Lighten Up: Lightweight Trade Show Materials Save Money

Niles, IL, March 1, 2006

There's a quiet revolution going on in the trade show industry as expectations of displays and what's being used to build them are changing. As advertising budgets continue shrinking, trade show attitudes are shifting and "do more with less" has become the standard mantra.

Gone are the days of start-ups seeking to make a big splash with ostentatious exhibits, no matter the cost. Companies are more focused on thrifty, targeted marketing and finding ways to make those marketing dollars work harder. That's what is pushing design houses to become even more inventive with the ways displays are built. So designers today are doing more with less - less weight, less assembly, less cost.

The use of lightweight materials in booth construction is quickly becoming the norm, not the exception. Booths built with rigid infill panels and wooden construction have shown a sharp decline as the emphasis in exhibiting has shifted to such concerns as weight, drayage and storage.

"Using lightweight materials can cut costs by as much as 50 percent," reports Dave Evensen, vice president of global development at Nimlok Company. "Operational costs are where you reap the most savings because the lightweight materials make an exhibit cheaper to ship, store, install and dismantle."

Fabric Graphics: More than Just a Graphic

Fabric graphics have advanced significantly in recent years as technology has advanced. Improved dye sublimation processes allow crisper and more colorful graphics to be printed which are less likely to run or fade.

"With the quality we're getting out of our dye-sublimated printers today, you can literally take the graphics down, throw them in your washing machine and have them ready for the next show. These aren't delicate elements anymore. They're more than sufficient to handle the wear and tear of a tradeshow," says Nimlok designer Aaron Edler.

Additionally, the new generation of printers is capable of printing at much larger sizes than before. Previously, large fabric graphics would inevitably involve unsightly seams where smaller prints would need to be sewn together and the elasticity of fabric would only complicate the process of creating a cohesive image. Current printers offer dimensions of up to 96 inches in width with the length limited only by the roll of fabric.

"These fabric structures also really lend themselves to creative lighting," says Nimlok's Evensen. "You can put programmable LEDS in fabric structures and have it change colors as programmed."

Pine Valley Foods experienced these benefits of fabric graphics first hand when they worked with Nimlok Lafayette on expanding and designing their exhibit. Pine Valley wanted to expand their existing booth in a dramatic fashion with a heavy emphasis on graphics. Nimlok went right to work by incorporating the company's 10 X 20 inline booth and 20 X 40 booth into their new 50 X 60 custom modular exhibit. To boost creativity and cut down on shipping and hardware costs, Nimlok Lafayette produced vibrant fabric walls featuring images of the company's assorted products, in place of standard panels. The bright colors made it stand out, increasing both visibility and booth traffic.

"Four years ago we started with a very small booth and each year we have built on to our existing elements," reports Kerri Murphy, sales director of Pine Valley Foods. "Nimlok has worked very hard to make sure each addition compliments our current pieces. Our latest addition was better than anyone could ever imagine! Our only problem now is how we will top it next year."

Additionally, graphics have become bigger and cheaper to produce, and there's no need to complicate these larger graphics with a cumbersome panel structure."It used to be that you built a wall out of panels and hung a graphic on it," says Steve Westcott, a designer at Nimlok. "Now the graphic is the wall. There's a whole structural element that's been eliminated and this has opened the whole booth structure up to more image, more color, and ultimately, more exposure."

Another benefit of trends in lightweight materials is the potential to build from the top down. Shaped aluminum structures and truss are light enough that they can be suspended from the ceiling of tradeshows allowing design in a whole new dimension. Banners, rings, discs and many other intriguing shapes have found their way onto the show floor, many acting as de facto ceilings where fire restrictions don't permit enclosed spaces.

Truss: Stylish yet Functional

Another element which has catapulted to the design forefront is truss. As stylish as it is structural, truss often arcs over display space offering ample opportunity to attach graphics and lights. They are valuable stabilizers for such booth elements as towers or kiosks and bring a sense of cohesion to displays which otherwise might appear sparse or spread out.

"In years past people viewed truss as an accent or accessory, perhaps utilizing it to create a tower," says Westcott. "But now there is a greater understanding of what we can do with this resource. We're finding it's less and less an afterthought and increasingly being used as a structural element."

Truss of all kinds are gaining prominence as a high profile element of exhibiting. With a wide variety to choose from, such as square, triangular, folding and tubular, truss creates unique applications. These durable, reinforced items offer terrific support for lighting, graphics, shelving and monitors.

For example, Hotjobs.com wanted flexibility and a reasonable price when they needed two booths, one to bring four different divisions of the company under one roof, and another booth across the aisle to serve as a cyber café. Nimlok created an open design with four 16 foot towers covered with backlit graphics representing each division and connecting the towers with aluminum truss. They topped the truss with a huge fabric rotating sign featuring the company logo. The 20 foot high sign together with backlit graphics made the booth highly visible on the show floor. The cyber café mirrored the larger booth and served as an excellent means to draw visitors.

"The exhibit had a very modern, clean, corporate look," remarked Debbie Rotolo, Director of Corporate Event Management for Hotjobs.com. "No matter where you were on the show floor you couldn't miss it. Interestingly, the number of leads we got almost tripled compared with last year."

Extrusions: Exhibiting-Lite

These challenging requirements are inspiring more exhibits to be created with aluminum extrusion explains Westcott. "It's the sensible solution. Aluminum extrusion allows you to build structure quickly with a minimum of expense. And it's strong enough to comfortably support product and graphics. It's cheaper, weighs less and assembles easily."

With extrusion, structure is generated more efficiently. Height isn't achieved by a progressive stacking of panels and connectors, rather it is one clean piece making assembly easier. It reduces the amount of parts to be shipped, the intricacy of instructions, and the likelihood of losing a part.

"Booth design is essentially about re-enforcing a company's message using a limited amount of material, space and time," sums up Westcott. "We've shifted our emphasis towards more design driven and lightweight options. You have to catch your customer with the first impression. And you have to learn to do it on a budget."

In 2006, Nimlok is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Since its founding, Nimlok has grown to become a worldwide leader in the display and exhibit industry. With more than 200 authorized distributor partners in 56 countries worldwide, they offer an extensive Custom Solution product line as well as portable and pop-up displays, visual communication systems and other exhibit accessories. Manufacturing facilities are located in Chicago, Toronto and the U.K.

To learn more about Nimlok, visit www.nimlok.com.