Atlas Copco bauma Munich

At bauma 2016, we were responsible for the trade show presence of our new client Atlas Copco – a Swedish company and the world’s leading supplier of industrial productivity solutions for compressor and mining technology – on an outdoor area of 2,500 square metres.

The aim of Atlas Copco’s trade show presence was to attract visual attention and to be recognisable from a distance on the huge and confusing open-air site of bauma. The booth was to be clearly distinguished from the neighbouring booths, the relatively small-sized products were to be presented in a structured way and an individual Atlas Copco product world was to be created.

This Atlas Copco product world was created by delimiting the booth area with an 80 m long and 6 m high wall at the back and separate wall elements at the front. A 375 sqm 2-storey pavilion formed the central meeting point and “market place”.

The visual long-distance effect of the booth was achieved by this geometry – especially by its length – and in combination with the striking turquoise colour scheme “Atlas Copco Blue”, the logos and graphics. Viewed from inside the booth, the “CI Wall” acted as a demarcation from the busy trade show passageways and neighbouring booths.

The long walls were constructed as scaffolding with printed truck tarpaulin. The wall structure had a massive effect, especially due to the – comparatively cheap – graphic design.

By clearly structuring the numerous exhibits, we created an emotional customer experience with very good orientation. The course-like design via wooden paths and signposts led the “customer journey” through a scenery like on a real construction site – the trade show visitors were thus offered a familiar environment as a basis for information gathering, discussions and networking.

The experience-oriented booth architecture made it possible to get to know the entire Atlas Copco product world and at the same time to see how the product lines interact. Even visitors in a hurry were able to obtain specific information within a short time thanks to the architectural arrangement. The route led to the pavilion for a quick overview, while a gallery halfway up the “CI wall” provided an overall view.

The effect of the booth was created by the close interplay of architecture and graphic design – the trade show presence was visible from afar and radiated Scandinavian flair.

The aim of the tradeshow presence of our new client Atlas Copco at bauma Munich 2016 was to attract visual attention and to be recognisable from a distance on the huge, confusing open-air site of bauma. Architects and graphic designers from plan-j worked closely together to design a trade show booth that could be seen from afar, was realised cost-effectively and visually communicated Atlas Copco’s Scandinavian origins.

This was achieved through the geometry of the booth and above all the prominently used CI colour turquoise. Turquoise or “Atlas Copco blue” stands for fresh, innovative, uncomplicated – in other words, typical Scandinavian attributes. Both the long-distance effect of the booth and the brand presence of Atlas Copco were thus clearly visible.

The long walls offered enough space for an extensive graphic design that both showcased the products and created an inviting atmosphere. For example, birch twigs and trees provided Scandinavian flair, used as greenery in the cafeteria and also as matching graphics on the walls outside the pavilion. In addition, the “Atlascopcosaurus” was given its well-deserved appearance.

A welcomed “side effect” of the graphic wall design: the wall construction of around 120 running metres could be executed as – much more cost-effective – scaffolding with printed truck tarpaulin and still looked massive.

The best way to see how the booth looked on the bauma open-air site is in the picture. The perfect interplay of architectural and graphic design.