6 Ways to Make your Exhibition Space Inviting

If you want guests to stick around long after noshing on nibbles, your exhibition space should not be only functional but also comfortable and inviting. To help inspire your next in-booth lounge, here are six delicious designs that deliver hospitable spaces with fashionable furnishings.



PHOTO: XAVIER VILA PHOTOGRAPHE

Theater in the Rounds
Exhibitor: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
Show: Mobile World Congress
Design: Jack Morton, London, 44-208-735-2000 www.jackmorton.com

At the Mobile World Congress, the Ericsson brand serves up a full-on meal along with a heaping helping of drama, thanks to moody lighting, colorful chairs, and multiple screens showing an array of content. Meanwhile, round tables promote intimate conversations between guests.


PHOTO: DIRK WEYHENMEYER FOTOGRAFIE

Spacious and Gracious
Exhibitor: ICS International AG
Show: LogiMat
Design: Atelier Damboeck Messebau GmbH, Neufinsing,Germany, 49-8121-975-0, www.damboeck.de

Housed within a one-of-a-kind, spherical exhibit, this hospitality zone offers ample seating via benches, chairs, and stools. Mirroring the overhead bands of color, accent pillows offer pops of blue, green, and gray, which provide a delightful contrast to the exhibit's stark-white surfaces.


White Light
Exhibitor: Osram Spa
Show: LivinLuce
Design: Cerqiglini & Rossi Architecture, Varedo, Italy, 39-362-571-066, www.cerquiglini-rossi.com

Light takes center stage in this hospitality area for Osram Spa, a manufacturer of light-management systems. White surfaces and embedded lighting in the floor and bar area are paired with Osram-orange chairs, creating a vibe that says "Osram is light!" without shouting.


PHOTO: STANDS

Highly Hospitable
Exhibitor: Superior Energy Services Inc.
Show: Rio Oil and Gas
Design: Excalibur Exhibits, Houston, 713-856-8854, www.excaliburexhibits.com

Who says a hospitality area has to somehow be separate from the larger exhibit? This roughly 1,500-square-foot exhibit features an open, airy conference room as its star. Sitting atop a wood-patterned floor, bistro-style tables and chairs surround a similarly styled bar.



PHOTO: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V. (PHILLIPS LIGHTING)

Square Trade
Exhibitor: Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Philips Lighting)
Show: EuroShop
Design: Totems Architecture B.V., Amsterdam, 31-20-508-13-10, www.totems.com

In this upper-level hospitality lounge for the Philips Lighting brand, it's all about the angles. A rectangular overhead structure caps the space and adds a touch of illumination, while colorful, angular chairs and white, square tables pepper the inviting area below.



PHOTO: CZARNOWSKI DISPLAY SERVICES INC.

Plane and Simple
Exhibitor: Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.
Show: National Business Aviation Association
Design: Czarnowski Display Services Inc., Chicago, 800-247-4302, www.czarnowski.com

Housed within an exhibit resembling an airplane hangar, this expansive space conveys an airy yet orderly feel befitting of an aerospace firm. Easy-to-clean white-laminate tables and chairs dot the room while floral arrangements and cloud-like light fixtures add a touch of color.

Source: ExhibitorOnline

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in Trade Show Tips

3:35 PM

6 Ways to Make your Exhibition Space Inviting

If you want guests to stick around long after noshing on nibbles, your exhibition space should not be only functional but also comfortable a...

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10 Things to Know about Having Food Trucks at your Event

From corporate meetings to employee appreciation events to music festivals, many events are opting to use food trucks for catering services. Some are run by dedicated food truck operators, while established restaurants and hotel catering departments have launched their own food trucks for events. Hiring a food truck brings its own set of logistical challenges. Here’s what you need to know to have a seamless food truck experience.

1. Obtain all necessary permits and insurance.
Organizers should make sure food trucks have the necessary permits and insurance to operate. Planners should also have insurance that covers any potential mishaps at an event, which may be trickier than it sounds. It differs so much with every municipal council.

2. Read your contracts carefully.
There is no one standard contract for food trucks, and juggling the details can be challenging when hiring multiple food trucks for one event.

