The Best Of NAB
Tech-EM scoured the aisles at the world's largest electronic media show to bring you the best and brightest booths
It’s an exciting time to be in television and radio. History-making changes like the big switch from analog to high definition are just on the horizon. Internet, TV and radio are finally finding their points of total convergence. And the tools used to distribute content over the airwaves are not only rapidly becoming more sophisticated, they’re becoming more accessible to the masses. Even Tech-EM editors got in on the action with some Anderson Cooper-inspired field reporting action. More than 1,600 exhibitors jockeyed for attention at the National Association of Broadcasters annual NAB Show in Las Vegas in March. But after fours days on the floor, seven visits to the buffet and more tropical cocktails at the Pussycat Dolls Lounge than we care to remember (or, uh, can remember) just 20 booths remained on our short list. From surprising design statements made out of plywood to guerrilla-style show floor excitement builders, we present the NAB Show’s next generation of movers and shakers.
Photos by Kit Noble of noblespaces.com
Adobe
Adobe’s space was big, open and largely focused on its presentation area. The software giant was decked out in all white—creating a rather cool and composed look as a draw for its presentation. In front of a wall-sized screen, Adobe packed the crowds in for the frequent presos. (Chairs were full early on and others were happy to stand.) It was easy to tell the presenter was on staff, as he was high-energy and knowledgeable at the same time. Big footprint, big screens, big impact. The speaker took attendees through the brand’s solutions—including recent work for companies like Turner Sports New Media—shown on the screens behind him. On the perimeter of the presentation, seven circular pods were staffed with brand ambassadors ready to give attendees an up-close-and-personal look at the products. One nice touch—brand ambassadors handed out “Adobe’s Got My Back” buttons. Attendees spotted by ambassadors on the show floor received a free $5 Starbucks card.
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Autodesk
| One of NAB’s largest footprints, Autodesk went with a minimalist material choice leveraged in an innovative way, with stand architecture made almost entirely of unfinished, angled sustainable plywood paneling. Front and center, there was an exterior presentation theater with a wall-sized projection screen. To keep things running smoothly, the company kept it super simple with an emcee that hammered home the key points posed by a handful of presenters nestled in a box-like area that blended into the rest of the structure. Set on AstroTurf-style carpeting, four software demo stations with large screen monitors were mounted above the off-kilter walls with private meeting rooms tucked away within the structure. On the exterior walls, attendees were treated to angled viewfinder boxes that revealed illuminated graphics created with the brand’s products when the visitors peeked inside. Overall, it was a big booth that managed to maintain an intimate feel. |
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Baron Services
| Two days before CES opened, Warner Bros. Entertainment announced its exclusive support of the Blu-Ray format, ditching competitive technology HD-DVD. At the show, other bigwigs from Sony Pictures, Fox and Buena Vista expressed their support, too. It never hurts to have access to wildly popular entertainment properties like the movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” but kudos to Blu-Ray for maximizing its new Hollywood endorsements by creating an exhibit with massive visual impact. On one end of the booth, under a suspended circular awning and strategically located at the bottom of a main stairwell, people copped a squat on bright orange benches in an open-air theater running concert and movie footage on a 100-plus-inch flat-screen TV. Behind the theater, seven kiosks featured partner products ranging from laptops to Blu-Ray disc players. Smack in the middle, a giant (and we mean big, matey) pirate ship. Other movie paraphernalia drew people in from every angle. The exhibit’s visual tie-ins to the movie industry reinforced that Blu-Ray has been given the stamp of approval—a clever credibility booster for buyers at the show. |
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BT Media and Broadcast
| One of the most original designs at NAB, BT’s footprint featured vertical slatted walls and a dazzling custom lighting setup. A large and colorful framed ID sign at the front of the exhibit was mounted in front of a series of eight-inch-wide, one-inch-thick translucent plastic panels framed with brushed metal, which served as a framework for the space. Some of the panels were mounted in the floor, while others were suspended from trussing above, resulting in a wind chime-like effect. Two private meeting rooms and a tech room lined the back of the footprint, and featured thin, vertical translucent windows that tied into the look of the exhibit. The main floor featured computer demo stations housed in displays with large screen monitors mounted above. These demo pods were designed to allow staff to demonstrate the brand’s Mosaic media product to larger groups, and were decked out in mosaic patterns as an innovative tie-in. |
