Trade Show Booth Design Case Study: Visit ABQ

Georgea July 31, 2024

We’re excited to share an exclusive pre-show case study featuring our recent collaboration with Visit Albuquerque. As a proud local company, partnering with our city's tourism department to create an immersive trade show booth that represents our city and state on a national scale, was nothing less than a dream come true!

We LOVE to feel that our work matters, knowing that we could help be a part of Visit Albuquerque's mission and contribute to our city's economic growth was icing on the cake!

This specific project required modularity as the booth needed to accommodate a 10x10 configuration as well as a 10x20. This booth showcases the fact that smaller booth sizes do not need to be boring or vanilla. Additionally, customizing a booth kit is a great way to create a unique booth without requiring the investment of a fully custom build.

Read on to dive into the design concepts and requirements for this gorgeous booth's debut at ASAE and Connect Marketplace.

Booth Size

20x10, converts to 10x10

Services: Booth conception, design, build, and complete show management including shipping, storage, I&D, day of management, and show services

Industry

Travel & Tourism - Destination Marketing Organization

About the Client

Visit Albuquerque is the official destination organization for the city, responsible for promoting Albuquerque as a competitive and world-class destination for leisure, meetings, conventions, and sports. Their efforts enhance the city’s public image as a dynamic place to live and work. Through the impact of travel, Visit Albuquerque strengthens the city's economic position and provides opportunities for the community.

Economic Impact

Visit Albuquerque proudly promotes travel and tourism in the city, recognizing tourism as a significant economic engine and one of New Mexico's largest private-sector industries. Annually, over 6.7 million visitors spend more than $2 billion on lodging, transportation, dining, entertainment, and attractions, supporting approximately 45,000 local workers and generating an estimated $268 million in state and local taxes. Beyond the economic benefits, visitors also enhance the quality of life for residents by supporting events, attractions, and amenities enjoyed by both locals and travelers.

Project Goals

Visit Albuquerque aims to elevate its presence at select industry shows where other large, well-funded tourism organizations have a strong presence. The goal is to build relationships with meetings, sports, and event organizers to bring more events to the city, increase visitation, and bolster the local economy.

Tradeshow Strategy

Visit Albuquerque’s Sales, Services, and Sports commissions teams attend shows and events nationwide to build relationships with organizers and planners, aiming to increase meetings and conventions in the city. Tradeshows are crucial for fostering face-to-face interactions that lead to long-term relationships.

Rendering Concept of Visit ABQ - 10ft Custom Lightbox Display. Check out the 10ft display here.

Design Concept

Albuquerque offers visitors an authentic Southwest experience, boasting a multicultural history and heritage. The city features traditional New Mexican restaurants, unique shops and galleries, renowned festivals and events, world-class arts, and abundant outdoor recreation. The dramatic confluence of past and present is showcased against the backdrop of the stunning Sandia Mountains and an endless blue sky.

Visit Albuquerque collaborated with EXHIB-IT! to create an immersive booth that allows show attendees to experience the unique culture of New Mexico and the city of Albuquerque directly from the tradeshow floor.

Our Solution

To support the immersive experience of Albuquerque, we incorporated organic textures beyond static printed graphics. Several client-driven necessities shaped the booth’s structure in a purposeful manner.

Immersive Elements:

The booth included a ceiling and custom flooring beyond standard tradeshow carpet.
Adobe walls with hanging Chile ristras.
Displays of local indigenous pottery.
The floor featured printed vinyl emulating traditional Saltillo tiles.
“Vigas,” or wooden beams, were printed onto a traditional adobe wall to enhance authenticity.

Challenges and Results

Despite a tight timeline, budget constraints, and multiple decision-makers, the project successfully captured the essence of Albuquerque. This accomplishment is a source of pride for both the exhibit house and the New Mexican community. The next challenge is figuring out how to ship Chile ristras across the continental U.S.

Stay tuned for updates from Visit Albuquerque’s sales team after their upcoming shows in August and September.

What Visit Albuquerque Had to Say

"EXHIB-IT! nailed our vision and desires from start to finish. The team was fantastic at finding options for each phase, like when we said we wanted it to be immersive and to hang ristras, they quickly pointed out, ‘We need a ceiling!’ They incorporated shelving for our pottery, a printed vinyl floor matching Saltillo tiles, and even managed our budget changes with finesse.

Despite a tight timeline, budget constraints, and a lot of decision-makers, EXHIB-IT! kept everything on track. They were great at showing us what could be adjusted to stay within budget without sacrificing the integrity of the design. The team was always in alignment, and their creativity turned our booth into a mini-Albuquerque.

This was a big investment for us, but EXHIB-IT! overcame all challenges and delivered beyond our expectations.”