3. Determine where the food truck will be located at the venue.
Not all venues lend themselves to food truck catering. It's important to inform the food truck if their trucks are required to climb slopes and hills taking into consideration the equipment they have inside.

Arrange food trucks along the perimeter of the event. They should not compete with the focal point of the event.

4. Choose the menu carefully.
Streamline the food truck’s usual menu at events, or even ask for new dishes. When you're thinking about menu and theme, some food truck companies will be flexible and work with you in any way, and others say, ‘This is what we do, take it or leave it.’ You won't know if you don't ask.

5. Calculate how much food you will need.
A key question for food truck operators is: “How many people can you feed in X amount of time?” The answer will let you know how many food trucks you will need.

6. Use food trucks strategically.
Another strategy is to use food trucks in combination with a traditional caterer. A possibility is to hire a traditional caterer for a meal but then add on an array of specialty food trucks for craft coffee service or desserts.

7. Figure out when food trucks should arrive.
The beauty of some of these trucks is, you’re curating the freshness right there. It’s made to order, not sitting in a chafing dish somewhere. They need to have come already prepped, or they will need to get there in enough time so when the bell rings they’re ready to take orders and start serving. The extra hour gives operators enough time to set up any signage, canopies or overhangs, or trash cans.

8. Spell out what you want—and don’t want—trucks to provide.
Should organizers create custom signage to identify the food truck and display the menu, or should the food truck operator provide that? If hiring more than one food truck, should the host provide plates, napkins, and other items for a consistent look?

9. Devise strategies to keep the line moving.
An event host should consider streamlining a food truck’s full menu for large events to prevent guests from waiting in line. If lines form, plann entertainment such as roving performers to distract guests. Another strategy is to have food truck staff offering samples of items to guests in line.

10. Decide who will handle trash and cleanup.
Some food trucks bring trash cans while others do not.

Source:  Bizbash

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12:29 PM

10 Things to Know about Having Food Trucks at your Event

From corporate meetings to employee appreciation events to music festivals, many events are opting to use food trucks for catering service...

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7 Tips to Extend the Value of Teambuilding Activities

Teambuilding activities such as retreats, community service projects, competitive games, and problem-solving challenges can be great tools for companies to strengthen employee relationships, improve communication, break down barriers, re-energize staff, and ultimately improve the work climate and positively impact the bottom line. 

But those outcomes don’t just happen—they require advanced planning and follow-up. BizBash surveyed four teambuilding professionals for ideas on how to create long-term value from a teambuilding activity. Here are their tips for extending the value of teambuilding activities.

1. Create a long-term plan. Don’t view a teambuilding activity as a one-time event. Teams that like each other and get together on a regular basis are more excited about working, because they like the people they work with. Do teambuilding on a continuous basis so people know you are committed to it and are committed to them getting to know each other as people, especially in this day and age when we all sit in cubicles and exchange emails and do virtual conferences.

2. Involve employees as facilitators during the event so they can be the point of contact for continued conversations.

3. Capture the event with photos and videos. Those pictures and videos are the memories of us bonding together. Relationships are everything at the office. When you have that you can draw back to it.

4. Schedule a meeting immediately after the event for participants to debrief with one another. Use internal facilitators to lead a discussion driven by questions such as: What was the most interesting or surprising part of this activity? How was the level of cooperation? How will what we learned affect our performance? Are there suggestions for improvement for our next teambuilding activity?

5. Share lessons learned through employee communication channels such as e-newsletters, internal message boards, or bulletin boards. If you think of the organization as a community, communities have stories. And stories are the things that weave the social fabric of the organization … so you get better results, so that then the organization flourishes and people within the organization flourish.

6. Show that teamwork is important in a variety of ways. Prioritize teamwork at group meetings and individual performance appraisals. That way you show that building a team is a priority of mine as a leader and that’s always something we discuss. Not just once a year at an all-employee meeting.

7. If your teambuilding activity involved competition among groups of employees, consider maintaining those teams throughout the year and encouraging that competition. People like to win. If you can keep those teams together and get a little friendly rivalry going within your department or company depending on the size, that’s a lot of fun. Sometimes you will need somebody in a tough spot in a business situation and to have that to draw on is really unparalleled for what you can get done.

