, Inc., Hackensack, NJ,
is now offering the Framegraphix(TM) large format digital graphic wrap frames, perfect for mounting/displaying
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Testrite Visual
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216 South Newman Street Hackensack NJ, 07601
Exhibit Builder 2008 Media Fact Folder