Awards
Celebrating and experiencing
the best in stand design
he World Exhibition Stand
Awards (WESAs) celebrate
the very best in exhibition
stand design. Full details and
videos can be seen on the WESA website,
but here we focus on three of the eye-
catching winning designs:
Best Storytelling
Experiential design agency 2LK won the
Diamond trophy in this category for their
work with Canon@Photokina in their 25th
anniversary year.
“To produce effective experiential,
agencies, exhibitors and events need to
engage in better briefing,” believes 2LK’s
Managing Director Dan Mason.
Photokina, which takes place at
Koelnmesse International Trade Fair and
Exhibition Centre in Germany, serves the
photographic and video industries and
attracts 150,000 attendees.
The EOS R System was Canon’s most
important product announcement in 30
years, and Photokina 2018 was to be the
first public showcase of that technology.
The goal of Canon’s 2,600sqm Photokina
experience was to drive audience
engagement with Canon’s ‘Live for the
Story’ campaign and its latest products.
The experience was designed to celebrate
storytelling through the entirety of a
photographer’s journey and was split into
EW asked Mark Sykes,
Design Director at GES,
about the creative thinking
behind the immersive
Product Pods concept.
“Brightstar created the
digital pods, and it was our
job to develop the customer
journey within the space.
This year we opened the
pavilion up to give passers-
by and invited customers
an intriguing look into the
stand, although the pavilion
remained a strictly by
invitation-only experience.
“Inside it was all about
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk
three experiential themes: Exploration,
Inspiration and Education.
Best Stand 1,000sqm – RCC Pavilion
Ekaterinburg
Agency Simmetrico Srl, in collaboration
with Illogic Srl, produced a stunning
pavilion for the Russian Copper Company
(RCC) at the Innoprom 2018 exhibition in
Ekaterinburg, Russia.
A two-storey building included
exhibition areas, meeting halls, kitchen,
bar and restaurant. The visual theme was
a copper DNA chain.
The building’s exterior was a ‘trailer’
of what visitors could see inside, where
everything was organised around a large
kinetic column.
A large helix staircase was developed
around it, leading to the first floor.
The design also won Best Stand at an
Energy and Mining Event and the Grand
simple colour navigation way
finders, creating a fun and
vibrant architecture in a busy
stand.
“We wanted to make the
heart of the stand all about
face-to-face engagement and
the pods allowed the space for
deep-dive information. The
upstairs was reserved for VIPs
with a prohibition bar that
didn’t enforce the prohibition
laws!
“Our task is always to
ensure every customer is
entertained and educated
with Brightstar’s offerings
Prix for the WESAs.
Best Stand at a Technology Event
GES were the Diamond award winners in
this category for client Brightstar at the
Mobile World Congress.
At the heart of the pavilion concept was
a journey through Brightstar’s ecosystem.
The whole installation covered 8,000sq.
ft. across two floors and included five
immersive ‘Product Pods’ and a video arch
made up of 2.6m LED lights and 88 panels,
plus seating pods, boardrooms and private
meeting spaces.
Brightstar’s presence at Mobile World
Congress was awarded Stand of the Show
from organiser GSMA for the second year
running.
GES also picked up Best Stand at an
Aviation Event for its work for client Bell
Textron Exhibition at the Farnborough
International Airshow 2018.
and to have them look
forward to what is coming
each year - we’ve had VIP
ice bars and secret garden
themes to name a few - so the
challenge was to take it up a
level again.
“Inevitably challenging
briefs mean getting out of
your comfort zones at times,
both agency and client alike.”
What single trend
do you see being most
influential in exhibition
stand design in 2019?
“The focus is no longer on
the architecture. It’s still
important, it just means
the exhibition and events
industry has so much more to
consider, before, during and
after an event. Designers and
marketers have more tools to
engage with event visitors.
The challenge is to not over
complicate and overwhelm
visitors. Simplicity, be it
digital or physical, is the
best way to engage with
your customer. A designer’s
job is now part designer,
part marketer, part digital
creative…and part magician!”
Issue 4 2019
29