Rivard Stand 174sqm - Pollutec Trade Show
Rivard manufactures specialized transport and handling equipment. At Pollutec, the leading trade show for the environment and industrial ecology, the brand showcased three of its vehicles in a hall dominated by institutional booths and serious environmental messaging. Rivard took the opposite approach: a beach and open-air café vibe in the middle of Pollutec. The intent is clear: people don't just come to look at trucks; they come to enjoy themselves around them.
AUKARÉ
expertise
The challenge entrusted to AUKARÉ: install a beach and open-air café theme across 174m² at an environmental trade show without compromising the visibility of the displayed vehicles. The main constraint was the floor layout: the three trucks required two different treatments—black PVC flooring under and around the vehicles to highlight them through contrast, and a sand-effect floor for the rest to ground the café theme. No overhead signage: a 5m central totem handles long-distance identification.
This logic of a strong theme built around the product is directly in line with the multi-show reuse approach: the PVC signage was designed from the start to be reused for future editions.
What the team has created
AUKARÉ built the booth around a framework of stained spruce beams that interlock into 3m x 3m gantries, reminiscent of a beachside café structure. String lights run across the entire structure, from facade to facade, to set the mood from the aisle. The café bar, with its decor provided by the client (surfboards and seaside items) complementing the frames and posters designed by the AUKARÉ team, serves as the central gathering point. Planters on the sides add a touch of greenery that completes the beach theme without making it feel cluttered. Two high tables flank the walkways for informal exchanges. A cozy area with braided rope furniture is set back for more relaxed conversations. At the rear, a dartboard punctuates the café theme and creates a self-contained booth activity. The 6m² storage area is integrated without disrupting the atmosphere. The signage, made of PVC panels, is designed from the outset to be reused at future trade shows.
174
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Architecture & materials
Stained spruce wood is the dominant material of the booth, used in beams that interlock above the bar and structure the space without closing it off. The floor plays a strong narrative role: the black PVC defines the vehicles' territory and isolates them visually like showroom objects, while the sand-effect floor laid everywhere else transports the rest of the booth into a beachside setting. Sand blocks placed at the base of the vehicles extend this floor treatment into the third dimension.
Colors & identity
The Rivard logo in a summer surf-trend version is the only brand element that adapts to the context: the PVC signage panels use this variation and can be reprinted from one edition to the next. The rest of the colors are guided by the café theme: stained natural wood, the white of the string lights, the green of the planters, and the hues brought in by the client with their decorative items.
Technical features
The 5m central totem is the only high-level signage device on the booth. At this height, it is visible from the entire Pollutec area without the need for standard overhead signage. The string lights, distributed across the entire structure, act as ambient lighting that creates the café atmosphere as soon as you enter the area. The dartboard at the back is a self-contained booth activity: it attracts, engages, and creates moments of conviviality without requiring intervention from the sales team.
Visitor experience & journey
The journey was designed in three stages:
1. Long-distance capture: the 5m totem and the string lights running along the wooden frame signal Rivard before the visitor is even in the direct aisle. In a hall dominated by serious institutional booths, a café theme stands out from afar.
2. Invitation to enter: the open bar, visible surfboards, barrier-free high tables, and lighting ambiance create an invitation to stop that doesn't need to be spoken. People enter because they want to.
3. Engagement and conversion: once inside, the vehicles displayed on their black flooring become showroom pieces to be examined, while the bar, rope furniture, and dartboard keep the atmosphere relaxed enough for sales conversations to take the time they deserve.
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