CES 2025 Highlights: Essential Design Trends and Strategies for an Unforgettable Booth Experience

CES 2025 has come and gone, but the lasting impact of the design innovations and interactive experiences showcased at the event will continue to inspire exhibitors for years to come. With over 140,000 attendees and 4,500+ exhibitors, CES is the ultimate proving ground for cutting-edge technology and exhibit design. If you’re planning your next trade show appearance, there are many valuable takeaways from CES 2025 that can help you stand out in a crowded space.

Here are the top trends, strategies, and booth design tips to consider as you prepare for your next show-stopping booth.

1. The Power of Location: Choosing the Right Booth Space

At CES, booth location can make or break your exhibit's success. A high-traffic area—near entrances, key attractions, or other popular booths—can significantly increase foot traffic. Early reservations are key to securing prime spots, especially if you want to be near complementary brands or larger exhibits that share your audience.

But while being close to larger booths can increase visibility, it’s a double-edged sword. Huge, towering exhibits with enclosed walls can easily overshadow smaller booths, so be mindful of the booth size and layout around yours.

Tip: Understand both your audience and your competition. Position your booth to draw traffic away from competitors or choose a distinctive, quieter space that allows your brand to stand out.

2. Creating a Relaxing and Immersive Environment

In the sensory overload that is CES, creating a tranquil atmosphere within your booth is a powerful way to engage attendees. Many successful exhibitors curated peaceful environments that helped visitors disconnect from the surrounding chaos and dive deeper into the brand experience.

CES 2025 Highlights:

• Ambient Lighting: LED lighting was used creatively to define spaces, highlight products, and guide attendees through the booth. Subtle, warm lighting can make your booth feel inviting and less overwhelming.
• Natural Materials & Textures: Incorporating elements like wood, stone, and plants helped create a more grounded, organic feel amidst the digital overload.
• Dimensionality & Interactive Displays: Transparent LED screens and interactive digital displays added depth to the exhibits, creating a more dynamic, immersive space for attendees to explore.

Tip: Consider mixing physical textures with digital experiences. This combination can add tactile warmth and make your booth more engaging, helping it stand out from the competition.

3. Maximizing Vertical Space: ‘Brand Skyscrapers’

Exhibitors at CES 2025 embraced verticality with towering exhibits that reached for the sky. Double-decker booths and elaborate ceiling structures created striking “brand skyscrapers,” offering higher visibility and better traffic flow. Some companies used this vertical space for large LED facades, interactive digital signage, and bold graphics.

Tip: Don’t forget to leverage the full potential of your booth’s height. Vertical designs can help your exhibit stand out in the crowded trade show environment and draw attendees’ attention from afar.

4. Sensory Experiences: Engaging All Five Senses

The brands that truly stood out at CES went beyond just sight and sound. They created multi-sensory experiences that made their booths unforgettable.

CES 2025 Highlights:

• Smell & Touch: Brands like Kubata activated multiple senses within their product zones. Imagine walking through a pecan orchard, smelling fresh grass while learning about a new lawn mower, or entering a park setting to interact with the latest smart devices.
• Taste: Some booths took it even further, with food experiences like pizza from Hisense or coffee sampling from Bosch to engage attendees' taste buds.

Tip: Think beyond visuals and sounds. Sensory marketing is a great way to leave a lasting impression on visitors. Consider incorporating smell, touch, or taste into your booth experience.

5. Interactive and Immersive Technology: VR and Holograms

Virtual reality (VR) and holographic technology were big hits at CES, offering attendees hands-on, immersive experiences. These technologies help personalize the attendee journey and provide innovative ways for visitors to engage with your brand, without the need for a live representative.

CES 2025 Highlights:

• Holographic Guides & Signage: Holograms helped visitors navigate booths, interact with brand leaders, and understand product features in a more engaging way.
• Product Demonstrations: Interactive holograms, such as the ones used by AARP, PwC, and LG, gave attendees the chance to virtually meet executives or interact with products in a fun and futuristic way.

Tip: If you can incorporate VR or holograms into your booth, it can provide an innovative touch that catches attention and enhances visitor engagement.

6. Storytelling with Product Displays

At CES, product displays were more than just showcases; they were storytelling experiences. Companies took a deep dive into the story behind their products, offering detailed signage, case studies, and hands-on demonstrations to enhance the customer journey.

CES 2025 Highlights:

• Interactive Product Displays: Siemens, for example, used in-depth physical signage and displays that allowed attendees to explore real-world applications of their technology, making the booth both educational and engaging.

Tip: Tell a story with your products. Instead of just showcasing them, connect with your audience by explaining how your technology fits into their lives or solves real-world problems.

7. The Role of Fabric and Textiles in Design

Fabric graphics were a major trend at CES 2025, with many brands opting for soft, flexible materials instead of hard surfaces. SEG (silicone edge graphics) fabrics were used to create textured walls that added depth and dimension to exhibits while remaining lightweight and versatile.

Tip: High-impact fabric graphics can help create visual interest and contrast while maintaining a clean, modern aesthetic.

8. Sustainable Design Choices

Sustainability continues to be a major focus, with more exhibitors opting for eco-friendly materials and designs. Sustainable booths use recycled materials, energy-efficient lighting, and other green initiatives that align with the growing trend toward environmental consciousness in the industry.

Tip: If sustainability is a priority for your brand, make sure to incorporate eco-friendly elements in your booth design. It can resonate with eco-conscious attendees and enhance your brand’s image.

CES 2025 showcased a remarkable evolution in trade show booth design, emphasizing interactive experiences, sensory engagement, and innovative technology. The key takeaway? To create a truly memorable experience, you need to be more than just a booth with products on display. Your exhibit should tell a story, engage all of the senses, and offer an immersive, calming space amid the chaos.

By integrating these trends and tips into your booth design strategy, you’ll be well on your way to capturing attention and making a lasting impression at your next trade show.