A group of TAD students and professors made their way down to the cities on Monday to meet with two companies. This was a big deal for the students that attended, it helped prepare them for the upcoming Vegas trip and taught them more about the exhibit industry.

One of the places the group stopped at was Exhibit Partners, an exhibit company based in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Here, students went on a tour and were able to talk to a few Bemidji State Alumni that worked there! Lexie Tabbert, a TAD Junior this year received special recognition for a trade show booth design she created to Stevia, an Exhibit Partners client. As part of a design contest that Stevia and EP sponsored, in which multiple BSU students were finalists, Lexie’s design was chosen, her booth (seen in the above photo) is being built for an upcoming show, and she won an all travel-expense paid trip to the upcoming Exhibitor Live Expo in Las Vegas. Congratulations, Lexie!

The second stop was Big Ink based in Eagan, Minnesota. They specialize in innovative solutions for event, exhibit, corporate and commercial environments. The students were able to have members of the regional The Experiential Designers and Producers Association (EDPA) look over their portfolios for feedback. This was extremely helpful for the students that are going to Vegas in just one week.

Thank you to Exhibit Partners and Big Ink for making the trip exciting, insightful and as memorable as possible!