Tradeshow fatigue is real. As the industry continues to debate whether the costs and time commitments are really worth the return, more and more companies are exploring alternative programs that will connect with their key customer base and build stronger relationships, rather than simply fill everyone’s pockets with business cards, or an excel sheet with scanned contact info. But the answer, some manufacturers are coming to realize, is not just another product presentation or cocktail party either. (And to that we say: thank you.)
The latest bellwether on this new frontier is the Ignite/Create tour conceptualized by LightArt, 3form’s Seattle-based lighting studio.
The team has turned a chrome van into what they call a “rolling creation station”—a well-equipped workshop filled with a laser cutter, heat-forming tools, and an array of colorful form material—to provide participants a glimpse inside their Seattle studio, where every product is designed and handmade by local artisans. Through design challenges, lectures, material explorations, and yes, some tradeshow stops, the Ignite/Create tour aims to spark architects’ and designers’ imaginations and foster an environment where participants are free to transform their own ideas into reality. All the while, they’ll be able to pick up on creative influences across the U.S. and Canada.
LightArt Founder Ryan Smith will be in the driver’s seat for most of the tour, with a rotating cast of colleagues coming along for the ride throughout the summer. They’ll be putting it in park in 14 major cities to host events like the Paper Pendant Challenge, in which designers have 30 minutes to create a unique paper fixture using basic supplies and pendant assemblies provided. (Winners, chosen by their peers at the event, will get to take home a LightArt fixture of their own.) Studio by 3form will be an active partner at most of the larger events along the way as well, challenging people to configure their own wall feature out of magnetic tiles.
“Creativity is an important part of your life, education, and what inspires your actions on a daily basis,” said Smith. “With Ignite/Create we want to encourage others to tell their story, with the hope that it will inspire someone else to get out there and start making.”
To all the manufacturers out there stressing over fabricating a tradeshow booth, flying in a national sales team, or promoting an #horsdoeuvreshour, we have a new bit of advice: remember what it’s like to feel the wind in your hair.
