When Goya Foods Inc. first began considering an upgrade to their trade show exhibit, it was with a mixture of excitement and trepidation—after all, many factors go into the design, build, and implementation of a new exhibit. Now, less than a year from first making contact with Nationwide 360, Goya couldn’t be more pleased with the results.
“With the collaborative expertise of the Nationwide team, they were able to make ‘our vision’ for a trade show booth come to life,” says Goya’s National Sales Manager Rebecca Valvik. “From the initial concept meeting to the finished product and their ongoing support at each show, Nationwide has made the entire process easy and seamless.”
The Beginning of the Nationwide & Goya Relationship
After Goya’s initial contact with Nationwide through our website, Steve Griffith, Nationwide’s President, worked to develop a rapport and an open line of communication with Goya. Then in January 2017, Steve and Joe Christiana, Nationwide’s Creative Director, visited the Goya booth at the Winter Fancy Food Show at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Goya was ready to move forward with concept development discussions.
Though Goya, a household name in food brands, especially in Latino markets, is located right around the corner from Nationwide Displays, the “design brief” meeting took place right there on the show floor in San Francisco.
“It’s always great to be in the environment. It charges the conversation with a certain energy. It helps the project seem more like a reality than an abstract concept,” said Griffith about the meeting.
The Mission
Goya wanted an aesthetic and functional upgrade with a new exhibit that would more accurately reflect the stature of its brand as a world-class food company.
Designing & Building the Exhibit
“Our team went to work on the preliminary concepts,” said Joe, and made a design presentation at Goya’s office in New Jersey two weeks after the initial brief. Then, after only two rounds of minor design adjustments, Nationwide had eliminated competitors and won the bid to create Goya’s new exhibit. Engineering and fabrication began within the same month, March of this year.
“We started with the famous logo front and center, and designed around that, working their unmistakable color palette into accents throughout the exhibit space. The biggest challenge was presenting their nearly infinite line of products in an organized, visually pleasing manner,” stated Joe.
“It was fun working with such an iconic brand. When the company branding you’re working with stands out as instantly recognizable on the show floor, the booth practically designs itself,” he added.
Nationwide used a combination of traditional construction, lightweight fabric, and customized metal extrusion to achieve various effects within the booth. Sustainable LED lighting, for example, was used throughout the exhibit for accent and ambient lighting.
Many creative design elements were incorporated into the Goya exhibit to bring the brand to life, in addition to practical functional elements. The faux wood vinyl floor used in the exhibit, for instance, is great for food shows because spills can be easily wiped up without leaving stains as they would on carpet.
Nationwide fabricated special crates made of renewable material, customized to fit the specific booth components in order to protect the property from shipping damage.
The exhibit was also eligible for depreciation under Section 179 so the investment was eligible for a tax write-off for Goya.
Notable Design Features
Some of the notable design features of the Goya exhibit include:
-The rear-illuminated die-cut logo in the front display tower
-The product display built into serving demo counters with lighting accents
-Recessed lighting in the front display counter
-Faux wood vinyl floor
-A utility closet with oven
-An overhead header system to provide accent and ambient light
At the mid-construction preview, the Goya team came in to test the exhibit and made a last-minute request to use a bifold door instead of a traditional door for one of the closets so they could more easily access their cook station during shows. Nationwide was able to carry out this request seamlessly.
The Goya Exhibit Debut
In May, Goya’s new exhibit made its debut at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, where it was well received and successfully drew in attendees.
Since then, it has traveled to both Fancy Food shows and the NACS show where it’s performed well and received a lot of great feedback. The “compliments we receive at each show about our booth are proof that Nationwide knows what they are doing,” said Valvik.
“We find it very functional, it has great storage and display areas all while having that clean look we wanted,” she said. “We also appreciate all the support that has been provided at each of the shows.”
Need an Exhibit that Brings Your Brand to Life?
If you’re ready for a new exhibit that’s worthy of your brand, Nationwide 360 will work closely with you to design and build a world-class display that will bring your brand to life. To learn more, call us today at 631-467-2034.
