THE TOP FABRICATORS SERVING THE EVENT AND TRADE SHOW INDUSTRY

2020 continues to expand resources with investments in A/V and interactive media capabilities, like seamless video walls and touch screens. On offer: 500 new LED displays in its inventory, as well as its proprietary Event Intelligence platform that keeps clients informed on metrics and strategy. Speaking of screens, created a modern, tech-savvy engagement for Alteryx, complete with fog and walk-through projection screens, an interactive game experience and 14 eye-popping demo kiosks that wowed the data-loving attendees at The Tableau Conference.

As if centrally located facilities, award-winning designs, state-of-the-art manufacturing and efficient online management programs weren’t enough, streamlined production and operations make 3D even more effective. Agency headquarters boasts a Bits + Pieces Wall that showcases exhibit products and a “tech diner” with a menu of technology solutions. Recent work includes the unconventional experience for VMware at VMworld with an urban park setting that encouraged hanging out, AR and interactive content, even a caricature artist and giant Jenga game.

Access TCA has a full and diverse rosters of clients across healthcare, animal health, defense, plastics, natural health products, STEM curriculum and entertainment. Recently boosted its leadership team, acquired Rock Solid Meetings and Events and invested in rental inventory, including a new Highmark TechSystems ExpoDeck and beMatrix properties. Helped Demira launch Qbrexza at the American Academy of Dermatology with an impressive social media presence and double-sided kiosks for medical detailing stations. The “Qoffee and Qookies” were pretty tasty, too.

Veteran-owned and privately held, Acer services clients ranging from military and security to food and beverage, building products and others. New partnerships with experiential and international exhibit agencies should deepen capabilities in those areas, while a 10-step quality control process ensures flawless execution. An open, eye-catching structure for ASD Lighting at Lightfair International featured a graceful archway that allowed attendees to see the full display of 40-plus light fixtures from any angle and generated a “glowing” number of leads.

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Coming off a record year for award-winning projects, Astound has invested in project development, in-house engineers, new strategic partnerships and custom equipment for even more complex creative for household names like GoPro, Coca-Cola and Nike. Runs all its internal processes and systems through Salesforce, including the “ihearttradeshows” asset management portal. A recent highlight: an “art installation” for Rubrik at VMWorld, that integrated over 500 suspended beams and wowed attendees with a pulsing light and stunning video.

Award-winning and minority-owned ASV got its start in the automotive space, and now activates in a variety of other sectors including electronics, retail, F&B and healthcare. Added Dignity Health, Puma and Wendy’s to its slate of new clients this year. Fabricated and installed Karma’s display at Pebble Beach Concours, and for Canoo, designed, fabricated and installed displays at its headquarters to support its first vehicle launch. Worked directly with Oculus to develop the first VR driving experience for the Lexus RC F, and its music-inspired VIP backstage-style experience for Hyundai’s Music Midtown activation in Piedmont Park, with a 10-foot-high sculpted guitar and live-broadcast LED walls? Totally chill.

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Housed in its new 62,000-square-foot facility in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and with recent investments in resources across all of its production departments as well as 30 new team members, look for even more dynamic work from Bednark. It may be hard to top the 1,200-square-foot, 12-ton, life-like elderflower meadow, suspended 40 feet in the air above attendees at an event for liquor brand St Germain. But we’re confident they’re “up” to the task.

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From touch screens to facial recognition and more, Atomic specializes in tech integration. Another specialty: state-of-the-art lighting for indoor or outdoor campaigns via RGB-LED technology for shadows and special effects. As a custom fabricator, each job is new. Examples: a mechanized zombie grinder photo op and giant zombie slide for AMC’s “The Walking Dead” at San Digeo Comic-Con. Its Trolls The Experience in New York, with more than 100 3D props, has drawn more than a million visitors over two years.

Has grown by a whopping 30 percent over the past year and opened satellite offices in New York and Phoenix. Project management now includes the full Workfront suite, which helps keep budgets and departments on track. A new CNC has increased shop efficiencies and results in top-notch finished projects. Recent work includes the Bourbon Legends Boxcar tour and a revamped trade show presence for Hemisphere Design Works, which made quite a splash with its kayaks at Outdoor Retailer.

New owners Steve and Heidi Clear bring extensive business experience to CenterPoint, which they purchased last year, and are looking to build on the foundation established by its previous owners. A new custom work order and inventory management system, modernized headquarters and increased graphics capacity is just the beginning. Will continue to showcase brands like Delta Faucet, where 70 working faucets and showers and three theatrically lit waterfalls helped generate a flood of leads at KBIS 2018.