Source: Bizbash

byBest Events

in Team Building

12:07 PM

7 Tips to Extend the Value of Teambuilding Activities

Teambuilding activities such as retreats, community service projects, competitive games, and problem-solving challenges can be great tool...

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How will #Brexit affect Meetings and Events in the UK?

The biggest effect of a Brexit on meetings would be the resulting economic uncertainty, expected to last for several years. In fact, some large events already are on hold pending the outcome, according to an article in the U.K.–based Meetpie.com. Destination management companies in the U.K. also have reported losing business because of Brexit. 

An article in Conference & Incentive Travel magazine cites staff shortages in hospitality industry as a major potential impact of a Brexit because so many of these workers are immigrants. The article also mentions the free movement of people and event and exhibition goods among EU member states as a major benefit to the meetings industry, and one that the U.K. will potentially lose now that it has voted to leave the EU.

“The meetings and event industry is easily affected by economic and political uncertainty, however it will take at least two years for the separation conditions to be negotiated and no one really knows what will happen,” said Al Wynant, co-founder and CEO of Eventinterface. “I don’t think there will be an immediate impact and I foresee business as usual until there is more clarity on the process.”

Wynant said an immediate impact could be seen related to production cost for international planners hosting events and conferences in the UK related to the significant fall in the pound’s exchange rate.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is projecting UK air travel to decrease by 3 to 5 percent due to the country leaving the EU and the resulting economic downturn.

It will take some time to for the full impact of the vote to be felt. The UK has not yet formally declared the intention to leave, causing additional uncertainty. Once the declaration has been made, a two-year period of formal negotiations by the UK and EU will spell out the terms of the separation and hopefully stabilize the market. In the meantime it may be business as usual for the meeting and event industry.

The devaluing of the sterling could also make the U.K. a destination where you can maximize your dollar or euro, potentially making it a prime location for traveling to destination meetings and events.

Source: Meetings.net and EventInterface.com

byBest Events

in Business Meeting, Conference Talk, Events

12:39 PM

How will #Brexit affect Meetings and Events in the UK?

The biggest effect of a Brexit on meetings would be the resulting economic uncertainty, expected to last for several years. In fact, s...

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Ideas for an Engaging Silent Auction Display

Bravo Events and Design Foundry incorporated the silent auction items into the decor. Items were displayed on two walls as well as on tables and stands.

Photo: FotoBriceno



Without the need for bidding sheets, Design Foundry could display the local dining gift certificates and plaques on a mixture of shelves and crates attached to one of the gallery walls. This provided a better vantage point for multiple guests to view the items at once, like in a museum, compared to a table arrangement where only one guest can view an item at a time.

Photo: FotoBriceno



The wall arrangement for the auction items opened up 100 square feet of event space that Design Foundry filled with high-boy and café table seating.

Photo: FotoBriceno



Lounge areas provided a secluded respite for V.I.P. guests and sponsors compared to general admission. Design Foundry mixed tufted chairs with wooden tables, metal stools, and industrial-style accent tables to create the farm-to-table meets urban chic ambience requested by the Board of Visitors.

Photo: FotoBriceno



Chalkboard signs indicated the V.I.P. lounges listing the sponsor levels—each named for various types and bottle sizes of wines—for that lounge.

Photo: FotoBriceno



When using tables in a silent auction layout, planners often face the challenge of how to use them after the items are cleared away. Windows Catering turned the tables to dessert buffets throughout the room within 15 minutes of the auction closing.

Photo: FotoBriceno

Source: Bizbash

byBest Events

in Event Tips, Fundraising

2:15 PM

Ideas for an Engaging Silent Auction Display

Bravo Events and Design Foundry incorporated the silent auction items into the decor. Items were displayed on two walls as well as on tab...

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Minimalist Designs for Events

Lucite chairs, candles, and sleek white linens dressed the 150-foot tables at the Joffrey Ballet gala in Chicago in 2010.

Photo: Greg Davis/Powell Photography Inc.

From simple, elegant table settings to sleek stages and lighting, here are minimalist ideas to incorporate into events and meetings.



For his September show in New York at Spring Studios entitled “Beauty,” Jason Wu went simple and stark with the all-white venue. Produced by Bureau Betak, the space featured simple white bench seating and a floor-to-ceiling backdrop that mimicked a deconstructed boudoir mirror—with detached molding that created a mirage-like effect.

