Products and Services: A Tour of TS2's Premiere Zone

During the TS2 2006, visitors will find a redesigned new product showcase called the TS2 Premiere Zone. Located inside the exhibit hall, the Zone features dozens of new products with on-site and virtual demonstrations. Attendees can vote on the TS² Best of the Best Awards for the products and services being introduced at the show.

TS2 Executive Director Steve Greenspan said that the main reason attendees visit tradeshows is to find new products and services, so TS2 wanted to give more attention to the innovations being introduced there.

Here's a taste of some of the new products and services:

Dance Heads isn't just lip-synching. Thanks to something called Chroma Key technology, participants' heads can be superimposed upon professional dancers' bodies as they lip-synch their favorite pop hits in front of a fully animated background. Performers can get DVD copies of their performances to take home.

Exhibitors have used Dance Heads on busy tradeshow floors to attract attendees. Dance Heads makers claim they've drawn crowds as large as 75 to 100 people, who wait for their turn to make a video.

Phone: (800) 446-3211; Web site: www.danceheads.com

Thin Air Productions has developed an attraction that capitalizes on poker's current popularity to draw crowds to a booth.

The basic presentation is a live demonstration of sleight-of-hand techniques used by cheats to fleece unsuspecting poker players. Attendees stand at a casino poker table to watch (so minimal booth space is required) while a script highlights the exhibitor's message and leads into further opportunities for prospect qualification.

A larger, theater-style presentation features a poker expert teaching audiences championship poker techniques. Attendees learn about the exhibitor's products and services as a card dealer draws parallels between smart poker and smart business decisions. Spectators fill out information cards that allow them to play along ¡ª and give exhibitors contact and qualifying information.

Phone: (240) 686-0018; Web site: www.thinairproductions.com

Offering an alternative to the conventional pop-up display, the VectorPak incorporates a custom feel with the flexibility and convenience of a portable system.

According to manufacturer Vector5, the system's greatest attribute may be its ability to be fully loaded prior to shipping. Exhibitors can store products, graphics, literature and giveaways ¡ª everything for a show ¡ª in VectorPak's cabinets before shipping them to the show in one 4¡ä¡Á4¡ä¡Á8¡ä crate.

The self-contained, custom exhibit can be used in various configurations. Its material allows for a seamless installation, in booths up to 10¡ä¡Á10¡ä, and weighs less than 400 lbs.

The possibilities for messaging include sintra, lightbox graphic and gros point, and there are laminate choices for the interior and exterior.

Phone: (978) 348-2997; Web site: www.vectorfive.com

Show-goers can use MapYourShow's Web-based software to plan their showfloor itineraries with an easy-to-use, quick interface, providing obvious benefits for attendees.

Exhibitors can purchase an enhancement that allows them to provide more information on their companies graphically to attendees.

The product easily integrates into any show Web site, and metrics demonstrating the value of the product are provided for exhibitors and show managers.

Phone: (888) 527-8822; Web site: www.mapyourshow.com

CPR MultiMedia Solutions touts its Video Roadshow as the highest-resolution trailer-mounted video screen available. Even in full daylight, the company says, the visual 7-millimeter LED system provides color and brightness quality. A 9¡ä¡Á12¡ä screen of LED tiles rises from a compact trailer to a screen-bottom height of 8 feet. It can rotate in any direction and, when supplied with external power, be integrated into indoor environments such as tradeshow booths and general sessions. It also functions as a stand-alone display.

The parking space-sized footprint allows the generator-equipped trailer to be used outdoors for projecting videos and PowerPoint presentations. The 20-minute set-up time and transportability allows multiple site use in one day.

Phone: (301) 590-9400; Web site: www.cprmms.com