UBM’s The Tents

UBM, the event producer responsible for the fashion trade show, Project, wanted to create a 25,000 square-foot upscale, modular pavilion for up-and-coming fashion brands that attendees would see as an exciting destination at the show. Show pavilions often use aluminum extrusion and cheap materials, which look lackluster and don’t serve the brands that reside within them. The Tents, as they would be called, needed to be something more. Since the goal was a high-end environment, Gilbert ruled out using extrusion and instead designed modular hardwall panels that could expand or contract depending on the size of each brand’s space. Custom tables, shelves, clothing racks, and logos were designed to assemble quickly and easily. This uniformity created a clean, upscale aesthetic that put each brand’s product line front and center.

The name “The Tents” originated from the pavilion’s original location, outside the convention center housed within a giant tent. After a few years, weather concerns drove The Tents indoors. Tasked with keeping The Tents on-brand, Gilbert utilized fabric, draped from the ceiling, to frame the section and make attendees feel like they were still walking through a tent. Since its launch, The Tents have been a fixture at Project and the destination to see new, exciting, up-and-coming fashion brands. Gilbert works closely with UBM and their client brands to ensure seamless set up and that each brand is positioned to succeed at the show. Outdoors and in, people return every year to The Tents to see what the new names in fashion have to offer.