Portable exhibits

MacLaren Momentum for General Motors & CBC

When General Motors Canada and CBC co-sponsored The Great Canadian Music Dream talent search, they contacted Toronto’s MacLaren Momentum to create a portable display and panel set that could easily be set up in seven different theatres across Canada. MacLaren Momentum created a formal ‘black tie’ display using both corporate logos, a maple leaf, and an ironic twist on the gas, brake and shift pedals replacing the normal piano pedals. The system effectively represents the clients in a gala theatrical lobby setting while maintaining the integrity of the musical achievements and calibre of the contestants.

Exhibits under 400 sq. ft.

Exposystems for Franklin Templeton Investments

Scarborough-based Exposystems used the LinkEdge® Exhibit System to help Toronto-based Franklin Templeton take its financial product offerings on the road. The pre-fabricated aluminum-frame exhibit was customized to create a high-end classic corporate look with a feeling of stability and longevity. With five different product offerings, the continuous graphic band treatment at the top of the back wall emphasizes the diversity of Franklin Templeton products but maintains a sense of order and decorum. The treatment of the same graphic band at the base of the two demo stations reinforces the message. Simple, contemporary but classic design makes this exhibit stand out on the show floor.

Exhibits over 401 sq. ft.

Mice/Kadoke for Bombardier North American Aerospace Group

Dorval, Que.-based Bombardier Aerospace went to the National Business Aviation Association in Orlando in order to attract prospective clients: men and women 45 to 65 years old, with high incomes and expensive tastes. Mississauga’s Mice/Kadoke created a 12,600 square foot custom exhibit featuring a centre colonnade, reception areas, business meeting rooms, a staff room, an IT room, a lounge, an Internet café, and a second floor VIP hospitality area. The space was designed to immediately let clients select their area of interest, from business aircraft sales; Flexjet or Skyjet sales; or business aviation services. Within these areas, the exhibit showcased three brands: Learjet, Challenger and Global. One 40-foot Learjet mockup and several four-foot plane models were shown. The result was an exclusive meeting place for Bombardier’s upscale clients.

Special projects under $100,000

Exhibits International for Diageo Canada

Design by Lampo Communications

This beautifully lit creation of metal and glass is a ‘store within a store,’ inviting shoppers at a flagship liquor store in Calgary to enter an exclusive Smirnoff world. Toronto-based Diageo Canada wanted to increase Smirnoff sales by stocking more product than it had in the past, while keeping it accessible to consumers. Consumers were immediately drawn to the end result by Amsterdam and Toronto-based Exhibits International, consisting of four metallic-finish shelving units with metal ‘arch’ graphics of the product name and logo above each, that could easily be seen from anywhere in the store. Two 60′ x 24′ lightboxes showcased product shots, and removable graphics were produced to keep shelves looking fully stocked, even when product runs low.

Special projects $100,000 – $250,000

Exhibits International for Johnson Controls

Design by McMillan Group

Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls is a global market supplier of automotive seating, interior systems and batteries and a provider of vehicle control systems and services including comfort, energy and security management. The challenge for Exhibits International was to create a modern and functional working area that could accommodate ‘front of the class’ demonstrations. Exciting design pieces, such as an inverted cone design bulkhead and overhead truss systems married with curved wooden railings and perforated metal oval ceilings, give Johnson’s Remote Operations Center its own look and feel. The design lends a spacious feeling to the area, and offers the required openness for any demonstrations, while maintaining privacy for ongoing work at each desk.

Special projects over $250,000

Exhibits International for Nike

Design by Nike Brand Design

To celebrate this year’s World Cup, Nike created interactive sports parks in 13 countries that would mirror a TV campaign that showed soccer stars playing a match in an abandoned oil tanker. Exhibits International created a raw street look using stacked oil drums and sea containers, aged metal walls, cages and chains sectioning off interactive games areas, spray painted logos, colourful team posters plastering the walls and in each park… the ominous Scorpion cage where teams would play out their final matches to become champions of Nike Park. Outdoor and indoor areas allowed three-person teams to play matches while DJs played. The parks were a resounding success the world over, exceeding Nike’s attendance objective by thrilling 1.8 million kids in 30 days. Some countries have kept the venues open as sports parks for the kids and for public use, where they have become a satisfying contribution to Nike’s legacy program.

Retail installations

Exhibits International for Toys R Us

Exhibits International created a permanent installation for Toys R Us’ flagship store in Times Square, New York. Designated as the World’s Fair Area, the creation needed to be both eye-catching, to compete with neighboring displays, and functional, to serve as a focal point for product launches and changing temporary exhibits. Two 35-ft.-tall Marquee Towers, each with floor-to-ceiling illuminated light ‘sabres’ and a projection screen supported on a single 35-ft. floor to ceiling stainless steel leg add scope to the project. Three monolithic curved perimeter walls were fabricated and installed, to establish the parameters of the space and function as shelving for product. The final touch was a hanging, graphic Ribbon Wall, a 90-linear-foot printed fabric hanging accent that weaves its way above the World’s Fair area, further defining the space and adding visual impact.

Best use of visual imaging

MacLaren Momentum for General Motors – SAAB

General Motors Canada wanted a display that maintained the sleek, Nordic lines of the SAAB’s heritage. To this end, MacLaren Momentum used intriguing close-ups of vehicle components – wheel hubs, engine x-rays – combined with brand identifiers like a single strand of grass or windswept snow. Images are placed in a contrasting scale and in unusual locations, such as the base of a curved seating element. Freestanding light standards identify individual vehicles. The graphics lead the way to the forms used, and together they help quickly identify the category of vehicle manufacturers that SAAB represents.

Multi-media presentations

MacLaren Momentum for General Motors – The Beat

MacLaren Momentum created this exhibit to stand alone from the standard General Motors brand in order to appeal to the youth market at the Toronto International Auto Show. By creating a DJ booth as the central element of this display the youth were attracted before they saw the actual exhibit. Original music and music sampling were used to create a unique sound environment. This was combined with an Internet surfing bar and plasma screen presentation of the original Flash graphics found in both the TV commercials and Web sites.