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Canon
| Canon’s mini sets were visually compelling from the aisles, technically interesting to attendees and customized to show off each of its product lines. In a setting reminiscent of grandma’s attic, demo cameras zoomed in on tiny details buried amongst vintage toys and antiques. A toy store set brimming with brightly colored balls and toys was the perfect setting to show off Canon’s HD technology. The third set, a busy kitchen with fruit bowls, jugs and decorated plates, showed off Canon’s lenses. Kudos to Canon for streamlining its products and messaging into digestible bits attendees could really sink their teeth into. |
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Christie
| The projection company went for light, open and airy—a medium-sized demo display for its growing product portfolio. Folks walking by could literally see in, around and through the completely open exhibit area as they walked by from any angle, a move that funneled many an attendee path from pretty much every intersecting row. The blue-hued space was not to be ignored as it glowed at times like a beacon signaling the mother ship’s return (Mulder?). The square footprint leveraged a fabric dome and smart lighting to create the glowing area beneath. Inside were a dozen screens on which videos projected (much like a traditional exhibit theater, sans walls), a move that created a rather approachable area for attendees strolling by. From a product standpoint, Christie made a big push into green projection solutions. The dome effect allowed the company to hang screens for projection at multiple rigging points, which created a less-cluttered demo display. |
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CNN
| Some of the best experiences at NAB took place off the show floor. The cable network leveraged what it does best—covering current events—to create an exhibit blanketed in engaging photos. From the exterior of the tented environment placed outside the North Hall, attendees were drawn in with graphics culled from this year’s top current event—larger-than-life photos of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain. The exhibit’s tagline: Partnership is a Powerful Story. Inside the footprint, glass panels surrounding the booth featured photos of events and people recently in the news, such as Heath Ledger. The exhibit was divided into four sections. CNN sales execs took prospects through presentations featuring the company’s solutions on four large-screen Apple computers. The brand included some chill space for attendees who wanted to kick back for a bit. In the rear of the exhibit, attendees could lounge, chat and grab a cup of joe at a coffee and snack bar. |
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EMC2
| Every few minutes, passersby were encouraged to step into EMC2’s crisp and clean booth for a five-minute presentation. The booth was decked out in creams and blues with a central seating area complete with comfortable shiny silver-toned chairs on hardwood floors. At the back of the booth, attendees could chat with EMC2 experts at a conference table away from all the noise. Up front, they could learn a thing or two about the brand’s products with staff at two fully equipped pods. EMC2 gave away Cool Mates (tiny adhesive laptop feet that cool down computers) to folks who stuck around for the five-minute demo. Keeping the demos short and informative kept the seats filled. |
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Harmonic
| The message was clear: “Redefining Video Delivery.” And the overall footprint was one of the most inviting on the NAB floor—a slick Euro-styled exhibit that was anything but vanilla. No matter which row attendees came from, they were treated to a slightly different visual effect, some high-tech, others more organic and eco-focused. A white triangular sign served as the halo for the entire booth from its perch on the top deck, and the footprint itself used rows of wall-mounted monitors as the exterior walls of the exhibit. From the side entrance was a floor-to-ceiling logo-encased waterfall. From the front, a classy reception desk. Inside, a circular lounge with a large living tree in the middle creating a courtyard for conversations. If the tree wasn’t enough to get attendees talking, the cappuccino bar was. Enclosed portals lit green with plants inside flanked meetings rooms located in each corner. |
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Ikegami
