As show management for the 3 annual AACS (American Association of Cosmetology) shows, there are many things on our mind, like keeping the hall well stocked with exhibitors and popular with attendees but even after both of these goals have been met, it’s still important to keep things fresh year after year. Along with the newbies, we have many participants returning year after year so we started to discuss, what are some unique ways we can create more excitement in the exhibit hall? We thought, how can we engage in more meaningful discussions and networking between both parties, as those are the essential piece’s of everyone’s puzzle.
Then, a light bulb – someone remembered an idea they had seen at a previous event, very similar to this: Build a mock space on the floor to mimic a “real life” environment pertaining to the industry. In our case, the shows are geared towards Cosmetology school owners, directors, and educators so one of the things attendees look for are new products and services that would benefit the schools. Whether it’s well made shears or the newest salon software, our members have a lot to offer so we wanted to offer a sponsorship opportunity that would help highlight their brands.
We started by asking participating brands what services/products they would be promoting and based on that, produced 3D renderings to give each one an idea what their space could look like:
The Mock Salon featuring Wella, Peter Coppola, American Crew, Pibbs and Guest Vision:
The Mock Classroom 1 featuring Milady:
The Mock Classroom 2 featuring Burmax and Product Club:
We worked with GES to provide 20×20 gem systems for the space and to create that salon and/or classroom feel, we asked each brand to submit imagery for their space which we printed along with their logo. We wanted to directly connect this space to their booth space so each brand received an 8×10 card listing the product(s) they sponsored along with their booth number and website so attendees could connect with them further.
It is one thing for an attendee to see a sample of the product lying on a table in the booth but it it’s another to see it come to life in real time. You can try to imagine carrying the new line of hair color or you can clearly envision it when you see it being demoed on a live model in a lovely (albeit, fake) salon.
Here are a few photos of the actual rooms at the event:
How do you create engagement and interest in the expo hall? Let’s chat in the comment section below…
