North America's largest B2B trade show for the media and entertainment industry approached Conner to develop their first entry into E-Sports & Games, resulting in the inception of something wonderfully original.
In 2017, representatives from NAB Show reached out to see if I could put together an exhibit that would bridge e-sports and competitive gaming into the broadcast-technology world. I had no experience in convention exhibit design, nor esports, but I recognized something more interesting and proposed a counter idea:
There was an untapped opportunity to connect independent game developers — and the new technologies they were using — to the exact broadcast-focused audience that attends NAB, and that could and should be leveraging those technologies, if they only knew they existed. So I reframed the entire concept, and what resulted was The Game Developers' Gallery.
Strategic Reframe + Experience Engineering
I proposed a space that combined multiple game companies, each with playable games representing the different primary platforms — VR, PC, and Mobile — so there was something potentially useful for a majority of visitor types.
I designed the layout of the exhibit itself in Unreal Engine, which was used to build and furnish the space and render a promotional flythrough video for their website. I worked closely with their team on branding, strategy, and design.
Considering vibe and positioning, I made the following decisions:
- Leverage the VR experience as an attraction and spectacle
- Create an air of "celebrity" around meeting game developers: a step-and-repeat for red-carpet-style photos, plus game posters available to sign in gold ink
The Successful Outcome
What resulted was a high-trafficked exhibit that felt more like a unique reprieve from show-and-tell exhibits — a place for fun, business, and the introduction of R&D concepts from one industry to another. It was a blue ocean approach both in form and content.
Since then, I have negotiated free exhibition access at several conventions using a similar model to the one I developed here.