Different approaches seen in trade show for trade show pros

About 10 magnifying glasses supported on long, thin pieces of metal are bunched together, giving off the effect of a glass garden. Perched about waist-high, the glasses revealed the small pictures and phrases placed behind them, all part of a social media scavenger hunt.

This is MG Design’s booth at EXHIBITOR 2014, the trade show for trade show professionals.

The company that specializes in custom trade show exhibits and exhibit rentals was highlighting its focus on peripheral services such as pre-show marketing, content development, staff training and lead management. MG Design refers to all of this as its magnified services.

“EXHIBITOR is a big show for us,” said Ben Olson, vice president of marketing.

The trade show is being held through Thursday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, with about 6,000 attendees and 275 exhibiting companies, 60 of which are new. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority estimates the event will bring a nongaming economic impact of $6.5 million to the city.

“It’s in line with previous shows,” Exhibitor Media Group Chief Marketing Officer John Pavek said of attendance.

MG Design has been exhibiting at the event for well over a decade but this year is focusing on taking what its customers have and helping them do more with that. Olson said he’s seeing digital become huge, as planners using digital in a booth can bring down cost of original graphics.

“It’s about finding out what challenges customers have,” he added.

At Czarnowski, the crew was taking a different approach than most, as its booth was best described as empty.

Aside from a couple of mirrored pillars doubling as cabinets, Czarnowski’s space on the EXHIBITOR floor was mostly a shiny, white floor.

“If you look around the show floor, the word ‘clutter’ really does resonate,” said Dillon Nagle, marketing manager for Czarnowski.

He explained that his company is taking cues from its clients, as a few of them this past year are requesting more and more open spaces and less stuff in their exhibits.

“Instead of throwing everything at the wall, this is meant to be a little more conversational and not be completely linear,” Nagle said. “We think it’s sort of a radical departure.”

Czarnowski creates custom exhibits. Its own had no chairs and instead was filled with bodies of salespeople dressed in all black except their red Converse shoes.

Although a lot of the industry heavyweights are here this week, such as Freeman and Global Experience Specialists, EXHIBITOR also features some smaller outfits. Marketing Instincts had a booth showing off its branded products that range from socks and pens to belts, cups and hats. PBG Imports, meanwhile, was showing off its cork stools designed to look like enlarged wine corks. Another model actually was made from thousands of wine corks melded together.

At PSAV, the company was showing new products such as its interactive video wall, a touch screen for presentations; its scalable LCD product display box; and its wayfinding solution, branded video charging stations and video mapping.

“All this technology can be used at any meeting, event or conference but it can also be used in booths,” said Meg Fasy, vice president of industry relations for PSAV. “It draws people, but it also has a very useful purpose.”

Fasy said the PSAV team members had a packed week ahead of them, as they were meeting with their vendors and suppliers as well as trade show managers and exhibit houses.

“This is the place you go, to meet with your exhibit trade show customers,” she said.

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Follow @lscvegas on Twitter.