Novak Birch’s High-Impact Presence at the IPW International Travel Trade Show
This summer, Novak Birch traveled to Orlando for the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW—the leading international inbound travel trade show, driving $5.5 billion in travel to the United States. We supported three clients at IPW this year, unveiling a new booth for longtime client Brand USA as well as booths for Brand USA’s partners—Federal Row—and New Jersey Travel & Tourism.
Custom-Built Exhibits: If You Can Dream It, We Can Build It
Walt Disney imagineer Tom Fitzgerald reportedly coined the phrase, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Here at NB, Steve Novak likes to say, “If you can dream it, we can build it.” When Brand USA approached us with an all-new booth concept this year, our team was up for the challenge to bring the new design to life.
We custom-built, fabricated, and installed a new 70’ x 80’ booth featuring a 12’ tall surrounding lattice wall, specially crafted from durable, high-quality ash timber wood, lined with sizable, branded graphics. We also hand-crafted coordinating structural elements, including reception counters, high-top tables, mobile sound panel walls, and demo stations with built-in shelving. NB also produced a dimensional photo op wall, complete with custom-made, CNC-cut props and a backlit logo.
The Brand USA booth incorporated all-new tech, including:
- A working sound-proof podcast studio that hosted live recordings throughout the show.
- A sit-in movie theater with directional sound technology that showcased scenes from Brand USA’s GoUSA TV network, United Stories campaign, and America’s Musical Journey giant-screen film.
- Two interactive demo stations with 86” touchscreen monitors.
Strategic Client Branding and Unified Presence
Federal Row, or Great Outdoors USA, is an aisle of federal agencies and other organizations showcasing U.S. destinations and travel services. To unite the agencies and cobrand them under Brand USA and recreation.gov, NB designed an updated entry archway sign, aisle carpet, aviator signage, signpost icons, and cooler stickers to visually join them together and to connect the space with the neighboring Brand USA booth.
The illuminated New Jersey Travel & Tourism space was a showstopper, with vibrant destination photography, a custom-printed aisle carpet, and nostalgic, high-impact “Greetings from New Jersey” wall, archway, and directional signposts. The booth highlights the countless vacation possibilities in the Garden State via a fun road trip that captures the bona fide Jersey experience.
Exhibit Summary and Key Deliverables
| Client | Project Highlights |
|---|---|
| Brand USA | 70’ x 80’ booth, 12’ lattice wall, sound-proof podcast studio, and interactive demo stations. |
| Federal Row | Updated entry archway sign, aisle carpet, and aviator signage to unite federal agencies. |
| New Jersey Travel & Tourism | Vibrant destination photography and nostalgic “Greetings from New Jersey” directional signposts. |
The Craftsmanship Behind the Scenes
So what does it take to plan and deliver THREE client exhibit programs (at once) to the same trade show? Teamwork makes the dream work, that’s for sure! For six months leading up to IPW each year, our team is all hands on deck. Our account, logistics, and event managers carefully plan our schedules to ensure that all booths and show materials can be designed, fabricated, and shipped to IPW in a timely manner.
In our fully equipped, in-house workshop, our craftsmen and fabricators bring the booths to life, crafting custom pieces and inviting spaces. From the exhibit booth designs to 100+ graphics in the booth, our designers are involved in every component of the booth, collaborating with the shop on production specs to ensure all elements are constructed correctly and cohesively fit the design and vision. And of course, our writers and content strategists write and edit copy that attracts booth visitors and makes them want to stick around.
Digital Innovation: Brand USA Global Marketplace
Brand USA Global Marketplace is a virtual, permanent and personalized platform in which promotional events and activities will take place that will connect the international public with the United States tourism industry. Brand USA Global Marketplace features five portals for the virtual exploration of the 50 states, five territories and the District of Columbia, which offer registered users travel itineraries, marketing material and advice from industry experts. The main stage (Main Stage) is dedicated to specialized seminars, while the pavilions (USA Partner Pavilions and Buyer Pavilion) are divided by geographical areas that represent the entire country and offer spaces for individual meetings.
