Maximize Your Rebrand Impact: How to Unveil New Brands at Trade Shows

When a company undergoes a rebranding, it's a significant milestone that deserves a grand unveiling. Trade show exhibits provide the ideal platform to announce your rebrand by creating an immersive experience that showcases your new brand identity to a targeted audience. In this blog, we discuss the advantages of announcing your rebrand at trade shows, share best practices for creating engaging exhibits, and draw inspiration from successful rebranding reveals.

What is rebranding?

Rebranding is the process of changing an organization's corporate image. It typically involves changes to the company's name, logo, visual design elements (such as color palettes and typography), and brand messaging (including slogans and mission statements). However, rebranding is often more than cosmetic changes. It is commonly a fundamental shift in the company's identity and how it wants to be perceived by its stakeholders, including customers, employees, investors, and the general public.

8 Benefits of Announcing Your Rebrand at a Trade Show

Here are some potential benefits of announcing a rebranding in your exhibit or brand experience:

1. Generating buzz and excitement: Announcing a rebranding at a trade show creates a sense of excitement and anticipation among attendees. It also generates buzz and gets people talking about your brand.
2. Reaching a targeted audience: Trade shows and brand experiences often attract a specific target audience. Announcing your rebrand at one of these events allows you to engage a focused audience of potential customers, partners, and influencers who are more likely to resonate with your brand.
3. Providing a memorable experience: An exhibit or brand experience offers the opportunity to create a memorable and engaging experience that showcases your new brand identity. You can use interactive displays, live music, hospitality elements, and other exciting features to help attendees connect with your new brand.
4. Generating media coverage: Announcing a rebrand at a high-profile industry event can generate significant media coverage and press attention. Journalists and bloggers often attend trade shows to cover the latest industry news and trends, which may lead relevant media outlets to report on your rebranding announcement.
5. Differentiating from competitors: Announcing your rebrand at an industry event helps you stand out from your competitors. Showcasing a fresh, updated brand identity can help you distinguish yourself from the crowd and make a lasting impression.
6. Providing a platform for storytelling: A rebranding announcement at a live event offers the opportunity to tell your brand story in a compelling and inspiring manner. You can use the event to share the reasoning behind the rebrand, highlight your company's values and mission, and showcase how your new brand identity aligns with your overall business strategy.
7. Allowing for face-to-face interaction: Exhibits and brand experiences offer a rare opportunity for direct interaction with customers, partners, and other stakeholders. You can directly converse with attendees, answer questions, and gather valuable feedback on your new brand presence.
8. Creating a sense of community: Announcing a rebranding at a live event creates a sense of community and shared experience among attendees. Inviting attendees to be part of your brand's evolution and celebrating your new identity together creates a stronger connection and loyalty with your audience. 

How to Announce a Rebrand at a Trade Show

When announcing a rebrand at a trade show, creating an immersive and powerful experience that showcases the new brand identity becomes essential. One effective approach is to design an exhibit that reflects the refreshed brand's personality and values, as demonstrated by Schoox at the ATD International Conference & EXPO. Following their recent rebrand, Schoox partnered with Hamilton to create a remarkable and unconventional exhibit that brought their brand to life through whimsical architecture, bold colors, and captivating elements like neon lights and digital screens. The dynamic experience enabled attendees to embark on a self-discovery journey while exploring Schoox's product offerings and brand philosophy.

Another key aspect of announcing a rebrand at a trade show is creating excitement and anticipation among attendees. Strategic pre-show marketing is essential, as demonstrated by Aloft AeroArchitects at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) event. Aloft, previously known as PATS, focused on creating a bold and all-inclusive implementation of their new brand identity. The exhibit design was elegant and simple, focusing on the brand’s new logo, voice, and tone. Their approach generated buzz and increased traffic to their booth by 110% compared to the previous year, successfully transitioning Aloft into a globally recognized brand in their field.

Incorporating interactive elements and demonstrations can also help engage attendees and showcase the rebrand in action. For example, when Cornerstone Building Brands announced their rebrand at the International Builders' Show (IBS) following a merger, they created an atmospheric and experiential exhibit that highlighted their branding and encouraged one-on-one interactions with products and solutions. Digital mediums supported the product displays, creating a rich experience, while tailored lighting emphasized the products and branding. Cornerstone also hosted engaging activations, such as meet-and-greets with HGTV celebrities and live performances by country music stars, which helped generate positive brand impressions and increase attendance by over 50% compared to the previous year.

Ultimately, it's crucial to ensure that the rebranded exhibit effectively communicates the company's story, values, and offerings. RCA, for instance, partnered with Hamilton to create an invigorating experience at CES that showcased their relaunched brand and recent products while embracing the elements that encompass their renowned brand. The exhibit featured modern colors, contemporary materials, and LED screens to reflect the refreshed RCA brand, while vignettes presented their new smart home technology products. Incorporating iconic elements, such as the RCA dogs, blended the company's rich history with its new direction, generating excitement and interest among attendees.

Partner with Hamilton

Ready to make a memorable impact with your rebrand? Hamilton is here to help. 

Hamilton is a full-service experiential and event marketing agency with a 75-year legacy creating immersive brand experiences for companies worldwide. We design, produce, and execute integrated experiences – exhibits, events, environments, and digital solutions – that drive meaningful connections between brands and their audiences.

Embrace an exciting and engaging launch for your new brand, make it a moment to remember! Contact Hamilton today.