Challenge
At every Alibaba.com event, brand clarity was the first hurdle. Most attendees had heard of Alibaba through news coverage, but that typically meant Alibaba Group. Alibaba.com is a separate B2B marketplace within the group, built specifically for global buyers and suppliers. Every design decision, from the booth wall to the smallest handout, had to make that distinction quickly and clearly.
Overview
Alibaba.com participated in the National Hardware Show (NHS) in Las Vegas to increase brand awareness among manufacturers, suppliers, and hardware retailers. The event provided an opportunity to introduce the platform and highlight solutions such as Trade Assurance to potential customers. I designed the visual system for the booth and supporting marketing materials. The cohesive visual presentation helped communicate the brand clearly while creating an engaging experience for visitors at the event. I also participated onsite as a Sourcing Pro, introducing the platform and demonstrating its services to attendees.
Timeline
- May 5-7, 2015
Role
- Exhibit Visual Design
- Environmental Graphics
- Marketing Collateral Design
- Kiosk Design and Front-End Development
- On-Site Product Demonstration
Team
- Event Manager
- Integrated Marketing Manager
- Pan Lau (Sole Designer / Art Director)
Booth Graphics and Experience
The show theme was “The Sourcing Pros,” positioning the Alibaba.com team as experts who could help visitors learn how to source smarter. The theme carried through everything, from the booth graphics to the staff t-shirts I designed. Every team member on the floor wore the same Sourcing Pros shirt, featuring hardware-inspired elements like gears and production lines as a nod to the show’s audience, keeping the brand consistent from the booth wall to the people representing it. The visual focus centered on three Alibaba.com service products, including AliSourcePro, Trade Assurance, and e-Credit Line. I created three custom illustrations to communicate each product’s value at a glance, without relying on dense copy, anchoring them on the main booth wall to set the visual tone for the whole space.
Kiosk Design and Development
Instead of running traditional product demos, I replaced the standard demo stations with a custom interactive kiosk experience across 8 iPads. I researched and selected a customizable app platform that could be built with HTML and CSS, handled the full interface design, then developed, installed, and QA’d every device before the show opened. On the floor, I managed the stations and handled any troubleshooting as issues came up live. Visitors could watch five short videos about Alibaba.com and its services, subscribe to the newsletter, and complete a short survey, giving our team a direct lead capture channel built into the booth experience. Of the 2000+ leads collected over the three-day show, the kiosk stations were a primary driver.
Print Collateral
With Trade Assurance suppliers attending the show, the printed materials needed to work for two audiences. Some visitors were encountering Alibaba.com for the first time, while others were ready to connect with specific suppliers on the floor. To support visitors at different stages, I designed four service flyers and five sourcing and trading articles they could take with them. For buyers ready to do business, I designed a 48-page Trade Assurance Supplier Directory listing every Alibaba.com seller attending the show who accepted Trade Assurance. Each entry included the supplier’s booth number, storefront URL, Trade Assurance limit, business type, main products, location, year established, and annual sales volume, giving buyers everything they needed to make confident purchasing decisions knowing their orders were covered.
Event Giveaways
Every giveaway at the show was designed to carry the Trade Assurance message, not just the logo. I redesigned the tote bag with updated messaging promoting Trade Assurance, and designed the t-shirt prize tied to a postcard QR code game run at the booth. Even the branded water bottles reinforced the same message. When every item someone picks up is saying the same thing, the brand story travels with them past the show floor.
Impact
This was the first time Alibaba.com brought an interactive kiosk experience to a trade show, and it became a model for future events. The concept carried forward, evolving into larger touchscreen stations as the technology improved. The brand visibility proved itself on the floor. The signature orange and oversized tote bags were spotted from a distance, and attendees reported seeking out the booth after seeing other visitors carrying them. The t-shirts were the standout giveaway of the show. Visitors wanted both the Trade Assurance prize shirt and the staff shirt I designed specifically for the event. Over three days, the booth experience contributed to 2000+ leads across a show that drew 27K+ visitors and 2500+ exhibitors.