At a trade show, you have ten seconds to grab people’s attention. At a conference, you have hours to engage your audience. In both cases, success depends on a clear and compelling concept.
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Trade shows, conferences, events, and anniversaries may seem like separate disciplines. In practice, it’s the same job, just with different approaches. The sound, lighting, set design, video, illustrations, and text should all point in the same direction. When something feels off at a booth or on stage, it’s almost always because there was never a concept to begin with—just a collection of pretty surfaces.
The concept comes first
We always start in the same place: what is this actually meant to convey? A core concept isn’t a color or a slogan. It’s the single idea that explains why it should look, sound, and feel a certain way. Once the concept is in place, everything else almost falls into place on its own. What kind of typography works. What tone the script should have. Whether the film should be calm and warm or sharp and fast-paced. How a motion graphics sequence should be built. Whether there should be sound, and what kind.
Without a concept, the project becomes a collection of individual decisions that don’t necessarily work together. With a concept, everyone working on the project—designers, animators, screenwriters, producers, and riggers—has the same guiding principle. That’s the difference between an exhibition that looks good and one that feels cohesive.
Different venues, different productions
Trade shows, events, conferences, and anniversaries each have their own physical and psychological context. The concept must be tailored to them.
At a trade show, you’re competing for attention in a room full of others who want it too. The lighting is harsh, the aisles are narrow, people are carrying heavy bags, and most just walk by. So the message has to grab them with a peripheral glance, and the booth needs a clear anchor—an image, a hook, or a phrase—that pulls people in the last three meters before they’ve walked past. Once they’re inside the booth, it has to be clear what’s what.
At a conference, you have a unified audience. Everyone is looking at the same screen, the same stage, and the same speaker. What’s shown between presentations, before presentations, and around the stage is what most people remember the next day. A moving backdrop, a short animation that ties the day together, a sound that signals transitions: these are the small details that shape the overall impression. Here, the key is subtlety and precision, not shouting.
An anniversary is a time to celebrate something together. Your customers have been with you for a long time. Your employees have built the company. The industry knows you. Anniversary design must strike a balance between two things: honoring the past without becoming a museum, and looking ahead without forgetting who brought you this far. It requires an idea that can handle both solemnity and joy.
We use the entire toolbox
Once the concept is finalized, we apply it to the relevant surfaces. At trade shows and events, static displays remain very important: roll-ups, backdrops, posters, brochures, promotional items, program booklets, place cards, and invitations. They must work both from a distance and up close. Motion graphics, animated backdrops, and screen drawings add movement where something needs to catch the eye or explain something in sequence. We use film where text and images alone aren’t enough. Scripts and text tie it all together, from the teaser on the booth wall to a ten-minute anniversary film. Sound elements like soundscapes, jingles, and subtle cues are often overlooked, but they play a major role in how a booth or stage is experienced.
Sometimes the concept isn't visual at all. It might be a narrative device, a metaphor, or a way to engage the audience. In that case, the direction has to carry it, not the visuals.
Aquatiq: A Common Thread from Norway to Chile
The food safety experts at Aquatiq provide services to the food industry in many countries and continents. They needed a visual concept that would be just as clear at a trade show in Bergen as it would be in Santiago, without relying on people being able to read Norwegian.
We solved this by visualizing the very essence of the service. Food safety was represented by a sushi roll wearing a life jacket and a sushi roll wearing a seatbelt. The image speaks for itself in every language. It works on a poster, on a trade show wall, on a notepad, and on a screen.
The booth we build around this concept looks familiar whether it’s in Norway, Australia, Chile, England, or Spain, even though the physical layout varies. Every trade show has its own floor space, lighting, foot traffic, and industry norms. We adapt the layout and priorities without losing sight of the visual anchor.
We work with Aquatiq throughout the entire process: concept development, stand design and layout, messaging and illustrations, liaising with manufacturers, and quality assurance—all the way until the stand is completed.
Benchmark Genetics: 25 Years in the Words of Those Who Actually Made History
SalmoBreed, the predecessor to Benchmark Genetics, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2026. The challenge was to mark the occasion without coming across as self-congratulatory. This called for an approach that could capture 25 years of aquaculture history in a way that was both honest and heartfelt, and that could encompass everything from a private film premiere at the HavExpo trade show to several months of campaign content on LinkedIn.
We let the pioneers tell their stories. Those who were there when SalmoBreed broke the monopoly on salmon genetics in 2001 have vivid memories, honest opinions, and a passion for sharing their stories. They are also excellent representatives of their industry.
The visual approach was the scrapbook format. The style begins in an analog manner and gradually modernizes as the narrative unfolds, so that the aesthetic itself evolves from roe collection in glass jars in the 1970s to today’s genomic selection and high technology. Form and content point in the same direction.
The footage was edited into a ten-minute main film and a series of LinkedIn profiles, featuring one pioneer per post. To complement the films, we developed a concept, an anniversary logo, an email signature, banners, and a cohesive visual style. The main film premiered at an anniversary event at HavExpo. By then, the audience was already familiar with the style from LinkedIn.
Read more about the work on the SalmoBreed anniversary here.
The Øygard Conference: A visual concept that ties the conference together
We have been involved with the Øygård Conference since the very first year the Vest Næringsråd organized it, providing visual concepts, animated backdrops, social media content, website materials, and other items—both big and small—that are used.
Every year, we develop a visual concept based on the conference theme and ensure that all elements contribute to the overall look.
MSD Animal Health: Keep your cool when things get fishy
From the first sketch to the final quality check
The work we do for Aquatiq, Benchmark Genetics, MSD Animal Health, the Øygard Conference, and all our other clients follows the same basic structure, even though the end results look completely different.
We start by getting a clear understanding of what the story is actually about. Who we need to reach, where, and why it matters. From there, we develop the concept and test it against the parameters: size, format, budget, geography, and language. Once the concept is approved, we design the visuals—both static, animated, cinematic, and textual. We write scripts where needed, create motion graphics where they’re most effective, and keep the sound and tone in check.
We oversee the project from start to finish, from the initial sketch until the booth is complete. Along the way, we coordinate with subcontractors, conduct quality checks, make adjustments, and ensure that every aspect of the project runs smoothly.
A trade show, a conference, or an anniversary is no small matter. It’s often the one time of year when your target audience is physically gathered around what your company stands for. That moment deserves a concept that’s worth remembering.