Has full-service facilities in Chicago, Las Vegas and Orlando and an international subsidiary. Another plus: CEP LaborSource, its in-house division for installation and dismantle services, which helps control client costs, and a SMART+ online management system. Investments in a new website and platform, equipment upgrades in all three production facilities and an international internship program are sure to pay off for clients like Peter Millar, whose exhibit had PGA show attendees wondering “what’s inside?” then engulfed them in the brand.

Continues to live up to its reputation as the custom house for other custom houses and re-sellers for the past 25 years. Maintains Exhibit Design Search (EDS), an online search tool with more than 1,500 portable, modular, hybrid and custom designs, and Classic Rental Solutions for more than 300 standard kits and custom rentals. They say they’re often called “The largest, most invisible exhibit builder in North America.” Hey, Classic. We see you.

Here’s one company that goes to the moon and back when it comes to experience design. Using projection mapping, Derse had attendees at ASCO 2018 “driving” lunar rovers as they explored Pharmacyclics’ newest cancer-fighting therapy. And, it delivered brand messages, leads and tasty snacks for Janssen Pharmaceuticals at the 2018 American College of Cardiology expo via an interactive speed skating experience for attendees and iQ-enabled scanners that took their refreshment orders while asking a two-question survey.

Its upstate New York location translates to lower costs and higher values for customers when it comes to design and production costs, and recent equipment upgrades have boosted safety and efficiency. And talk about efficiency: Its 44,000-square-foot retail space for New Balance at the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon featured thousands of products, 80 checkout stations and a photo op with the Statue of Liberty. New Balance hit budget and revenue goals and the runners created lasting memories.

Customer-led is the mantra here. B-to-b marketing dominates the client mix, with many at the forefront of IoT and autonomous driving, which means event technology is key, fusing digital with physical is imperative and top-notch fabrication a must. A new 6,000-square-foot design space now rivals the fabrication and production side of the house, while a new Enterprise Resource Planning platform should bring additional enhancements in cataloguing and inventory management. And did we say customer-led?

Certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council since 2010, EC prioritizes diversity in suppliers, partners, clients, products, services and industries. Has invested in key sales, project, account management positions and boosted creative with additional 3D designers. A new Sherwin Williams paint mixing system cuts down on waste and costs. Other cost savers: understanding client goals to reduce show service expenses and using lightweight, modular components as it did for LG Air Conditioning. Cool.

Headquartered in one of the lowest-operating-cost cities in the U.S., Exhibitpro passes those savings onto clients; also has strategic support locations in Chicago and Phoenix, has added 10,000 square feet of warehouse space and invested in Inventorypro for efficiencies in cost, show prep and storage. Sixteen new team members should provide another boost. Recent work for Netsmart’s educational conference drew record numbers of attendees to its 20,000-square-foot space with 30 percent less budget. Pretty smart.

Driven by a “Design Matters” philosophy which, given its growth over the past five years and recent addition of 80,000 square feet to its Atlanta headquarters, indicates they must be on to something. Work begins with a Design Needs Analysis (DNA) and goes from there; a proprietary Exhibitus Management System (EMS) manages operations; and a Client Portal keeps end users in the loop. In-house offerings include results measurement and staff training. Heck, you name it, they can do it.

Servicing some clients for up to 23 years testifies to its caliber of work as it defines “cool” for many of the world’s most influential brands, like the whole-life fitness experience in Hollywood for Nike’s Just Do It HQ; a “backstage” hangout for video content creators at VidCon 2019; and the makeup lab for Lady Gaga’s beauty brand in a converted 35,000-square-foot Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, including a grand entrance by the blonde bombshell herself.

With more than 7,000 worldwide employees and as the general service contractor for over 60 percent of trade shows in North America, giant Freeman boasts expertise in strategy, creative, digital, logistics and event technology, and its b-to-b and consumer work proves it. Producing more than 5,000 expos annually gives it buying power and efficiencies second to none. Now known strictly as Freeman (it dropped the XP), new services include Explore by Freeman, Fluent by Freeman and Luminate by Freeman.

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With a roster of global clients to knock your socks off, offices around the world and all the capabilities under one roof—strategy, design, fabrication, digital content, live production and analytics—big George says it’s reinventing our industry. And we believe it. It has boosted strategy and account leadership, updated operations and by acquiring Kenwood Experiences, has expanded into gaming and esports. Opened an office in Brazil and in 2018-19 received the highest number of creative awards ever, too. Kudos, GPJ.

