Each year, Condit’s exhibit designers attend trade shows and industry events to document some of the latest trends, note the biggest flops, and get inspired for future projects.
Condit’s senior exhibit designer, Matt Wolf, walked the floor of Natural Products Expo West, which hosts some of the trendiest food, beverage and lifestyle products each year, and photo-documented his thoughts and experiences at the show.
What’s Hot in 2019 Trade Shows
Stuffed Animals
Countless NPEW booths employed cuddly critters to do some of their selling and promotion. Ranging from cartoonish to ultra-realistic, foxes, buffalo, frogs and more were seen sporting brand logos in a variety of trade show displays, undoubtedly giving visitors a fuzzy feeling.
- Realistic Taxidermy at Expo West
- SuperHerb Tea Stuffed Animals at Natural Products Expo West
- Fluffy’s Paper Mache at Trade Shows
Natural Tech
In the past, NPEW has been a traditionally grassroots show, offering low-tech experiences and more natural displays. This year, many exhibitors embraced LED screens, colored lighting, and advanced audiovisual equipment.
- Kashi Paneled LED Wall
- Full Wall LED Screen
Packaging Patterns
Taking product placement to a whole new level, some businesses opted to use their packaging aesthetic in large walls or stacks, creating beautiful patterns and symmetry using materials on-hand.
- Zevia Soda Can Product Wall
- Flow Boxed Product Wall
- Bottled Product Wall
What’s Not – Designs to Avoid
Reusing Booths
We’re probably a little biased, but using the same booth year after year is not a good look. It’s obvious when a booth is looking tired or has dated stylistic elements.
Greenery Walls
What started as a unique, earthy booth component has become totally played out. Something that’s on every aisle isn’t memorable!
- Messy Greenery Wall
- Sloppy Greenery Wall
Sloppy Setups
We spotted uneven lettering, trash on the ground, crooked screens and more. Messes detract from visitors’ experience. Yuck.
- Crooked Tagline Lettering
- Awkward Screen Setup
- Poor Projection
What’s Inspiring – Design Trends on the Rise
Playful Vibes
Chaos can be cool, and a careful design eye can orchestrate a cohesive presentation that is still lively and fun.
- Playful Treehouse Exhibit Booth
Clean Vectors
On the more minimalist front, big, beautiful vector images smoothly decorated booth walls and floors in single-color and multicolored graphics.
- Floor to Wall Vector
- House Food’s Clean, Single-Color Vector
Product Heroes
Your product is a treasure – treat it as such! Cases and stands typically reserved for precious gems and rare artwork held everything from fresh burgers to body lotion.
- XBurger Hamburger in a Museum Display Case
- MUSH in Jewelry Display Case
Punchy Taglines
#$@*! Profanity, innuendo and more – nothing seemed to be off limits! Funny phrasing is certainly an interesting and effective way to grab attention. Use with caution!
- Fun Stickers at Tradeshows
- Memorable Taglines from Crazy Go Nuts
- Branded Swag
While NPEW isn’t necessarily a comprehensive sampling of all industries and their exhibits, Condit’s seasoned designers use qualitative data like this to help clients and tradeshow professionals ensure they are moving in the right direction for 2019 and beyond.
Want to talk trends? Contact us.