Trade Show Archives - David Marquardt Architectural Photography

2022 | Coca-Cola and Topo-Chico at NACS

February 15, 2026/in Trade Show, Tradeshow, What's New/by David Marquardt

The National Association of Convenience Stores Show brings together every possible player in the industry of delivering snacks and miscellanea to a street corner near you. Boasting everything from chocolatiers and sandwich vendors to toy and keychain distributors, the NACS Show is a playground for treats and trinkets of every kind. The 100-pound gorilla on the show floor is undoubtedly Coca-Cola—the first brand that comes to mind (and into view) when you walk into a typical gas station. Coke’s presence at the show was impossible to miss, with their iconic polar bear serving as an eye-catching lure as he merrily greeted guests in a photo op (complete with Coca-Cola branding) at the entrance to the exhibit. Harkening back to the early 20th century, brownstone façades, park-like tables, and generous soda fountains created a comforting space that felt a bit like home amid the hustle of product peddlers on the show floor.

Adjacent to Coca-Cola was Topo Chico, Coke’s up-and-coming younger sibling whose popularity is skyrocketing in the 21st century. With a much smaller footprint, Topo Chico still managed to create a similarly immersive environment, allowing guests to feel as though they’d stepped into a tidy roadside cantina somewhere 100 miles south of Vegas.

Once again, we had the remarkable privilege of photographing the fun and stunning work of brilliant designers and builders who give physical shape to iconic brands as they represent themselves on a trade show floor. The thrill of capturing both the architecture of an empty booth and that same architecture at work—packed with engaged attendees—is what makes this work so enjoyable.

2026 | Timely Images for Brunswick at CES

January 6, 2026/in Convention, Trade Show, What's New/by David Marquardt

Welcome to day one of CES 2026.

Kicking off the New Year in our usual fashion, we’re thrilled to be shooting once again at CES 2026. With a stunning lineup of exhibits, CES showcases innovative—if temporary—experiences designed to excite consumers about what’s coming next.

CES is also a massive opportunity to capture attention. To that end, we delivered these images to Brunswick ahead the opening of the expo hall this morning. Shot yesterday, these photographs are already helping Brunswick broadcast their presence across social media and other digital platforms as the show gets underway.

With beautiful assets in hand early, Brunswick is seizing the moment—enticing visitors to their booth for an up-close look at three boats from their watercraft lineup, hands-on simulator experiences, and a preview of some of their newest technology. All of it, of course, while the booth is still standing. In just a few days, CES 2026 will be a thing of the past.

2021 | Hummer EV Launches at SEMA

January 1, 2026/in Commercial, Convention, Trade Show, Tradeshow, What's New/by David Marquardt

Hummer EV at SEMA 2021

Each October when SEMA comes to Vegas, there is a palpable buzz in the air. The Las Vegas Convention Center transforms into a mechanical playground, humming with innovation, competition, and pure automotive obsession. There’s also a significant amount of burned rubber hanging in the atmosphere—especially in the Gold Lot, where tire smoke and exhaust notes feel as much a part of the experience as the badges on the hoods. It’s an annual pilgrimage for car lovers, builders, and brands alike.

Even in mid-pandemic 2021, with lingering anxiety and uncertainty surrounding massive in-person gatherings, that familiar SEMA energy refused to disappear. Attendance looked different, masks were common, and conversations carried an undercurrent of caution—but fuel was still pumping through the veins of enthusiasts wandering the halls of the LVCC. The passion for performance, design, and innovation proved stronger than the circumstances, reminding everyone why SEMA remains such a cultural anchor in the automotive world.

That said, no fuel was pumping at the unveiling of Hummer EV, though. In a striking departure from its roots, the historic, fuel-consuming, military-gone-civilian beast reemerged as a fully electric, gas-less, and unapologetically modern machine. Once synonymous with excess and brute-force power, the Hummer’s transformation into an EV felt both surreal and symbolic—a clear sign of how rapidly the industry is evolving. We had the opportunity to photograph the exhibit, capturing this moment where legacy met reinvention.

Showcased in the then-brand-new West Hall, GMC’s presentation made a deliberate and confident statement. A generously-sized video display acted as backdrop, looping dramatic visuals that emphasized capability and scale, while the clean, open, and navigable layout encouraged guests to move freely around the vehicle. Attendees could view the Hummer EV from every angle, including beneath it—an intentional nod to its engineering and rugged underpinnings. The minimalist design of the booth allowed the vehicle itself to take center stage, letting its presence speak louder than any spec sheet ever could.

We also wanted to include a couple other notable exhibits from the show we has the opportunity to shoot:

As we move into 2026, we’ll continue sharing our 2025 work while revisiting and catching up on stories from 2022–2024, helping tell a fuller story of the photography that’s shaped our last few years.

2019 Trade Show Photography

July 5, 2019/in Trade Show, Tradeshow, What's New/by David Marquardt

The start of each year heralds the arrival of a slew of high-profile trade shows in Las Vegas. Kicking off with the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Las Vegas welcomes some of the biggest, most elaborate exhibits money can buy, and since these exhibits have a life span of only 3 or 4 days, documenting the exhibit with professional photography becomes a high priority. From IBS / KBIS to NADA (actually in San Francisco this year) to ISC West, acronyms take over much of our workload from January through March. We invite you to don your virtual lanyard and browse through of our few favorite images from the trade shows we’ve photographed in early 2019.

