Sage Vertical Gardens, LLC

When Sage Vertical Gardens, LLC participated in their first trade show this year – the International Home + Housewares Show at McCormick Place, Chicago – they asked Chicago Scenic to create their booth and then help them navigate the unfamiliar world of trade shows. What they didn’t expect was to win the Show’s Martin M. Pegler Award for the Best Booth Design.

“The winners were selected by a panel of design experts who judged them on inspired design quality, brand positioning, outstanding craftsmanship, exclusive market focus and design-focused sustainability,” said Phil Brandl, president/CEO of the International Housewares Association, which sponsors the Global Innovation Awards. It was quite an accomplishment for a first-time exhibitor and Chicago Scenic was pleased to be part of it, says Chicago Scenic’s Project Manager Stefan Koniarz.

The booth was designed by French designer and architect Daniel Pouzet for the Sage Vertical Gardens team that included Sean Haggerty, director of finance. With Pouzet’s design sketches in hand, the Chicago-based Sage team came to Chicago Scenic to figure out how to create the overhead dome that would eventually be filled with more than 1,400 succulent plants and weigh in at about 3,700 pounds.

The big white dome, according to Koniarz, began as a 10-foot aluminum frame, was covered with an outer layer of Sintra, sanded, filled, and eventually painted a gloss white. At the show, the dome was hung by riggers so attendees could safely walk under it and enjoy the overhead garden experience.

The booth’s succulent-filled dome is one of Sage’s products intended for large-scale corporate installations. Sage also exhibited consumer-targeted plant products, including small vertical wall gardens and desktop lamp prototypes.

In addition to working with the team on the dome’s construction design, Chicago Scenic transported, installed, and removed the booth, and arranged all show services. Sage is planning more trade show participation in the future and Chicago Scenic looks forward to helping them to continue to produce successful events.

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