34 New Products That Speak to Your Customers, in Some Cases Literally
by F. Andrew Taylor
This year’s New Product Showcase at EXHIBITORLIVE features 34 products that attendees can see for the first time. An independent panel of judges is set to award the top products with a Buyers Choice Award, but you may want to check them all out yourself to see which ones you like best and which ones are most suited for your needs.
EXHIBITORS OF MULTIPLE NEW PRODUCTS
Makitso USA, Booth #1453, www.makitsodisplays.com
Makitso USA has eight new products in the showcase this time around, the most of any company this year and they aren’t new to the exhibit industry.
“We originally launched our products through BrandStand and we’re still BrandStand International in other parts of the world,” says Anthony Bellemare, marketing and communication director for Makitso USA. “We no longer have a relationship with BrandStand America. This year we have come out and launched all our display products under the Makitso USDA name.
The name was originally applied only to the company’s line of digital products. Bellemare noted that the company was one of the pioneers of Tension Fabric displays. In their search for the next big thing in the industry, they’re going all-in on backlit displays. The company has also combined lighting with inflatable furniture, which does not look or feel like inflatable pieces.
WaveLight Backlit Display
The displays allow exhibit and event managers to deliver eye-catching graphic messages with ease. The eight-foot-tall, free-standing display is available in several widths, and LED lights provide bright, evenly diffused illumination.
WaveLight Inflatable Backlit Counter
The square, rectangular, circular, or triangular counters packs flat and inflate to full size in less than 15 seconds.
WaveLight Inflatable Backlit Tower
A 90-inch-tall, 23.6-inch-diameter tower packs flat and can fully inflate in less than 20 seconds with the push of a button. Internal LEDs cast a bright glow onto your custom silicone-edge fabric graphics and it is available with optional shelving.
WaveLine Inflatable Bench
The bench also inflates in less than 20 seconds at the push of a button. and can be wrapped in a custom fabric graphic for instant branding. The stable core is capable of supporting the weight of multiple attendees.
WaveLine MonitorStand
A compact, portable solution for displaying digital content. Its two-piece aluminum pole inserts into a roughly 24-inch-diameter hemisphere base that can be filled with water or sand for improved stability. An adjustable universal monitor mount can support up to a 55-inch flat screen display.
AuraScape LED Event Lighting
When placed on the floor in front of or behind a fabric element, these roughly 29-inch-long and 2.5-inch-square “light bars” project colors and patterns onto a surface which can be controlled by your smart device and add another dimension to your tensioned-fabric displays
Concierge Digital Kiosk
It features a 21.5-inch, 10-point touchscreen, built-in Android interface, and multiple input ports and is a convenient tool for enabling attendees to explore your company’s digital content. A built-in motion detector brings the kiosk to life only when attendees are near, a feature that greatly extends the operating time of the internal rechargeable battery.
Sslab Jr Interactive Table
This kid-friendly display is set at 16.5 inches with a 32-inch, 10-point touchscreen; rechargeable battery; and built-in Android interface capable of showcasing games, apps, and branded content.
ABCOMRENTS, Booth #1709, www.abcomrents.com
55″ OLED Flexible Signage
The 5-inch thick monitor flexes both landscape and portrait orientations and can be connected to create concave, convex, or flat video walls that are virtually seamless.
Innovate Portable Kiosk
The roughly 3.5 feet tall and 10 inches wide, the unit features a 15.6-inch, 10-point projected-capacitive touchscreen and built-in audio kiosk can operate on battery power for the whole work day, freeing it for installation anywhere, without being constrained by a power cord.
Fusion Imaging, Booth #1601, www.fusionimaging.com
Klik Magic Podium
The podium can be erected and ready to go in less than 60 seconds. Featuring proprietary hinge and magnet systems, the lightweight frame ships fully assembled and with an exhibitor’s custom tensioned-fabric graphics attached.
Klik SEG Frames
Klik magnets to allow for fast, tool-free assembly. Available in depths of either 4 inches or 7 inches, these lightweight aluminum frames can be wall mounted or made freestanding with the addition of feet that attach with a simple bolt and knob
Exhibitry, Booth #1150, www.exhibitry.com
Exhibitry AR Vue Xray
The latest AR technology allows staffers to escort attendees to a physical product model in the exhibit and give them a look inside via the screen of practically any tablet device, smartphone, or laptop.
