Top gear
The Bilstein Group UK has been awarded first place for Best Stand at this week’s UK Garage & Body exhibition. Recognising the style, innovation, function and aesthetic appeal of the stand – designed and installed by Smart Display – event organisers selected the Bilstein structure for the prestigious accolade when the show closed its doors at the NEC yesterday evening.
“We won, and it would not have been possible without Smart Display!” says Ben Walton, the brand’s marketing co-ordinator. “We wanted to create a fresh and new approach to our exhibitions this year, and the reaction at the debut event – UK Garage and Bodyshop – was amazing. We had both customers and fellow exhibitors take time out to tell us how fantastic the new design looks, with vibrant LED lighting framing our products and the video wall showcasing our digital content. Topping the exhibition off with the best stand award – voted for by the staff at Automechanika UK [the event’s organiser] – was the icing on the cake for us.”
Designing the Bilstein Group stand was a new venture for Smart Display, having brought the brand on board for the first time this year. Smart Display was tasked with creating a stand design for both the UK Garage & Body Shop event and the Autotrade Expo in Dublin this October, with re-usable elements supporting its commitment to sustainability.
“Bilstein wanted to start with a blank canvas and asked us to come up with some creative ideas as to how to showcase their machinery,” says Smart Display’s senior designer Lawrie Ward, who headed up the project. “Our solution was an acrylic feature, bathed in LED lighting in the brand’s colours. A striking video wall encouraged customers onto the stand, while the overall look was in line with Bilstein’s brief of bold, creative and innovative.
“We are delighted to have already adapted the design for the brand’s next event, re-using as many elements as possible in line with commitment to keeping exhibition stand materials out of landfill. The stand orientations are very different – a 12 x 6m island stand and an 8 x 6m with one back wall – but we were able to adapt the design between the two shows which achieves a nice level of consistent branding, and will play an essential role in this new chapter of Bilstein’s development and presence within the industry.”
The Bilstein team is now preparing to maintain the momentum of its new brand presence at the Autotrade Expo in Dublin, which takes place on 12-13 October this year.
“We would like to say a big thank you to all the team at Smart Display,” says Ben. “They all had a part in making it all come together.”
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