All the floor's a stage

When exhibition hall floors are used not only to display but are actually incorporated in the stand architecture, they can become a stage in their own right.

Pedestals have always been used to grab attention or augment the significance of something by placing the speaker or the product on the proverbial pedestal. But just as steps in a city are not just for walking up and the edge of a fountain is not just to keep the water in but invite passers-by to sit down, pedestals on a tradeshow stand can invite visitors to "tarry a while". And while they take time to relax they can gaze at passing virtual film clouds, or watch a product film, or information from above in the reclining lounge. That's just what was done at Mobilcom's stand at CeBIT 2005 in Hanover, which the Berlin agency Triad created on 1,500 m2. Their mission: to convey brand values via an exhibition landscape and informative events that visitors entered through via large archways and product presentations. But pedestals can be used conventionally as the platform for exhibits and still be very effective. Generators Communication, Frankfurt, in collaboration with the architects Motorplan, Mannheim, developed a completely open and clearly structured stand for the automotive industry supplier ZF Friedrichshafen, where exhibits were displayed minimalistically on highly polished white cubes. Using the slogan "More functionality through networking", the future evolution of driving with electronic networking was shown. One large pedestal was even used as a stage for a hosted presentation and expert discussion supported by film trailers projected onto the back wall.At tradeshows road vehicles can be parked, exhibited, or given special prominence, especially if the shiny glass pedestal with stainless steel edging is incorporated into the stage-like stand architecture which, due to special building regulations, must be no higher than 150 cm or 220 cm for transparent elements. For the world premiere of the new Cadillac BLS at the Geneva Motor Show 2005, the Winterthur-based agency Bellprat framed the space around the glass pedestal floor with stainless steel strips shaped like trapeziums, with the space in between providing a graphics and projection surface for Holopro technology. The pedestal floor and back wall merged into a single glass unit while the brilliance of the vehicles was matched by the polished black granite floor of the stand. How can a floor or pedestal successfully attract attention? Only by glamorously upstaging the product in terms of light and colour? Even at a trade fair, a floor provides a surface, background or stage for presenting, acting, recounting and staging. The floor can pave the way for a story into which it is so much easier to lure the visitor if these floors merge into the stand architecture, into the wall or even the ceiling to create a unique world unto itself. Interior designers Keggenhoff/Partner, Arnsberg-Neheim, created just such a stand for furniture company Modul+ at Orgatec in Cologne. Under the motto "Freedom for ideas", light furniture made of acrylic was presented which is lent individuality through image projections. The lightness, transparency, and movement of the furniture design were reflected by the stand architecture whose acrylic floor arched the space by means of a coloured louver construction to evolve into the wall and ceiling like a wave. The dynamic effect of the "large wave" of Japanese artist Hokusai conveyed the lifestyle of recent years just as it did the retro shapes of the 1960s and 70s, which culminated in soft, organic forms. Here, both the soft shapes of the technical products and the flowing materiality of a carpet flooring were expressed, staged by designer Christian Werner on the stand of Carpet Concept at Domotex in Hanover. The rounded shape of the stand provided an independent stage on which the applications of this carpeting were presented across the floor, wall and ceiling. Possibly the most unusual form is when a floor becomes the most prominent presentation element. This is what the Amsterdam agency Totems did in their country's pavilion at Expo 2005 in Japan. The central theme "Holland - Land of Water" was used to convey a multimedia experience of how water has defined the country. Inside, Amsterdam façades made of blue Delft ceramics lined a virtual pool of water the size of a cinema screen brought to life by projections, an emotional and truly successful production. Whether they are implemented as the pedestal, surface, or as part of an architectural sculpture, floors can be transformed into central tradeshow stages if they are incorporated into the trade fair concept. Italian sanitary ware manufacturer Teuco dedicated almost two thirds of its stand area at ISH 2005 in Frankfurt to heightening visitors awareness for the subject of "water" - with a pool, plants, wide wooden jetties for strolling, giving it a real holiday feel. Ingrid Wenz-Gahler

m+a report Nr.3 / 2006 vom 28.04.2006
m+a report vom 28. April 2006