Fake it until you make it has always been my mantra, and many successful business owners would agree. But while confidence can get you in the door, you still need to “walk the walk”. This challenge came knocking when a high-end window shade company called, asking if we did any trade show designs. Without missing a beat, I confidently replied, "Absolutely!". Despite never having done a trade show design before, my designer's instincts kicked in, and I realized this could be an exciting new opportunity for our business.
Our conversation quickly turned into a deep dive into window shades—their products, past trade show experiences, and their vision for this year’s event. I shared our successes in designing stores, kiosks, and restaurants, emphasizing our passion for creating innovative, standout designs. To my delight, they were impressed, and we scheduled an in-person meeting to present our ideas for making their window shades the star of the show. After hanging up the phone, I excitedly recapped the conversation to my head designer, who stood in stunned silence, and I began to think to myself, “We’ve never designed a trade show!”. Despite the initial self-doubt, I knew we could pull it off. It was time to fake it until we made it!.
So there we were—facing a looming deadline and a meeting to pitch a trade show design that would both wow our new client and be practical for installation across the country in Colorado. The stakes were high, and we had to figure out how to make window shades not only interesting but exciting.
We started with something we’d always been passionate about, which was an eco-friendly design. After all, when people raise their shades, they often look out onto nature—so why not bring that sense of natural beauty indoors? From there, the concept came together. We designed a welcoming seating area complete with comfortable furniture, a soft carpet, tables, and lush plants. This gave visitors a space to relax and browse through materials, all while being surrounded by greenery.
But the true centerpiece of the design was our window shade display. We created four towers, each capable of showcasing eight motorized shades. The interactive element was a hit! Attendees loved being able to push a button and watch the shades rise, revealing a stunning live green wall of plants, shrubs, and succulents, downlit for dramatic effect. We also integrated a large panel with a Lucite backlit logo surrounded by more live greenery, tying the entire display together.
The client was so impressed that they flew our team out to Colorado to oversee the installation, ensuring everything was perfect. During the show, a visitor was so captivated by the display that they offered to buy the entire setup from the window shade company—at a handsome profit! Not only did our design help sell window shades, but it also created buzz, garnered attention, and saved the client shipping costs by not having to bring the display home.
This project was a resounding win, and it all started with a leap of faith and a willingness to embrace a new challenge.
As someone once told me, "People get paid a lot of money to tell you, NO. Don’t ever do it to yourself for free." This project was proof of that mantra in action. By taking the risk, trusting our creativity, and “faking it until we made it,” we not only succeeded but opened new doors for future trade show design opportunities.
