Ecolab's Tech Trifecta
- Travis Stanton
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
How Storylink Creative brought Ecolab's innovations to life while providing insight into future optimization efforts that will ensure year-over-year improvements.
Ecolab Inc.
Exhibit: 30x110 feet
Event: National Restaurant Association
The Challenge
Ecolab wanted an exhibit that would attract attention, pull attendees in, get them hands-on with their products, encourage longer dwell times, and convey the fact that by using their efficient and effective products, clients can save four hours per day in labor costs.
The client also wanted an exhibit that would position it less as a provider of cleaning solutions and more as the innovative, science-backed company offering everything from technology to services addressing the needs of restauranteurs from front- to back-of-house.
Finally, Ecolab sought insight into which demos and displays were most popular/effective, how many attendees visited the booth, how long they stayed, and more. The goal here was to a) establish specific benchmarks against which they could compare future campaigns and b) identify areas of opportunity where we could improve the experience and optimize their investment over time.
The Solution
Storylink turned to a trio of tech applications to address Ecolab’s objectives, including large-scale multimedia integration, badge-scanning devices, and LTE sensors installed above the space.
The integration of large-scale multimedia installations was intended to attract attention and lend an innovative vibe to the exhibit. We used a combination of transparent screens (running real-time calculations related to the efficiency and sustainability of Ecolab’s offerings), overhead LED panels (running branded content and motion graphics to attract attention, while also turning cooking demos held inside the space into something that could be enjoyed by attendees in the booth as well as those in the aisle), and fixed video cameras to capture the cooking demos and create segment-like live presentations featuring demos and activities being held in the booth.
Badge scanners might not sound like a particularly high-tech trapping, but they facilitated an activity that underscored Ecolab’s “Save Four Hours” messaging. If guests visited four different stations (each representing one hour saved and ranging from AI-enabled innovations to water-saving solutions), they could earn a sample bundle of Ecolab products that would be sent to them after the event. This helped Ecolab identify which demos were most utilized while also underscoring an important key message. After completing a demo, guests could scan their badge, and an integrated screen would tell them how many demos they had completed thus far, as well as how many they needed to finish to qualify for the bundle.
Meanwhile, LTE sensors installed throughout the exhibit tracked cellphone signals and used AI to provide data including the number of booth visitors, average dwell time, total number of brand impressions, conversion rate, percentage of attendees that were AI qualified and/or AI identified as high-level “engagers,” which zones guests frequented, and their exact path through the exhibit.
The Results
The resulting exhibit captured Exhibitor magazine’s 2025 Best Use of Technology Award, with writers noting how the trio of tech applications turned the space into an engaging, interactive “living laboratory.”
Ecolab was thrilled with the resulting exhibit and traffic levels throughout the show. Meanwhile, the LTE sensors provided extremely valuable data that has established benchmarks and success metrics while arming us with the data necessary to recommend a future modifications and iterative improvements to the guest experience. In the words of one judge, “This wasn’t just data visualization; it was data orchestration.”
Interested in the kind of data to help justify your exhibit-marketing budget — and enable long-term, year-over-year optimization? Contact us to discuss our Strategic Data Analysis services today!