Dunkin Convention 2018

November 1, 2018/in Convention, Trade Show, Tradeshow, What's New/by David Marquardt

Partnering with our long-time client, tradeshow exhibit designer/manufacturer/installer Czarnowski, Dunkin Brands’ needed some photography for its international convention in 2018, the first of its kind in eight years. What started with our typical offering (careful, detailed, and crisp images of the exhibits on the trade floor), soon expanded into comprehensive photography of everything taking place at the show. We don’t sell ourselves as event photographers, but our biggest goal is to meet the needs of our clients, whatever they be. Aiming to deliver a fantastic end product and a great working relationship, we worked through the night to make sure images from the previous day were retouched and available to the various teams at Dunkin by morning. From their social media team, to the event production staff (for display on the big screen during general sessions), to various other departments and executives, all the images they needed were delivered on-time to a shared cloud folder each day of the event. Ultimately, we were thrilled that the Dunkin Convention in 2018 which included tradeshow exhibit photography, some portraiture, concert photography, and general event photography went without a hitch, as did the show as a whole thanks to a team of smart, energetic, and positive individuals from Dunkin’. Below are some selections of the 1200+ images we delivered from the event.

Kelly Clarkson performs in the MGM Grand Arena at the Dunkin’ 2018 Convention.

A poolside party, one of a couple dozen events we covered during the 2018 Dunkin International Convention.

General Sessions in the MGM Grand Arena were packed with creative entertainment, great lighting and screen visuals, and big announcements complete with confetti canons.

2017 Black Hat and Cisco Live Conventions

August 1, 2017/in Convention, Trade Show, Tradeshow/by David Marquardt

Recent technology conventions Cisco Live and Black Hat brought technology companies and their impressive exhibits to Las Vegas in past the few months. Once again, we had the chance to tromp through the convention center at Mandalay Bay and have free reign before the shows opened to capture some of the best exhibits at the shows. From Malwarebytes and their illuminated robot statue to Attivo’s hall of mirrors, there was no shortage of creativity on display.

Below you can take a look at some of our photos of these exhibits with our standard post-production processes (straightening, lens correction, color correction, and exposure correction) as well as some which have had added post-production work done to the photos. Additional editing in these images includes darkening, desaturating, and blurring the background, masking and cleaning up video screens, reduction of noise in solid areas, and spot color corrections such as reducing orange or green color casts from nearby light sources or the convention hall lighting. We hope you like the photos!

CON/AGG, ACFAS, and ExhibitorLive! 2017

May 1, 2017/in Trade Show, What's New/by David Marquardt

We’ve had the chance to photograph some beautiful exhibits at different conventions and trade shows in Las Vegas during the first quarter of 2017. From construction exhibitors at CON/AGG (CONExpo), to medical device makers at ACFAS, to conventioneers at ExhibitorLive!, we’ve shot a diverse array of trade show booths and we want to share some of the photos we came away with.

To draw attention to the most important features for our clients, we process these images and “turn down the lights” so that all the background distractions are muted, yet the exhibit is still visibly in the convention space. We typically deliver our clients dozens of images, usually taken in a 30-90 minute window. Have a look!

Consumer Electronics Show 2017

January 28, 2017/in Trade Show, What's New/by David Marquardt

We had a great time shooting the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month. From Panasonic in Central Hall at the LVCC to Philips at the Venetian to BMW and Visteon in the tents outside the convention center, we had a great time running around like crazy trying photograph as many exhibits as possible. Empty exhibits are only found before and after the show, so early mornings and late nights are part of the trade-show-shooting process so that means we get some of these magnificent booths to ourselves for a time (without bumping and tripping into a horde of onlookers.) But make no mistake, we spent plenty of time feeling like cattle like everyone else in the massive crowds that occupy the spaces during convention hours. Shooting candids of booth employees and guests can get grueling when one barely has enough space to aim one’s camera, but all said and done, we think we came away with some rewarding photos. Have a look and we’ll see you at CES 2018!

SEMA / AAPEX 2016 Las Vegas

November 17, 2016/in Trade Show, What's New/by David Marquardt

Stunning trade show booths have been the subject of some of our favorite work over the past few months. SEMA and AAPEX came to Las Vegas at the end of October / beginning of November and we had the chance to shoot some incredible exhibits. At AAPEX, the ACDelco booth featured ipads with virtual reality apps installed which allowed visitors to aim the tablet throughout the booth and view the exhibit as if it were an early 1900s auto parts shop. It also featured 3D printed auto parts which could be placed on flat-screen displays which recognized the part and brought up interactive information on the part including specifications and videos.

At SEMA, Chevrolet’s massive booth at the heart of Hall C in the convention center was a tribute to the Camaro, featuring several classic Camaros including the worlds first, and the worlds fastest. The exhibit also offered attendees the chance to check out the array of Chevy accessories and Chevy engines along with a few choice trucks and a prototype utility vehicle.

IGT Exhibit at G2E

October 3, 2016/in Trade Show, What's New/by David Marquardt

The IGT exhibit at G2E was a very Vegas booth for a very Vegas show. We had the privilege of shooting IGT’s massive booth at the Sands Exposition Center at the end of September. With a 100-yard curved video wall, three paneled-video “chandeliers” and flashy new products including a 4D interactive slot experience, the exhibit was a hit. With the help of a 10-foot ladder, we were able to get a birds-eye feel of the space which was crowded with banks of slot machines ready for anxious attendees to try out.