I just returned from The Motivation Show which opened today at McCormick Place. I wasn’t sure what to expect since this was my first time at this particular event. It’s a very interesting show with some very impressive exhibits. The distinctive thing I noticed was that the successful exhibits were less about conveying a message and more about establishing an atmosphere.

Rather than touting their latest product or newest service, the exhibits with the most traffic focused more on creating a unique ambiance. However, there was no one common theme that tied the most impactful exhibits together. Some of the booths that stuck out did so by using trade show graphics, some with custom furniture, while others used lighting and hanging structures.

Regardless of the business you are in, it is definitely worth checking out. The Motivation Show ends this Thursday, September 27.

I had the chance to check out Graph Expo at McCormick Place last Thursday. The one thing that caught my eye at this year’s Graph Expo, more so than anything else, was overhead signage. You could find anything from basic tension fabric structures to more elaborate signage with multiple structures rigged in a single booth space. I found myself navigating around the show floor, not by way of the show book, but by identifying the hanging signage.

You definitely got a taste of what kind of booth you were going to walk into by looking at of the company’s hanging signage. If designed effectively, the overhead signage was an extension of the overall exhibit design. A few of the show’s larger exhibits went the extra mile and applied hanging illuminated signage over each category of their business. It left me with an impression of walking into a department store instead of a trade show booth.

Granted, there were a lot of hanging structures at this show which, at first glance, looked like a big clutter of colors. That is why it is even more imperative to invest more thought into what to hang over your booth at your next show. While the trade show industry and it’s technology advances, simple fabric structures may not have the same impact on attendees as it once did a few years ago. As an exhibit designer, one thing I will dedicate more time to in the future is overhead signage. It could quite possibly have a direct impact on the amount of traffic your booth space receives.