We might thank Barbie for the shift from sad beige to unabashedly bold color play over the past two years. The practice has been seeping into every corner of the event landscape, most interestingly in business conference and trade show environments. This year, however, patterns and textures have joined the mix in what Pinterest and its 2025 Predicts report dubbed, “More is more.”
In fact, that same report found that “fabric wall décor” and “vintage maximalism” were up 125 percent and 260 percent, respectively, as popular search terms on Pinterest, while an Elle Décor headline this past March declared, “Intentional Clutter is the New Maximalism.” It’s all helping to write a whole new chapter on event design at a time when business trips must provide an escape, and when content and devices are owning attention spans. Maximalism in b-to-b is delivering on the immersion everyone needs. Let’s take a look at how, and where…
…Starting with, Google Cloud Next, held last month in Las Vegas. The show kicked off with a keynote where Google Cloud and Google DeepMind announced bringing the AI-remastered “The Wizard of Oz” to Sphere this August—talk about color play. And within the event environment, think: bold, colorful signage and shapes, fabrics and translucent glass design elements and moments.
GE Appliances at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show this year gave attendees a “boost of dopamine” with design statements like velvet ceilings, upside-down flower beds, pattern mixing and neon. And interestingly enough, attendees could scan a QR code to rank appliance finishes and provide feedback on trends to inform future product development (sassy microwaves, anyone?). And over at Whirlpool’s exhibit, attendees were treated to furry walls and books, wet laundry sculptures and a fine mist walk-through.
Related:
- Small Conference, Big Thinking: How Quest Software Breathed New Life into its Sales Kickoff
- CES 2025: Inside the Delta Keynote Experience at Sphere in Las Vegas
And speaking of color’s impact on our state of mind, what better way to motivate top-performing employees than to immerse them in the heart of the company’s expression as T-Mobile did with its award-winning Winners Circle event, which was an explosion of magenta and tropical vibes. What we loved: a half-circular screen and stage that rotated through beachball and sun reflection imagery that matched the expressions of those “beaming” employees.
Indeed, maximalism can be expressed through color, patterns and texture, but if event marketers want to kick it up another notch, look to some of the industry’s biggest b-to-b pet-centric events, from the SuperZoo trade show to the Veterinary Meeting & Expo, where tiger-striped poodles and cat-based fine art have lifted spirits and sentiments. Meow.
