For organ transplant medical device company TransMedics, the most important conference in their trade show program isn’t one with a massive attendee draw. However, while the show (The International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation, or ISHLT), is catalogued as small, it packs a huge punch in the hyper-focused demographics of its attendees. This conference also moves around the globe and is only hosted in the US every few years, so TransMedics not only needed to ensure an impressive exhibit for ISHLT; they needed to work with an exhibit house with demonstrated successful international experience.
In this particular year, ISHLT was being hosted in Nice, France. It therefore made the most sense for US-based TransMedics to go with a custom rental exhibit executed entirely in the European market. We leveraged a local key international partner, Tausch, to develop, deliver, and install a 6x9m island booth (approximately 20x30ft) that we designed. Tausch, located in the Netherlands, boasts 50 years of experience, a team of over 200 professionals, in-house graphics, logistics, and carbon-neutral and lean manufacturing, and 10,000 successful projects.
As many of TransMedics’ competitors would also be exhibiting at this show, it was paramount that our design and the booth execution would show TransMedics as the true market leader they were known to be. Our design incorporated a large, central video wall on one side flanked by open arch headers to draw attendees into the space. We took advantage of the island layout and added interactive touchscreen demo stations in each corner to catch attention from all sides. And because hospitality is much more prevalent and expected at European shows, we made sure to include a coffee station on the backside of the video wall installation and ordered Italian coffee since it’s known to be of higher quality than that of France. Our attention to detail extended to even ensuring the lattes served were topped with custom-branded foam designs.
We also included places for conversation throughout the booth with small seating areas and plenty of standing room around the 50in demo station screens so that small groups of seven to eight people could gather and make their way through the exhibit unhampered.
Tausch built, delivered, and expertly installed the exhibit, having been intimately familiar with the venue as well as the language spoken and the specific show rules and regulations of the region.
As our client of three years, at the time we had managed mostly domestic work for TransMedics, although we had been successfully servicing international show needs for other clients for years. Our international strength lies in working with partners like Tausch who we can trust to navigate the waters on behalf of our clients, and together we delivered for TransMedics. And, as an added benefit to our clients in working with a partner already located overseas, significant cost savings can be gained (especially important given recent transportation issues).
The client team reported heavy traffic in the booth throughout all show days and were so thrilled with the design that they requested several elements to become owned assets to be shipped back and repurposed for other exhibit builds in the US, such as sign elements that were eventually incorporated into a permanent installation in one of their facilities.
While we had managed TransMedics’ show presence at ISHLT twice before, this was our first time doing so overseas. The result was the same, if not an even better, experience from concept design to development, install and show reception. In short, we were able to replicate overseas the stellar service we’re known for providing at domestic shows without necessarily being there ourselves.
Our goal was to stand out, to dominate the show floor with our design and overall presence. As the market leader in our niche field, it was important to have a booth space with a huge wow factor that drew people in…BlueHive created a design that was welcoming, functional and impressive. The video wall provided the WOW that we wanted, upped only by our barista station, and it all led to an amazing show experience for us!
Aris Hambardzumian