Yakima Chief Hops (YCH) is a grower-owned network of family hop farms located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The brand’s goal is to establish itself as the global hop supplier of choice, with sustainable and responsible production and distribution methods and a dedication to long-term excellence. The passion and integrity of Yakima Chief Hops has already made it possible for them to expand into European and Asian markets.
YCH needed a team with experience designing and building for shows all over the world to help them develop a global presence. They turned to ProExhibits to craft a globally relevant interactive trade show exhibit program for use on three continents.
Design Challenges
Yakima Chief Hops faced several challenges in expanding to the global market:
- They wanted a program that reflected brand messaging and brand identity as directed by the U.S. markets but was also relevant on a global scale.
- They needed adaptable booths for a few reasons:
- Each continent has different exhibit size requirements and restrictions.
- The company wanted its booths to last more than five years.
- YCH wanted their booth experience to be interactive and tactile at every show around the world – Top priority at shows was allowing visitors to truly experience their product: hops and, in turn, beer.
- They had a completion timeline of less than two months to deliver a booth for China Brew China Beverage.
Yakima Chief Hops chose ProExhibits for its global experience and history of creative solutions in design and logistics to deliver on their needs.
The Ultimate Solution
With so many design challenges and a relatively short amount of time in which to complete the work, the pressure was on. ProExhibits teams called on their knowledge of worldwide trade shows and their unique and innovative design expertise.
ProExhibits delivered on all counts by building three modular, scaleable booths to reside on each of three continents: Asia, Europe, and North America. Each build was crafted on similar design specs but was scaled to the maximum size a booth could take there. In Asia, a 9×5 m booth was constructed, in Europe it was 11×10 m, and in the U.S., the maximum footprint was expanded to 20×40 ft. Yakima Chief Hops requested the largest booth be built for U.S. use, as the company wanted their primary presence to remain there.
All the booths were purpose-built with a flexible modular system. This means each booth can be scaled up or down according to the space it will occupy.
Because Yakima Chief Hops wanted to showcase their products, ProExhibits designed a pouring station, so beer could be poured from the tap in each booth. They also constructed a sensory station, where visitors could see, touch, and smell the hops YCH produces. With a flexible design, these two stations could be included in every booth design, no matter the size. In Liverpool, for instance, the exhibit was 2×4 m with 2 tap handles and 1 hop station (sensory counter). In the U.S. booth, this was expanded to 4 tap handles and 2 sensory counters.
Scaleable exhibits mean other aspects of the booths can be altered to fit a specific location’s or show’s needs as well. These include custom-built meeting and storage room areas, which can be reduced in size when the booth is to be set up in a smaller space.
ProExhibits’ overseas experience and connections made it possible to complete exhibits for China Brew China Beverage and BrauBeviale (in Germany) on shortened timelines. ProExhibits took advantage of overseas fabrication partners to produce the booths in both China and Europe. Thanks to this collaboration, they avoided the six-week period to ship an exhibit from the U.S. to China and from the U.S. to Germany.
Results
The results for this project have been fantastic. Yakima Chief Hops enjoyed great success at its first shows, with a booth design that both stands out and draws visitors in. Visitors to the booth enjoy an engaging experience, and the brand feels that it’s representing itself well on multiple continents.
YCH has booked more shows, and ProExhibits is already working on enhancements to make the booths even better. For instance, they plan to improve on the flexibility of the booth footprint to make room for all-purpose storage and coolers for extra beer. The built-in modularity of the design means it can be adjusted while maintaining a consistent look and feel across the three different continental booth layouts.
ProExhibits has a history of doing great things with global brands, and Yakima Chief Hops marks another happy client. This North American brand is now well-placed to make a big impression on the worldwide stage.