You’ll find Group Delphi’s work at trade shows, corporate events, museums, restaurants and retail where, as they put it, they bring storytelling (“We put the show in trade shows!”) to every activation, like that bridge for Automation Anywhere’s booth at SSOW 2018 with an interactive kaleidoscope. Its HQ in Alameda, CA, occupies a 110,000-square-foot WWII-era seaplane hangar (cool!), with additional creative space in Indiana. Recently acquired two custom fabricators, which should add even more “show” to its stories.

Not many can say they offer end-to-end experiential marketing support anywhere in the world, but GES can, thanks to its wholly owned global facilities network for strategic program management, experiential development, design, manufacturing and more. Continues to invest in people, technology, products and services; recently expanded fabrication capes and enhanced rental options. Used VR, interactive displays and product modeling to bring Bell’s Air Taxi concept to 2019 CES, giving attendees an up-close-and-personal view of transportation in the future.

Ever wondered who executes the presidential inaugurations? Look no further. The brains behind every one since Harry Truman’s, Hargrove also handles b-to-b and b-to-c activations, retail, permanent installations and more. Was acquired last year by a parent holding company of PSAV, a global provider of audiovisual and events experiences, a move that expands Hargrove’s scale, access to leading technology, customer base and provides a platform for international growth. Tara Higgins, formerly of GPJ, is now company president.

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Continues to evolve from trade-show heavy to containers, pop-ups, museums, store fixtures, events and stadium experiences. Added a welding area to its facility to boost metal fabrication. Excels at custom work, and has limited rental items in-house, but teams up with select partners for custom rentals. Guests really ate up the multisensory installations Hood created under a tight timeline for the San Francisco Museum of Ice Cream, especially the high-five clapper wall and giant candy piñata drop. Sweet.

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Whether it’s a cyber-themed movie theater, a Dunkin’- branded restaurant or marketing-based locker room, this is one group that brings creativity to an exhibit space. Conceptualized, designed and executed on a classic movie theater theme for Cybereason’s experience, complete with a mini concession stand, theater seats, a movie trailer for the brand’s feature movie “The Defenders,” tickets to the movie itself and popcorn. Even better, the 5,000 viable leads, a 300-percent increase over the previous year.

The “behind the scenes” partner for exhibit companies, event agencies, design groups, theme parks, museums, destination attractions, retailers, marketing and p.r. firms. Capabilities include scenic construction, metal fabrication, props, sculpture and graphics. Its proprietary 3Dimensioneering process brought to life Hamilton: The Exhibition, which required a team of 100 who spent 50,000 hours working on the experience’s 18 rooms. It’s also the wiz behind the retro-futuristic traveling “Discover Steampunk” exhibit and immersive Disney Junior Play Zone.

Living up to its rep for quality, custom fabrication, it produced the Nike Choose Go 5K run and afterparty with DJ Diplo, which featured custom-fabricated foam shapes and lighting, a Nike Epic React shoe-inspired 40-foot stage and 17-foot tall aluminum Nike Choose Go logos with a white acrylic façade and LED lighting. Equally impressive: the structural builds, high-res printing and on-site artists at Chang Beer’s Sensory Trails at the Hollywood Palladium. Also creates mobile marketing vehicles, pop-ups and more.

Strengths include work in healthcare, technology and industrial along with global event and trade show expertise, convention housing, planning and registration and meetings. Its XM-IQ attendee engagement platform helps deliver targeted messages, offers, content, experiences and results. All of its designs are based on Your Story, Attendee Journey and Image Consensus digital tools for maximum “impact.” Want proof? Check out the Innovation Showcase at the 2018 AT&T Business Summit, a 10,000-square-foot attendee engagement that resembled a high-tech playground.

A diverse client list includes manufacturers, medical and security software, fancy foods, specialty clothing, instrumentation and lighting, and CPG; work is divided between permanent and temporary environments. Architects appreciate its Innovation Showroom in New York’s SoHo district for décor and branding inspiration. Also inspiring, the 20-by-20 trade show booth for GreenSource with illuminated charging tables, interactive video monitors, curved overhead ceilings for acoustical privacy and a green, glowing overhead sphere symbolic of its environmental approach to PCB manufacturing.