| Ikegami Electronics’ sleek exhibit mostly eschewed tents, fabrics and other typical exhibit design elements in favor of design and materials that evoked a more permanent feel. The space, a sea of blue and black, mixed hard lines—like a looming rectangular structure featuring a backlit brand logo—with curved walls. Even when heavy foot traffic coursed through the booth, smart placement of product areas kept the space from feeling too cluttered. Instead of peppering product areas throughout the booth, the brand left plenty of space in the middle for attendees to walk through and check out different Ikegami solutions. Instead of creating one massive studio set, like many other companies did, the brand chose to create two smaller ones, one on each side of the exhibit, where attendees viewed a number of cameras, including its HD digital products. And by creating the two smaller studio sets instead of one larger one, the brand had more flexibility with how it chose to fill the rest of the space. |
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JVC
| JVC took the traditional real-life studio set concept and kicked it up a notch by inviting live musicians onto the set. The music livened up an otherwise quiet booth experience and gave hands-on, point-and-shooters something with movement to focus on. Musicians who played multiple instruments also added energy and variety to static sets. Rather than one-on-one shooting tutorials, JVC used the set as the stage for a theater-style demo. Eight ceiling-mounted flat screens ran looping expert testimonials throughout the day, and then served as demo screens for a 100-seat theater that faced the set. Across from the theater, attendees could climb up onto a podium and get behind a professional camera to pan the crowd. The mix of music and real-world shooting scenarios gave JVC’s booth an added boost of energy that separated it from the crowd. For meeting space, the brand set aside a double deck area that was closed-in below with “roof access” above. Attendees snapped up the giveaway—branded cloth bags. |
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Megatrax
| Many a smaller footprint made magic using limited real estate investments. As was the case with Megatrax. The “music and innovation” theme was carried throughout a footprint that mixed ceiling-high blocks of white, lit Plexiglas and large stands boasting bamboo and flowers as the endoskeletons of the motif. Inside were three areas: One, a seated lounge featuring rumble chairs positioned in front of four plasma screens (don’t just watch the action, feel the action); Two, a semi-enclosed music and sampling area in which folks could take a chill, check out the tunes and rock da house (while people walked by thinking they were rocking nothing of the kind); and third, a lounge-type meeting space centered around an assortment of sofas and modern tables. Overall, a smaller but clean footprint that offered up a trio of interactive areas for NAB attendees. |
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Microsoft
| The company’s sleek and sexy space was dressed in black and blue, creating a nightclub-like setting in which attendees could chill. A two-way, semi-circular main structure featured lots of frosted plexi windows, lit with blue LED fixtures. This structure was wrapped around a small oval stage where a large monitor backdrop lowered from the ceiling when presentations started. Comfy and funky seating dotted the area facing the stage. Six V-shaped demo stands with illuminated blue graphic panels up top featured two computers on each side mounted on circular tables with staff ready to engage attendees. Two more demo zones were tucked under the ends of the main structure, and a pathway under the center led to a hospitality zone with café tables in a soothing environment. Double steps—one on each end—led the way to private meeting rooms. |
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Miranda Technologies
| A series of white, high-gloss angular walls adorned with graphics and monitors surrounded a central tower topped with a circular white fabric structure lit up in the brand’s signature purple (the carpeting was all purple, too). Inside, the exhibit’s walls were lined with computer demo stations and large screen monitors on all sides. Small benches set up in front of the larger demo stations ensured that the crowd was comfortable as they learned. The exhibit’s back wall was the main focal point in the space—an impressive structure covered with dozens of monitors and switchers that offered visitors a full-scale multi-image technology demonstration. Creative twist: the square central tower was actually wrapped around one of the Convention Center’s structural columns, and camouflaged it perfectly. |
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Pro-Bel
| This broadcast signal management company drew design inspiration directly from its logo, creating semi-circular display units for its trio of display walls. The freestanding structures cleverly connected to the other half of the footprint via a curved white truss partially covered in bright orange fabric. Rather than cramped clusters of sit-down chairs or theater-style seats, attendees could breeze in for short demos and prop themselves up on leaning stanchions padded with orange, tush-friendly cushions. This simple, welcoming booth element offered a brief respite to the fast-paced show floor without asking for a 20-minute time commitment. (Sometimes it’s nice to know an exhibitor values your hectic schedule.) Pro-Bel was buzzing with activity by 9:20 a.m. on day one of the show. Was it the brand’s oh-so-cushy tushy zones? Perhaps. We know we liked it. |
