Living The Life

Brands that juggle a number of products at trade shows have always had to deal with the challenge of separating those products in a way that makes the most sense to attendees checking out the exhibit.

For years, the approach has been to divide products up strictly by their function—one pod or display might showcase products best used at the office, for example, while another would spotlight products for the car. Products that could be used in multiple environments would typically just be assigned to one for the sake of the exhibit.

But the latest trend in exhibit design is to infuse lifestyle into the trade show environment. Instead of spotlighting products on stark walls or with other products on a display, brands are creating environments that mimic home and work spaces, giving attendees the opportunity to view products in an organic setting.

One example? Belkin. In recent years, the company separated its zones into displays for categories like home office, mobility and networking. “We realized that yes, it might work for us, because we know what those product categories are, but the number of products weren’t always balanced and sometimes it could be cluttered and the message might not be communicated right,” says Teresa Tong, trade show and events manager for Belkin.

At this year’s CES, the company decided to divide its exhibits into a variety of lifestyle zones at CES this year, including a living room, bedroom and office. “We learned to be more thoughtful with the environments we used,” Tong says. “Our target audience could really [visualize] how the products would be used.”

Similarly, electronic musical instrument manufacturer Roland created lifestyle vignettes to divide up its 40,000-square-foot space at the NAMM show. The task was challenging, considering the company had to include everything from keyboards, synthesizers and digital grand pianos to professional electronic drum kits and guitar effects.

“It’s a huge space, but we have a wide range of product lines that are marketed and targeted to a variety of audiences,” says Mari DeManty, trade show and exhibits manager at Roland. “It becomes about just defining that space… and fine-tuning it so it targets those audiences.”

To that end, the brand created spaces that would give attendees a chance to interact, hear and play music in familiar spaces. The brand created individual rooms that put the instruments into settings that musicians could relate to—including a dark candlelit guitar room and a brick-covered school room.