Specialties include retail displays, permanent and temporary exhibits, mobile tours and promotional events. Developed Microsoft’s 26,000-square-foot Industry Experience Center with thick plywood wall panels to accommodate screens, electronics and props; hidden cabling and aluminum overhead shapes added visual interest. For PACCAR’s Technology Showcase, leveraged ultra-high-res touch and non-touch video, HoloLens VR, voice activated demos, integrated DMX LED lighting and custom digital content. Recent investments in technology, computers and software ensure the quality will continue.

Private and family-owned, this boutique house offers consistently slick work in a euro/modern style, efficient fabrication and affordability. Its edgy yet sophisticated JennAir experience at the 2018 Architectural Digest Design Show was a gorgeous, yet functional, showcase of 56 products and 175 LED tiles within a massive black box absent of any logo. Highlights: custom leather alcoves, a spinning eight-foot custom cook-top cube and an 11-foot-high range “throne” made of thousands of molded stove knobs. Need we say more?

Just celebrated 80 years in the biz and, within the past two, activated $1 billion-plus in experiences and won nearly 100 industry awards. Core strengths: creating exhibits and sets for news, entertainment, culture and sports. Its new Genuine X innovation practice built Ericsson’s Mobile World Congress experience with VR, AR and interactive projection displays. Reebok’s booth at ComplexCon L.A. featured fog screens, infinity mirrors, conveyor belts, 3D holographic content and product drops, attracting 5,300 unique visitors over two days. Happy Birthday, Jack.

Has completed more than 30,000 executions over six continents. Recently moved to new U.S. headquarters with 30 percent added warehouse/office space, so it’s positioned to do even more dynamic work like the buzzworthy Mazda booth custom-built at the facility: Two years in the making, it featured a dramatic spotlight, cool gray architecture, warm wood panels and a digital “Takumi Table” where guests interacted with beautifully crafted Japanese products, and drove home Mazda’s brand message of “handmade” Japanese luxury.

Here’s a worthy claim: 85 percent of clients have been with MC2 over 20 years. Helped John Deere make a grand entrance and tell a high-tech story at CES with a 20-ton John Deere Combine harvester on the show floor. Another CES coup: the 36,000-square-foot digital Samsung cityscape with the 26-foot- high, 105-foot-wide entrance made of thousands of LED modules showcasing synchronized moving animation and digital banners. Recently delved into film and TV and opened offices in Plano, TX, and Long Beach.

Innovation is a hallmark at MSM, which in 2018 established sister agency, The Experience Shop of Dallas, for personalized brand-to-customer connections like the Capital One House at SXSW. Added an Industry Benchmark & Competitive Analysis service; launched MapBuilder by ExperiDigital, a custom event mapping tool. All that, plus, dynamic work like the Gatorade booth at the National Athletic Trainer Expo with a glowing eight-foot-tall digital “Hydrocube” featuring Gatorade hydration products and “battle stations” where attendees competed for prizes.

Pinnacle says it creates memorable brand experiences, and after Capcom’s new Resident Evil 2 launch at E3, we concur. Attendees navigated a maze with live, mangy zombies hiding around every corner, then were rewarded with first-hand gameplay set right in the game’s first scene—the Raccoon City Police Station. Also memorable: 2018 was the agency’s busiest and best year in its 20-year history, allowing for investments in staff, production, facilities and a new ERP system.

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Expanded in 2018 with an 18,000-square-foot shop in Los Angeles, which, along with its space in Brooklyn, NY, is on track to increase revenue by 60 percent year-over-year. Has invested in workflow communication, added upfront fabrication roles and takes sustainability seriously with green initiatives. Work for MLB’s first FoodFest was a home run with a popcorn ball pit photo op, a Museum of Hot Dogs complete with an art gallery and “Weiner Totter” seesaw, two beer gardens and the best grub from every stadium.

Creativity, attention to detail and service are a few of the reasons behind its 99 percent customer satisfaction rating. Also boasts a $3.5 million rental inventory for freight and drayage savings while ExhibitForce ERP software gives clients access 24/7. Has hired a new creative director, invested in computer servers and expanded warehouse space. Another highlight: the giant robot for Intuit with a 3D arm and built-in video product showcase, an ideal selfie backdrop for women at the Grace Hopper Celebration.

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Family-owned and hands-on, its clients are mainly in aerospace, defense and gaming. Grew 25 percent last year, and is expanding into retail and construction. Investments in new hires, technology, fleet and ERP should continue the momentum and achieve its goal to help clients “command” the show floor. An example: the private, VIP-only “casino” draped in black with silver beading for Scientific Games at G2E, a move that paid off in spades with qualified leads and attendee dwell time.

