“Blofield products have been available in Europe for several years and CORT is the only U.S. rental provider offering this rather unique product to the event and tradeshow industry,” according to Kevin Dana, director of marketing and product development for CORT. “You really can use it anywhere, allowing planners more flexibility when designing furnishings for unusual and traditional event spaces.”

Blofield Air Design can withstand sand, snow and virtually any environment in which an event is held. The collection is now available across the United States for exhibit and event rental. The Blofield collection features chairs and loveseats available in black or cream.

More info at CORTevents.com.

“It is with deep regret that MC² must report the death of Keith Hishon, MC² account executive in our Detroit office. Keith passed away suddenly on Feb. 13. He is survived by his wife Penny and his children, Alexander, Abby, and Nathan. In the two years Keith was with MC², he had a positive impact on our business and on all of us who worked with him.  Everyone at MC2 will miss him as a friend, mentor and business associate. Our condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and industry associates.”

~ Rob Murphy, CMO, MC²

Editors Note: We covered Keith’s arrival at MC² about 2+ years ago with this post.

With the Second Wall filling up fast (only 8 spaces remained as of this writing), more interest has been expressed in the premium “rental spaces” that have recently been made available at the top of each Wall. Information on these space are available on the Wall’s Extras page.

Rob Cohen, VP of DS&L said “the addition of Mike to our account management team is a big plus… Mike’s 10 years of service to the display industries places another industry insider on the DS&L team who understands the demands and needs of our customers.”

Upon accepting this position, we learned from Mike that he was “excited to join the team of DS&L professionals who are known for their dedication to the industry and delivery of exceptional customer service. I look forward to expanding DS&L’s presence in the Nevada marketplace and working closely with industry professionals to assist in the creation of dynamic displays and environments”.

And there you have it. It’s always great to hear about a new job. More info at www.dslgroup.com.

TSB, since late in the early days, has primarily been the voice (metaphorically speaking) of its creator, Jeffrey D Brown. Fortunately, he’s not the only one who thinks there’s a more interesting side of the business that, at best, has been under-reported… if at all. And we’d like to tap into that vast common mindset and invite others to participate on Tradeshow Blues.

This is certainly a unique opportunity… but it’s not for everyone. How could it be? But, we’re required to state the obvious. So… if you think you’re interested, express that notion by contacting us. We’ll take it from there.

Visit the new Wall at classic.tradeshowwall.com

Differentiating from the standard square block wall (as in the flagship Tradeshow Wall), The ELITeXPO Wall utilizes a Seamless Asymmetric Wall Space design that provides a more abstract flow to the space. In the process, their Wall calls attention visually to multiple areas of their business including Exhibit Shipping and Storage, On-line Inventory Management, Install & Dismantle Services, Exhibits for Sale and Rent, Graphics and Flooring.

According to Brown, “There are many ways to use one of these Dedicated Walls. Except for a few parameters, we can design a wall just about any way we see fit… it’s a very creative platform. But the emphasis is always on the quality of the visual experience.”

Visit the new ELITeXPO Wall at http://elitexpo.tradeshowwall.com.

“The annual award is not a product of a committee decision or an in-depth analysis of magazines within a publishing cycle. It’s an award that’s built up over time,” said Lynn Keillor, a freelance writer for MMPA’s Fine Print newsletter.

In addition to winning this year’s Magazine of the Year Award, EXHIBITOR received a dozen individual awards, honoring the magazine’s editorial, design, and online excellence. Among those were five Gold Awards, presented for Best Cover Design, Best Editorial, Best How-To Article, Best Feature Design, and Best Special Issue.

“I know this is called the Magazine of the Year Award, but it’s less about what we’ve accomplished over the past 12 months, and more about what we’ve accomplished during the last three decades,” said EXHIBITOR editor Travis Stanton, during his acceptance speech. “Next year marks EXHIBITOR’s 30th anniversary, so this award is really a reflection of countless writers, editors, designers, art directors, sales reps, circulation coordinators, webmasters, and everyone else who has worked hard to make this magazine what it is today.”

This is the kind of thing that raises the tide for all ships… And we salute, applaud, cheer and congratulate Lee and all the fine folks at Exhibitor! Now… let’s party!

The creative team at Hill & Partners brought the innovative retinal imaging company to the industry events with a custom built 40×40 exhibit designed to resemble an eye, through the use of two spherical shaped fabric walls. The interior utilized genuine retinal scans from the Optos product line, adding to the authenticity of the exhibit.

Abstract simulation of the iris and pupil was artfully created by an overhead circle within a circle design. The impression was successfully complemented through the use of carpet to vinyl coin flooring changes. A string curtain denoted light passing through the iris, providing yet another element of surrealism to the imaginative booth.

The combination of exterior walls emblazoned with corporate branding and an interior that conveyed images of retinal scanning spoke to the core of Optos’ medical devices.  The central area of the exhibit delivered a multimedia destination for attendees to learn about the company and its products through demos, speeches, informational graphics and audio-visual displays.

“The booth looks even better in person than in the rendering,” said Roy Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Optos, noting the dynamic environment generated by the well-received exhibit.

The AAO meeting in Boston offered the perfect opportunity for Optos to launch Daytona, the company’s next generation ultra-wide field retinal scanning device. The proprietary product is designed to offer optometry customers higher quality images of the retina through use of a device much smaller in size than alternative scanners. In addition, the new device offers improved reliability and a superior patient interface and software for image review.

Hill & Partners further assisted Optos in promoting Daytona at a special event held October 13th at the Boston Museum of Science where invited guests, including medical students attending the American Academy of Optometry Annual Meeting and trade show were introduced to the new product.

Optos, with offices in North America, Europe and Australia is recognized as a leading provider of devices and solutions to ophthalmic professionals for improved patient care.

“It is our belief that through the use of texture, color, style and architecture we have created a booth that will help propel Optos to the forefront of the retinal diagnostic industry,” said Michael McMahon, President and CEO of Hill & Partners, Inc.  “The use of resplendent imagery is certain to attract all eyes and vault Optos to the top of the list of booths to visit.”

More information at hillpartners.com

The Tradeshow Wall will ultimately house multiple walls and provide a simple, easy-to-use “visual tool” to discover all kinds of products, services, companies and organizations… just by staring at the wall.

The Wall concept is very simple. Stare at the wall… see something you’re interested in? Just mouse over a Wall space and a tooltip-like popup will give you some additional information. Want more? Click the Wall space to be taken directly to the landing page or website for that spaceholder. That’s it. While you’re at it, when you click a wall space, a non-scientific vote is cast for that space and you’ll be able to see the results on the Search and Vote Results Page.

Because the Wall is a “visual” vehicle, each spaceholder is asked to produce creative, high-quality wall space artwork designed to capture the attention of visitors. This is in their best interest, but Brown has an ulterior motive, “The walls also have a “work of art” flavor to them. We’ve learned over nearly five years of building walls that this adds to visitor engagement. The Wall is an experience and it’s not uncommon for visitors to spend long periods of time staring and clicking on the Wall.”

For those Wall spaceholders who may need that extra “creative punch” for their space, a high-end professional design service is available for only $25. Brown is also creating a network of dedicated Walls where he builds an entire wall platform for a single company or organization.