Captivating convention audiences with Atlanta’s reimagined trade show booths

By Taylor Boser

Published November 10, 2026

A well-designed trade show booth can be incredibly influential in capitalizing an audience and bringing business to the city. That’s why the journey to reimagining Atlanta’s trade show booths for conventions and conferences started with going back to the basics of the city, focusing on what is most recognizable to locals and visitors.

One of the trade show booths debuted at the 2026 American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting & Exposition, from August 15-18 in Indianapolis, which was a three day convention focused on learning, connection and inspiration for the association community. This design capitalizes on Atlanta’s shorthand: ATL.

Dash Studio was the design team behind these projects. The Atlanta-based creative non-profit specializes in producing transformative art experiences in public spaces.

Courtney Hammond, creative director and principal of Dash Studio, worked with a team of creatives, designers, architects, engineers and builders to create these designs.

Looking at it from afar, the A-T-L letters are easily distinguishable. But, the closer one gets to it, the more there is to be discovered.

The greenery throughout the booth highlights one of Atlanta’s nicknames, The City in the Forest. The T is reminiscent of how the city looks when people fly in and out of Atlanta, through the tree canopy.

Up close, the letter L becomes a spot for creativity with a nod to Atlanta’s music scene. The A-Track, as it’s called, it a space where attendees can pick from Atlanta soundtrack options, create an artist name, snap a picture for their album cover and share the final results with their family and friends.

Designed for IMEX America, one of the largest trade shows for the meetings, events, and incentive travel industry, this booth is built around scheduled appointments, with intentional seating configurations for focused conversations. Its open, welcoming layout also invites attendees to stop by for a quick hello or an impromptu chat between appointments.

“How many seats can you fit in the shape? How big can the chairs be? How much room can we have between those chairs and what can we fit within that rooms besides those chairs?” Hammond said.

Hammond and her team used restaurant concepts to figure out how to have as many seats and meeting areas as possible, while also having the ability to have branding that stands above the crowd.

The 40-foot tall booth featured a 360° lighted halo, three kinetic towers that represent iconic buildings in the city and rotate, as well as an illuminated statement A-T-L front wall.

“We appreciate artwork that is beautiful, is alive and also does something to solve a problem,” Hammond said.

It was used for the first time at IMEX America Oct. 13-15 in Las Vegas.

To ensure these booths can go beyond trade shows, pieces of the ATL design can be separated into different elements and different structures, such as bringing the “A” to stand alone. This versatility means the booth is adaptable to several types of events.

Both of these booths will be brought to various conventions to showcase Atlanta as a destination. While each booth made a statement in their inaugural year, the strong designs provide flexibility for expanding activations and better tailoring them to each show they appear at.

A Chicago transplant, Taylor loves exploring what makes Atlanta the place to be. Name a popular festival, food hall or brewery to check out and she will be there.