Indiana's exhibit houses: trade-show know-how from around the state.

• Author: Kronemyer, Bob
• Position: Trade Shows & Exhibitions

CHANNEL-KOR & ASSOCIATES

Bloomington

"We strive to create visual surprises within a design," says founder and owner Melvin Miller, who started his company in 1972. "This includes the integration of unusual materials, whether it be textured metals or colored Plexiglas."

Medical-device manufacturers, higher education and telecommunications are some of the diverse industries that Channel-Kor & Associates in Bloomington caters to when it comes to building custom modular exhibits for trade shows. The company also offers design and graphics, computer renderings and trade-show management.

For the Indiana University's computer center, Channel-Kor & Associates designed a large exhibit featuring towers and roof trusses plus a scrim to eliminate light for interactive computer activities and demonstrations. "The exhibit does a good job showing the computing world the university's level of technology," Miller observes.

Similarly, for Sandpiper Networks (which has since merged with Digital Island), a booth included a Plexiglas curved wall and a space-age serpentine truss for a high-tech look.

THE EXHIBIT HOUSE

Indianapolis

"The Midwest is the bulk of our business, but we do business all over the country," says Jeff Hoffman, president and owner of The Exhibit House in Indianapolis, which was founded in 1980 and has grown to 50 employees.

In addition to offering a full range of services for trade shows, the company does corporate lobbies, galleries, product-demonstration areas and retail point-of-purchase displays.

Recently, 10-foot kiosk displays were produced for commercial cleaner Service Master for viewing at shopping centers and grocery stores. The displays are for a division of the company that provides home services, such as lawn care, cleaning, and heating and air-conditioning. "It was quite challenging to promote a number of complex services," Hoffman says.

The Exhibit House has also done exhibits for the annual International Council of Shopping Centers in Las Vegas. For that show, "we've incorporated our own patented panel system called QuikWall, which is aluminum and facilitates handling and setup for trade-show displays and other exhibits," Hoffman says. "This is a solution that has cut costs without sacrificing creativity and design."

EXHIBITEAM

Elkhart

"It's very important for local businesses in this area to use local talent," says Karl Richter, president of Exhibiteam in Elkhart. "For people locally to spend their money in Chicago or...