Exhibitry Mixed Reality Kiosk
The portable, self-contained VR station makes it possible to include virtual-reality activations in even small booths.
Exhibitry Tactile VR-AR
A wireless, interactive controller and presentation device for VR and AR activations that is easy for any attendee to master.
Exhibitry VR Kiosk
The self-contained VR station fits in a 4-by-2.5-foot footprint includes a 55-inch touchscreen, a VR-compatible computer system, and an exhibitor’s choice of VR hardware.
Pulse Brandable VR Modules
Pulse Studio LLC, Booth #751, www.pulsestudio.com
The system offers a set of six predesigned VR activations formatted for Oculus Rift or Vive systems. The modules’ game-based formats range from an escape-room challenge to a snowboarding experience, all of which can be tailored for a specific audience with custom branding, virtual objects, and video content that convey key product and marketing messages.
“We’ve built all of these from the ground up so we have a lot of control over what we can do in them,” Says Tom Munz, one of the company’s owners. “It can be as simple as changing elements to match a company’s color scheme or as complex as adding the products into the game as 3-D objects and more.”
Munz says that they can incorporate question and answer games related to a company’s products, incorporate informational videos or swap out game elements to increase in game branding.
“For example, if a soft drink company wanted to use one of our VR modules in its exhibit, we could make it so that instead of throwing balloons in one of the games, you’d throw cans of their product.”
SOFTWARE
Digital Fishbowl, SocialPoint, www.socialpoint.io, Booth #653
Using an iPad or tablet-based computer, showgoers input their data in a custom, gamified program to be entered in a prize drawing either at the end of the day or the end of the event. The Digital Fishbowl program is compatible with SocialPoint’s Audience Engagement Platform and Event Manager Portal, which allows users to set up, measure, and report results from multiple shows and events in one system. Results can be compared across different locations, days, and teams from a single dashboard and easily exported for sharing with management.
ExhibitPower, ExhibitPower LLC, www.exhibitpower.com, Booth #1657
ExhibitPower is a Software as a Service (SaaS) system that eases many of the administrative, physical, and logistical burdens endemic to the trade show industry, resulting in better communication and efficiency for both suppliers and exhibitors.
Pulsetracker Sales & Marketing CRM, Pulsetracker, www.pulsetracker.com, Booth #1162
Pulsetracker’s Sales and Marketing CRM (customer relationship management) is an all-in-one Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that simplifies a range of marketing and sales functions. Capable of seamlessly integrating with an exhibitor’s existing CRM system.
REP Connect, Reality Engineering Solutions, www.realityengineering.com, Booth #1917
Professional hosts and hostesses at the reception desk of a large exhibit sometimes struggle to connect attendees to appropriate staffers, as they often don’t know the sales reps, what they look like, or if they’re currently in the booth–or even at the show. REP Connect, an add-on module to Reality Engineering Solutions’ lead and digital-literature management platform, offers a way to speed up these crucial in-booth engagements.
WorkTrip, WorkTrip, www.worktrip.com, Booth #643
This Software as a Service (SaaS) system serves as a hub for organizing the deluge of documents and information involved in staging corporate events and attending trade shows, including travel reservations, agendas, schedules, contracts, expenses, and more. Changes to documents and event details are reflected in real time across all devices.
New Analytics for the Brumark Sensor Floor Powered by Sencorables, Brumark, www.brumark.com, Booth #1125
The product removes several of the variables of measuring booth traffic via a concentrated network of pressure-sensitive sensors embedded in a layer of polypropylene. The system is quickly installed under almost any type of flooring and tracks attendees’ footsteps to measure the number of visitors, their traffic patterns, how long they remain in the exhibit, and where they spend their time.
HARDWARE
Display Flooring, Logo Mats LLC, www.logomatsllc.com, Booth #753
These 5-by-10-foot panels are less than .25 inches thick and feature a dye-sublimated, full-bleed print on polyester fabric backed by nitrile rubber. Available in seven highly detailed imprints, including marble, grass, barn board, and rustic wood.
Adjustable Molded Monitor Case, Philly Case Co., www.phillycase.com, Booth #1414
Thanks to a system of plastic and foam inserts that allow for two-inch incremental adjustments in the cases’ interior height and width, a single unit can accommodate a range of monitor sizes. Additional features include a sturdy but lightweight polyethylene body, recessed wheels, and heavy-duty bumpers.