Photo: Jamie McGregor Smith



The 2006 Screen Actors Guild awards gala in Los Angeles had a striking but simple look from event designer Stanlee Gatti, with bunches of upside-down calla lillies hanging overhead. White furnishings were arranged in lounge-like formations.

Photo: Nadine Froger Photography



At this year's Dining by Design, the annual fund-raising event hosted by Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, Smartwater's space aimed to reflect the brand's natural water purification process, which is mirrored after rain clouds. The fluffy fixtures lit up like a storm above the simple table setting. The event took place at New York's Pier 92 in March.

Photo: Cornelia Stiles/BizBash


A joint event between Variety and British Airways in 2013 took place at a Los Angeles mansion, and black-and-white decor took on a residential feel. To celebrate the heritage of British Airways, the Union Jack appeared on black-and-white pillows at a seating group that surrounded a modern fire pit.

Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Variety


At a Saucony-hosted event in Boston in 2011, an art exhibit around the perimeter of the space incorporated the brand's sneakers and minimalist art.

Photo: Phase One Photography



In 2012, Yahoo marked the relaunch of Genome, a brand previously known as Interclick, with a minimalist affair in New York. To create a modern aesthetic inside a SoHo townhouse, the producers employed a mix of clean lines and white furnishings. For entertainment, the organizers brought in synchronized swimmers dressed to look like aliens.

Photo: Sean T. Smith



At a 2013 brunch for L'Oréal, designer and producer Joe Moller added subtle branding to the setup on the Viceroy Miami's outdoor terrace, adding L'Oréal lettering to the backs of chairs and using shallow gold vases filled with products as tabletop centerpieces.

Photo: Joe Moller


The Women's Wear Daily Beauty Summit in 2013 had a sleek, all-white design from Shiraz Events. Guests sat in clear Miro chairs at communal tables topped with white linens and simple birch vases holding cobble moss balls.

Photo: Sean Smith



To cap off New York Fashion Week in 2010, Calvin Klein hosted a party with seating vignettes of minimalist, low-slung white sofas and ottomans around fireplaces.

Photo: Billy Farrell/PatrickMcMullan.com



At a product launch for watch brand Q&Q in New York, guests were encouraged to take photos against a modern backdrop. Guests who posed for snaps received a coin that would allow them to receive a free watch from a giant gumball machine.

Photo: Kent Miller Studios



To launch its newest A8 model at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2010, Audi created a 45,000-square-foot temporary structure. EventStar worked with Audi, German architecture firm the Design Company, and Miami event management firm Siinc Agency to design the pavilion.

Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash



At a dinner to mark new gallery openings at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011, Heffernan Morgan bathed webbed scrims in golden light to cast spiderweblike patterns throughout the modern dinner space.

Photo: Robert Carl

Source: Bizbash

byBest Events

in Event Decor

1:20 PM

Minimalist Designs for Events

Lucite chairs, candles, and sleek white linens dressed the 150-foot tables at the Joffrey Ballet gala in Chicago in 2010. Photo: Greg Dav...

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Team Building Starts with Trust

Recently, I wrote on this blog about creative team building events and how a Spartan Race fulfilled our team building goals for 2015. In response to that article, a couple of questions popped up that sounded similar to:

“We’re not really the Spartan Race kind of company.  Do you have additional thoughts for how we can build/strengthen our team?”

As I have for many years now, I’ll start the conversation of team building at the bottom of Patrick Lencioni’s pyramid for highly functional teams – Trust.  Like many other authors and leaders have suggested, trust is the first, and most critical foundational piece for building strong teams.

But saying trust is important for your company is a bit like saying a foundation is important to building a house. It’s likely one of the first elements you thought of. But why is it the most important element? How can you assess your teams’ trust level, and what actionable steps can you take to build trust across your teams?

Trust IS the Foundation

I’m a big fan of Patrick Lencioni and, especially, ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’ which is widely considered one of the best books (Amazon Top 10 for Leadership Books) on team-building.  It was one of the first books I read as a new manager and has significantly shaped how I view, talk about, and try to build teams.

