Two contrasting concepts – Fleetwood Fixtures’ enclosed, dark-hued café space and Patina-V's light, bright and airy display – took top honors in this year’s VM+SD Best Booth Competition at GlobalShop.
Fleetwood (Leesport, Pa.) won the Grand Prize in the Store Fixturing Show by offering visitors a chance to mix and mingle (and peruse multi-shaped wall displays about the company’s sustainable fixturing products) within the brown-curtained walls of an enclosed space. “The company’s ability to go from a concept that represents its organization and execute it in a way that showcases its capabilities make this the clear-cut winner,” said one judge. Observed another: “Warm and inviting, with rich textures and natural materials, this space was a pleasure to spend time in and learn more about this company.”
In the Visual Merchandising Show, Patina-V (City of Industry, Calif.) drew raves with its open-plan booth anchored at one corner by a white tower with the company’s logo projected onto it. The company displayed its mannequins in front of a textured curtain backdrop consisting of multilayered suspended acrylic pieces. “Flexible and visually interesting,” said one judge, while another praised the use of a repetitive pattern in the acrylic backdrop – “It proves that less can still be more.”
Booth Awards of Merit in the fixture show went to Architectural Systems Inc. (New York), Eventscape Inc. (Toronto) and Sparks Custom Retail (Philadelphia). Big Apple Visual Group (Islandia, N.Y.) won the Award of Merit in the visual show.
Judges in this year’s competition were: Peter Dixon, senior partner, Lippincott Mercer (New York); Beth Harlor, design manager, beauty and health, Procter & Gamble (Cincinnati); David Kepron, principal, retail design, spg3 (Philadelphia); Kevin Kiecker, director, interior design, SuperValu (Eden Prairie, Minn.); Art Papaceno, director, store design and planning, Kohl’s (Menomonee Falls, Wis.); and Christine Russo, vp, store design and development, Kenneth Cole Productions (New York).
Photography: Matthew Hall, VM+SD, Cincinnati