Glow Big or Go Home
When it was time to design its booth for the 2024 Live Design International (LDI) Show in Las Vegas, the team at Blizzard Lighting, LLC. decided to go over the (big) top to showcase the company's cutting-edge lighting products in a surprising, entertaining, and immersive way. Inspired by the excitement inherent in midway games, the team designed a Blizzard Light State Fair. Blizzard transformed its 30-foot-by-40-foot booth into a fairground, complete with carnival games, a Ferris wheel, a stage, and a prize booth. The magic behind the design was that each activation showcased one of the company's different lighting solutions. Ring toss became the Hypno Toss, where attendees attempted to sink a ring on the moving Hypno Spot lights. Guests tested their strength on the Swole-O-Meter, a 13-foot Sticknado Hammerhead light-stick-turned-high-striker that participants activated with a mallet. To play the games, attendees were required to scan their badges at a centrally located ticket-dispensing, avatar-manned ticket booth, which doubled as a lead capture. After playing a round of games and directly engaging with each new product, participants could cash in their winnings for custom swag at the prize booth. Blizzard's clever interactive design efforts paid off. The booth took home the Best Big Booth Design award for the fourth year in a row. Something to Chew On
Coffee breath. Everyone fears it, everyone has experienced it, and no one talks about it. Yet the folks at MDG Solutions brought the taboo subject out in the open at the 2024 Exhibitions & Convention Executives Forum (ECEF), which takes place annually in May in Washington, D.C. Coffee flowed as freely as the conversation at the day-long networking event, and upon arrival, every attendee was greeted with a solution to a problem yet to come. In addition to a name tag and schedule of events, each person found at their seat a pack of MDG-branded chewing gum emblazoned with the words “Time to freshen up” followed by the words “your marketing campaign” in much smaller type. In place of nutritional information, the back of the gum pack was filled with MDG marketing information, including ingredients such as “off-the-hook creativity.” This clever handout was a breath of fresh air for industry folks eager to huddle with industry colleagues. Strings Attached
At a recent event in New Orleans, Zapier — alongside experiential partner OTHR Management Company — welcomed attendees with an experience that blended local flair, thoughtful design, and playful functionality. When they checked in to the event, guests were invited to select a custom bead-lanyard from a striking Bead Tree — a clever nod to New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition. But these weren't ordinary beads. Color coding indicated each attendee's social comfort level (green indicated “very comfortable,” yellow for “open to chat,” and red for “introverted”), making networking more inclusive and stress-free. The lanyards also served a gamification purpose. They earned attendees digital tickets for joining activities, which could be redeemed at Zapier's branded pop-up shop. Bonus: The beads were all recycled or repurposed, adding a sustainable twist to the city's signature sparkle.