In the book, Patrick describes the 5 dysfunctions of a team and uses a pyramid to show the levels:

• Absence of Trust
• Fear of Conflict
• Lack of Commitment
• Avoidance of Accountability
• Inattention to Results

Alter the pyramid to show the 5 critical components of a highly functional team, and Trust is at the bottom: the most important piece.  For Patrick—and for me— a lack of trust prevents a team from true commitment, accountability, and results.

Along with the ‘Five Dysfunctions of a Team’, there are other great books that are specifically about trust or discuss trust and its importance:

Trust Works! By Ken Blanchard: High trust = lasting relationships
The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey: High trust = high-performance
The Trust Edge by David Horsager: High trust = foundation for genuine success
Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek: High trust = Circle of Safety
All of them point to trust as a critical and fundamental piece to success – in business and in life.

Piggy-backing all these thoughts and making it personal to myself, trust enables me to be more.  It enables me to:

1. Accomplish more and do better work by getting feedback and synergizing
2. Grow and learn more by allowing myself to be “open” and receive information
3. Teach more and serve by letting me focus my attention on others
4. Care more and empathize because I’m not constantly worried about protecting myself
5. Be more human

Trust helps you accept deepening relationships and removes politics and silos from the work place, creating an organization within which people feel safe. At its simplest, trust is a catalyst for your organization to be more: more nimble, more efficient, more effective.  It’s like oxygen for a successful team – one simply can’t exist without it.

As strange as it sounds though, it’s important that it is the right type of trust.

What Type of Trust is Needed?

There are two types of trust that are (possibly) present with teams: “common” trust and vulnerability-based trust.

“Common” Trust: the confidence / belief that a co-worker or team member won’t break generally accepted laws, norms, policies, etc.  It’s the trust that you extend to others that they won’t steal the computers if left in the office alone or deliberately corrupt the DB.

It’s the type of trust that we extend to each other when driving.  We “trust” people know the rules of the road, will stay on the right side, and stop at red lights.

Without “common” trust, it would be very difficult to operate as a company (or society).  Belonging to the team typically grants you this type of trust.

Vulnerability-Based Trust: a much deeper confidence that you can be vulnerable with teammates. The belief that you can do things like take risks, ask for help, admit mistakes, or confront and hold others accountable without fear of retaliation, humiliation, or resentment.

This type of trust has to be earned and given.

Strong, high-performing teams base their entire foundation on vulnerability-based trust.  “Common” trust simply isn’t enough.

So, how do you build vulnerability-based trust?

How to Build Trust

Authors and leadership experts offer many great ways to build vulnerability-based trust.  Some of my favorites include:

“Go First”: As a leader, it is your job to model the behavior.  Be the first to “open up” and extend trust to others.  As Ken Blanchard says, “When you open up and share about yourself, you demonstrate a vulnerability that engenders trust.”

“Seek first  to understand, then to be understood”: From another of my favorite books, ”The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’”, this encourages you to listen with the intent to understand rather than with the intent to reply.  It’s not a competition; you have to be willing to stop thinking about winning and open up to considering someone else’s idea.

Create a “Circle of Safety”:  You do this by first, treating your people like people.  Give them a sense of belonging, a shared purpose, some autonomy, and care for them.  People must feel cared for and safe to trust.

Try any (or all) of the “13 Behaviors of High Trust” from ‘Speed of Trust’:  Behaviors like, Talk Straight, Right Wrongs, and Keep Commitments.  All of these behaviors help build and strengthen trust.

Pick up the “Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide” and try any of the exercises inside.
Patrick offers a couple of them online for free: Personal Histories Exercise and Team Effectiveness Exercise

Share an experience together: (As you know, I recommend a Spartan Race.) Any time you actually get to practice being a successful team, you re-enforce the trust and strengthen the foundation.

Whichever method you choose, it’s important to understand that building trust is not a destination.  It’s ongoing, and you’re either building it up or tearing it down.

Published March 10th, 2015 by Ryan Yeoman in Knocking Down Doors

byBest Events

in Team Building

1:04 PM

Team Building Starts with Trust

Recently, I wrote on this blog about creative team building events and how a Spartan Race fulfilled our team building goals for 2015. In ...

Read More