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Quantel
| An impressive wedge-shaped structure dominated the center of Quantel’s footprint, and was wrapped in white fabric adorned with logos and projected lighting. The wedge’s flat end surface doubled as a giant projection screen for a presentation theater space that faced out toward the aisle (and attracted passers-by). Angled desks in front of the main screen served as space for brand reps to lead interactive presentations. Mirrored walls underneath the structure hid a storage area, and a small hospitality bar was tucked away in the back. Curved walls surrounded the footprint and featured demo stations touting the brand’s technology. Private meeting/storage space was located behind these inside a curved back wall structure, and exterior panel walls wrapped in fabric featured a black/white/red color scheme with abstract line illustrations—a theme that carried throughout the booth’s décor. |
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Red Cinema
| The camera maker (whose high-profile fans include indie auteurs like Steven Soderbergh and Peter Jackson) differentiated itself from the crowd with a structure that looked more like a top-secret army bunker than a slick trade show booth. The footprint was a simple square with one entrance in front and an enclosed theater in back. But thanks to some chain link fence, dense army-style netting held together by heavy metal clips and red nylon straps, and a bouncer limiting access to the interior at the front door (so Hollywood, baby), attendees eagerly lined up behind the red velvet rope to get a peek at what they couldn’t see from the aisles. Inside, each camera in the product line was presented museum style on its own illuminated glass display case. Staffers manned each case, giving attendees hands-on demos. Two suspended industrial-size fans whirred from the ceiling giving the entire booth a gritty, edgy feel well suited for the brand’s alternative personality. |
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Riedel
| Small booth, big brand statement. The maker of two-way radio and intercom systems stopped attendees in their tracks thanks to a few high-style design details. The main attraction: three-inch, white LED trim that ran along the soft lines of the entire structure—a design cue pulled directly from the brand’s logo—nice translation of the brand identity without being too literal. (We’re talking to you, giant suspended inflatable lovers.) The glowing border popped against glossy red paneling that formed the booth’s main support structures. A central reception desk, also in red lacquer, served as the main hub of activity. Modern bar stools with complementary curves picked up the lines of the trim. Each of the support columns featured flexible microphone arms and control panels facing out toward the show floor, versus being buried out of eyesight on an interior demo panel. The tactic begged attendees to stop by and try them out. The booth was topped off with a simple white fabric dome, proving that with a few clever design moves, you can translate a staid booth topper into something with custom appeal. |
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SeaChange
| The on-demand television technology company’s exhibit centerpiece was the full-sized, branded trailer, emblazoned with city skyline graphics—a tie-in to the brand’s Turning Cities On tagline. SeaChange has for years used its mobile marketing trailer as its trade show exhibit when need be, and NAB was worthy enough of a detour. Qualified attendees were invited to step up into the trailer through a glass door and into one of three onboard meeting room suites. Giant color photos of famous city skylines adorned the outer walls. On the backside of the exhibit, attendees could grab free coffee and sit at one of several barstools and tables. Adjacent to the trailer were more mini conference rooms with frosted glass panels along the exterior, allowing privacy for the meetings in progress but ample light (and energy) from the show floor outside—a welcome departure from the sea of windowless meeting spaces. |
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Sony
| The pitch? High definition is part of Sony’s DNA. The strategy? Use visual cues drawn from a DNA strand to guide consumers through the brand’s HDNA story. A curved theater anchored the back corner of the booth. The outside of the theater was lined with backlit fabric panels which constantly changed colors and effects from saturated rainbow hues to spinning DNA strands and graphics that resembled brightly-colored molecules. Gobos projected the same colorful effects on the floors while overhead lighting created new moods below. Structural design elements like custom mounts were shaped to resemble the twisting form of a DNA helix. Monitors were mounted from single freestanding strands while other clusters of monitors were mounted with multiple strands. |
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