Trade show exhibitors who block portions of their exhibits off from the aisle, while still allowing people outside their exhibits to peek in, are getting really creative with their exhibit design solutions. So creative, that it made 3D Exhibits' list of the 20 top trade show exhibit design trends of 2017.

The reasons an exhibit marketer would want to apply this technique are many. It enables you to:

  • Generate curiosity and entice attendees to peek into your exhibit.
  • Implement a customer journey in your exhibit that requires attendees all enter in a certain spot.
  • Funnel more light into small conference spaces and the interior of your exhibit.
  • Keep the interior of your exhibit feeling as spacious as possible—despite a perimeter wall.

Here are some of our favorite examples:

 

1. Glass or plexi frosted with a brand pattern. This is a subtle and elegant way to exude a brand image and limit visibility into your exhibit—without blocking any light. The frosted pattern can be etched onto the substrate, screened or applied with vinyl. If you want to encourage peeking into your space, leave a few pattern-free areas to act as windows.

 

2. Sheer cloth screened with a graphic. The fun of this approach is that from further away, the wall appears nearly opaque which enables visitors to view your graphic. Then, as attendees get closer, they are able to see through the fabric and into your exhibit. This works with supersized single graphics as well as it does with small, repeated patterns.

 

3. Sheet plastics with embedded materials or integrated textures. These stock materials come in a wide variety of textures (swirls, checkerboards, zig-zags) or embedded with materials such as reeds, grasses and flowers.

 

4. Grass or plexi with applique. Add your logo, product icons, a pattern—or something unexpected like the forest pictured above.

 

5. Mix solid panels with clear. In the example shown, the exhibitor chose to use solid panels to deliver privacy and block outside activity for visitors sitting at their conference table.

 

6. Any material that lets light through. This exhibitor selected a very loose weave glass fiber material.

 

7. Vertical baffles, posts or planks. Wooden posts, sheets of Sintra and even rough-hewn wood can make a visually interesting border that limits sight lines and defines your space.


What have you seen on the show floor lately?