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Sometimes less is more, a concept behind three exhibits last year. Elegance, simplicity and dynamic lighting for Change Healthcare at HIMMS. Powerful lion imagery, stark walls in black and green, a hologram and sculptural dental implant led dentists through Straumann’s six-step BLX implant process. A lean, consistent space and dynamic shapes showcased Sig Sauer’s innovation in firearms. The work was uncomplicated, yet creative, based on Sacks’ broad skill sets and experience in events, sales meetings and television.

We could write a book about the Ex Award-winning Google Assistant Playground at CES, a two-story mega-booth filled with demos, a pop-up café and a theme-park style ride through animatronic vignettes. But that was the tip of the iceberg this year. Take the Monster Jam Steel Titan trucks fabricated for THQ Nordic at E3, and the connections fostered through playful installations at eBay Open. With 50 new employees, and technology and service enhancements, as well as solutions for events both large and small, the story continues.

A recent audit of documents, processes and assets has led to new efficiencies, and an office renovation in early 2020 that is set to foster employee collaboration and recognize employee achievement. Continues to expand its digital chops, from LED video walls and interactive touch screen displays to overhead light shows and gamification. An example: Domier MedTech’s booth at AUA 2018, with energizing geometric shapes, a video wall and live demo room for its top-selling laser, showcasing the brand as a New Medicine Company.

Services 350 active clients in 20 industries ranging from tech and medical to energy and consumer products and all points in between. Houses more than 250,000 cubic feet of rental inventory, custom and portable. Rental-hybrids account for 50 percent of exhibit sales. Also serves as the general contractor for private trade shows, providing everything from the exhibitor manual to show services, including rigging signage, heavy equipment, exhibits, graphics, electrical, right on down to the carpeting.

Specializes in private-label, custom fabrication for gaming and tech clients, agencies, medical and consumer brands. Much of its work is proprietary, but we can talk about that 10,000-square-foot booth for Fortnite at E3, which featured a custom-made hang glider with 3D mapping software from the game’s opening sequence, life-size 3D-printed versions of its iconic pickaxes and a fully functional Battle Bus with an 18-foot-tall hot air balloon. And that mechanical llama rodeo? The ultimate ride.

Talk about achieving the impossible: A part art installation, part functional space for Equinox yoga sessions at Form Festival brought Tractor’s Make it Happen motto to life when the production team had to camp in RVs due to lack of housing in the Arizona desert. Another example: dissembling an Audi R8 and repurposing the pieces to appear as if the vehicle were exploding at L.A.’s Peterson Museum. Biz has tripled in recent years, with even more growth projected this year.

Works in any industry, but carved a niche in video gaming and esports, which accounts for almost half of annual revenue. Handled nearly 27,000 square feet of booth space at gamescom 2018: new exhibitor Facebook Gaming, with more than 60 game stations from partner developers and four Creator Cubes; Wargaming, with AR and VR, life-sized scenery, a full-sized tank and live entertainment; and live streaming and game stations for Twitch. New corporate digs in Grapevine, TX, are on the drawing board.

Takes an “everything is possible” approach to technology and has the AR and VR experts, computer scientists, digital artists, game designers and field techs to back it up. Two booths at CES 2018 wowed attendees: Intel, with autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, VR and 5G technology experiences, even a virtual visit to a location from the movie “Ready Player One.” And for light-bulb maker OSRAM, interactions with a real-life avatar of its chief technology officer in VR space.

Family-owned and hands-on, one of Visual’s owners or management is involved in every project, which makes for streamlined processes and solutions. And now, the second generation is on board. Caters to an eclectic mix, including pharmaceutical clients that keep it adept at meeting regulatory guidelines. Also expert at fulfilling technical needs of electronics clients and home appliance products. Recently added a new designer, 50,000 square feet of warehouse space and celebrated 60 years in the biz.

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Excels at temporary and permanent installations, including designs for offices, influencer spaces and real estate locations. Another skill: creating immersive, large-scale builds tailor-made for social sharing, like the pop-up for Kim Kardashian West’s KKW Beauty brand in Costa Mesa, CA. The space featured an ultra-light beam corridor with acrylic tubes filled with continuously rotating glittery metallic liquid and a Crystal Garden packed with iridescent vinyl-wrapped crystals lit from the interior. Almost as flashy as KKW herself.