Our team was on-site with our clients as they conquered CES 2020 with ease and excellence – not to mention a lot of success too!
Standing out at a trade show takes strategy and creativity, and we want to share with you some of our favorite things we experienced. We hope they inspire your next brand experience event, whether that’s next month or CES 2021.
Think outside the box
This event, more than others, takes creativity to new heights.
We loved seeing Ford install a car on a wall.
With our help, Z-Wave created a 3D true-to-life home.
Phillips put a bed on the ceiling.
And Copilot brought a real airplane cockpit and flight attendants into their experience.
What was unique to CES is that big-name brands took over restaurants. It was fun to see companies think outside the exhibit to differentiate themselves throughout Las Vegas. Dell did an excellent job at their SUGARCANE Raw Bar Grill restaurant takeover. The environment was transformed with their on-brand blue light and named the restaurant the Dell Experience.
Go big or go home
At CES, you must go big. When we say big, we don’t necessarily mean big in square-footage. We mean go big with your presence and campaign. Marketing is all about a variety of touchpoints working together, so at CES, make sure to create a cross-channel campaign.
For example, PR, this is a very important element for CES and many trade shows. Our clients received coverage in Forbes, NBC, CNBC, Mashable, and the list goes on. Also, a social media campaign (both paid and organic) is a must, an email sequence to build intrigue, and a follow-up campaign to continue the momentum. But the most important element is a thoughtful and commanding exhibit presence.
Make sure your entire engagement campaign is working together focused on your key messages. Combining cross-channel marketing will help you go big and win.
Warm it up
The all-white minimalist look is still trending, but the latest and greatest twist is to warm it up and soften the experience with thoughtful materials, furnishings, and lighting. Brands that took the minimalist approach such as Moen, Ring, b8Ta, and Asurion strategically created warmth in their environment yet maintained a minimalist feel. We like this touch, and it's easy to integrate into exhibits with natural woods and greenery, which both draw people into the space.
Elevate with new technology
OLEDs are almost always worth the investment in your brand experience. OLEDs have incredible versatility. Not only can they be used to show brand content, but they can be architectural walls like Bridgestone implemented. Or they can be captivating ceilings, and entrances like LG installed. These experiences create real stopping power on the show floor. The installation alone can draw in massive crowds.
Keep it simple (really simple)
Some of our favorite booths kept messages extremely simple, which helped attendees understand their key message with one look. Excellent exhibits included Simple Human, Toto, Snoo, and Willow Pump. Simplifying a messaging platform can be hard. And often, in our experience, it’s best to ask for help.
Sometimes as a brand or event manager, you might be too close to the project, and you might want to say everything. If you ask your experiential agency, they’ll be able to help elevate your message and simplify it. We do this all the time with clients.
Get matchy-matchy
Some of our favorite exhibits boasted fun team member gear. We loved seeing the Safe-Tec team wear their biking helmets, another team wore matching white lab jumpsuits, and another group wore sequence suit jackets – those were quite memorable. What we like about brand gear is that when the team heads to lunch, you see their branding as they’re walking around – it’s free advertising and another marketing touchpoint.
Select your location carefully
In the Central Hall, LG took the cake. They chose to install a massive OLED across the entrance, and everyone who walked in watched took photos and zoned out while watching the captivating movement coming from their OLED products. LG’s location, paired with the OLEDs, helped them be the most memorable.
BMW and Google also rocked. When driving into the Las Vegas Convention Center, initially, you felt like you were in a BMW dealership with how many cars they had parked. Closer to the entrance, Google posted themselves right outside the North Hall with a seriously large gumball machine and slide – very fun, clever, and on-brand.
Speaking of location, we already helped our clients select their CES 2021 exhibit spaces. If you’re going to the show next year, we’d love to connect. Our clients have found the event to be hugely successful, and we’d love to help you be successful too.
Reach out to us if you’d like to chat about your next brand experience event!