Tech Tablet Chair, CORT Events, www.cortevents.com, Booth #1425
Each 30.5-inch-wide chair is upholstered in gray vinyl and features a chrome base, an under-the-seat shelf, generously sized armrests, and an optional swiveling table that can be branded with corporate logos or graphics. A suite of three USB ports at the rear of one armrest and an additional AC outlet at the base of the chair allow attendees to charge their cellphones, tablets, and laptops simultaneously.
Joule Case, Joule Case, www.joulecase.com, Booth #552
One only needs to search Twitter for #CESBlackout to see what impact a loss of electricity can have on a show floor. the Joule Case is a high-wattage battery system capable of powering a small exhibit for an entire day. The company was co-founded by Alex Livingstone and James Wagner in 2014.
“We both had been working in advanced battery technology for several years in and around electric cars,” says Livingstone. “We felt there was a missing segment in the power market. Joule Case is different in that you can stack energy and input/output modules to increase the runtime.”
Stackable energy modules allow exhibitors to customize the scale of their power supply, the Joule Case offers multiple AC and USB outlets and can be completely recharged in less than two and a half hours via an integrated 200-watt charger.
DISPLAYS, WALL AND LIGHTS
HSI 3D LED Video Wall in 2.5mm, Haverford Systems, www.haverford.com, Booth #733
The video wall comprised of approximately 19-inch-square LED tiles is scalable to practically any size and offers several advantages over conventional Surface-Mounted-Device tiles at a lower cost.
LED Wall Wash Track Head, Step 1 Dezigns, www.step1dezigns.com, Booth #1634
Crafted from die-cast aluminum and compatible with Step 1 Dezigns’ H-style track system or it can be mounted to a tripod or portable light stand. The unit’s 5.75-by-2.8-inch head is capable of rotating 90 degrees vertically and almost 360 degrees horizontally, enabling it to cast its 21-watt, 5,000K glow in practically any direction.
SGS-6000 Battery LED Light Stand, Prism Lighting Group, www.prismlightinggroup.com, Booth #1661
The battery powered lights can be mounted on the telescoping aluminum pole which quickly adjusts from four feet to eight feet tall. The lighting heads can operate for approximately 11 hours at full intensity and up to 100 hours at the lowest dim setting on a single charge.
LEDskin, beMatrix USA, www.bematrix.us, Booth #1033
The LED panels simplifies installation and maintenance by integrating into the company’s b62 frame system. Each proprietary LED tile casing is designed to fit perfectly inside a frame and be installed without tools.
Magic Book, PeopleVisionFX, www.peoplevisionfx.com, Booth #1705
The book is a sculpted projection screen that mimics an opened tome, a dimensional projector, and a solid-state media player. Content is rear-projected onto the screen, and users dive into your company’s story by turning the “pages” with a wave of their hands.
Tiger Beacon, Tiger Presentations, www.tigerpresentations.com, Booth #460
The battery-powered tubular lightboxes can operate for up to 14 hours and are available in 38-, 52-, and 86-inch-tall models. Internal LEDs can generate more than 16 million colors and any number of preset and custom color-changing patterns, all of which can be controlled by a smartphone app.
Thought Bubbles, enVu, www.envu.com, Booth #950
When passersby activate the kiosk’s motion-tracking sensor, they appear on the unit’s 55-inch monitor. Augmented-reality software then places thought bubbles over their heads that move with them until they step out of view. The thought bubbles’ content is created by the exhibitor and can be either humorous or informative, depending on the exhibitor’s objectives.
“People pay attention when they see themselves on screen and when they see a thoughtful or funny thought bubble appear, they stop and take a look,” says Sandy Lisonbee, Envu’s director of marketing. “We’ve been collecting data on laughing and stopping power.”
Based on that data, they’ve come up with some tried and tested phrases for the bubbles. The company recommends its customer use a mix of about 50-60 percent of those pretested phrases along with 15-20 percent branded phrases and the rest about the show itself.
“We find that if you can put the customers in a time and place that has a better chance of grabbing their attention than just random thoughts,” Lisonbee said. “If you have a company representative nearby to draw them in further, a lot of the work is already done for you, because they’re already engaged.”
This story originally appeared on pp. 30-33 in the March/April 2018 issue of Exhibit City News magazine. For more pictures and original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/mar-apr_ecn2018
