Like clockwork, every two and a half years, the exhibition industry begins to buzz about EuroShop, the conference which describes itself as “The World’s #1 Retail Fair.” While a small portion of the 14 halls of the Messe Dusseldorf showcases new exhibition display products, the lion’s share of EuroShop is devoted to shop fixtures, visual merchandising, and ancillary categories. For a creative director like myself, I take in not only the exhibition industry products, but also the cross-over products and the way they’re displayed. So, while I am keenly aware of exhibition industry trends, my right brain takes over, and I find inspiration at the way stand designers throughout the fair present their products.
Here are several displays that made an impression on me:
Face-Off
Here is a unique way to leverage lighting on a mannequin display. More often than not, lighting is the quiet chorus that makes the exhibit sing. This small example is part of a larger design decision throughout EuroShop: economical ways to achieve the goal of product presentation. The impact is immediate and the stopping power of illuminating the mannequins from the inside a glowing success.
Anything Can Become an Experience
Yes, Studio 9 manufactures shop fixtures, but how—in an exhibition featuring so many varieties—can you get yours to stand out? This exhibit demonstrates that there is more to a store fixture than just the store fixture. The subtle lighting effect from top to bottom makes the stylized trees in this exhibit anything but boring and shows that we designers can create an experience out of all sorts of things. And lest the attendees wonder about Studio 9’s offerings, signs in ‘the forest’ call out the product offerings. Simple and effective, this design approach not only highlights the company’s core offerings but does so in a way that cleverly delivers them through an inviting stroll of elevated curiosity.
Motif de Macaron?
Here are two images for the same exhibit. The lighting for this space (and indeed the approach to the space in general) is like a mini-Broadway set. While the entirety of this space encouraged the visitor to move through open market displays, design studios, living areas etc. (a small village constructed within the confines of exhibit boundaries), I’ve chosen to focus on the transition from a fun Macaron stylized entry point and its transition into a core meeting space.
The window display behind the stylized swing has a lot of depth, but surprise! It is printed Sintra. Once again, I’m struck by the simple and cost-effective tactics used in many of these exhibits. This treatment reminded me of a pop-up book. And then, as you move through the archway to the right of the macaron swing, you find yourself in…
this similarly themed meeting space. The painted plywood cut-out circles again suggest depth, with selective lighting playing a starring role in the execution. An additional painted Sintra mural at the end of the circular ‘tunnel’ extends the cloud and sky images, this time with a ladder (not a stairway!) to heaven.
Color, layered graphic elements and intentional lighting make for an engaging, fun and immersive experience for attendees and prospective meeting partners alike.
Defining Space
Creating multiple meeting rooms without erecting walls is possible when you consider using not only the floor space but also the air above. In this massive wholesale refrigeration section of the fair, small spaces, intimate but open, are visually defined from much larger areas. Suspended circular fabric disks designate the meeting space and complement the shapes on the floor. Color coding is used to schedule the meetings and define specific spaces, while lighting (yet again) washes over everything in a way that defines these open alcoves as separate experiences within themselves.
Stopping Power
Window France—not a window supplier—is a mannequin space, “suppliers to the world’s leading names in fashion.” The backside of this mammoth head is hollowed out. Within that cerebral cavity, smaller mannequins are engaged in various activities through the digital execution of hypervision arrays, illuminating the dark hollow with light and movement. The story begins with the bold and imposing stopping power of the sculpture that beckons the visitor to continue its tale in a more intimate way inside. It’s the thought that counts here…
Industrial Magic
I think sometimes we forget the power of the industrial motif. Digital distractions, lighting and noise are abundant everywhere, so when I stepped into the far corner of this part of the show floor, I was dumbstruck by the 100×100 piece of space created from 2x4s, plywood and shipping containers. To be sure, I assumed an unfortunate attendee was unable to complete their install, leaving the remnants behind for another day.
However, turning from one massive wall into its corner, one shipping crate is spray-painted with graffiti, and an opposing hospitality area, also made from strapped 2x4s and truss was clearly being frequented. Curiosity sets in and I am intrigued to be facing a tightly notched alcove in just one corner of an otherwise imposing exterior. Exhibit docents (for it’s really what they were) were all dressed in white lab coats, the interior space created from truss, wood framing plastic stripping accentuated the atmosphere industrial factory.
Within the space itself (and after I was sure there weren’t any forklifts actually passing by) the real show begins. Dozens of intricately positioned mannequins, dressed in varying tones of purple, mauve and beige were engaged in their own private conversations and activities, as if this space was frozen in time from a theater sketch mid-dress. The lighting and complete adherence to branded color palettes highlighted the most important aspects of the space – the brand itself and its product – the mannequins.
What a commitment to brand strategy and a risk paid off by being different than everybody else in such a big was as to almost miss the message entirely by hiding it within the appearance of a large unfinished space. This was a completely successful execution on all fronts.
And Finally
Running through so many of the exhibits was a test of visual endurance on both me and my cameras battery. A number of trends, thematic nuances and design decisions were apparent, but it was the commitment to sustainability that really stuck for me.
Recycled materials like truck strapping, 2 x 4s, truss, cardboard tubing, booths build completely from cardboard, chain link, environmental inks, more and more and more – stood out. These materials were not accent pieces, but rather the structural integrity of many an exhibit space serving as the primary aesthetic and build material; they were not a token afterthought. This is an important distinction to make as the idea of sustainability isn’t just a secondary decision, rather it’s often the driving force behind the many design and engagement choices made thereafter. These choices and strategies inspired me as much as anything else from EuroShop and would encourage any designer to think a little differently.
Did you make it to EuroShop this year? Want to point out anything I missed — or discuss your own favorite exhibits? Let’s talk. Reach out to us for a conversation.
