KYLE DeMERS | Art Direction | Design | Illustration
© Kyle DeMers 2023

NADA Exhibitions & Campaigns

An auto industry staple in overdrive

- ROLE

Art Director, Production


- FOR

Cars.com


The National Automobile Dealers Association Show Expo is the hottest dealer event of the year for the auto industry. Cars.com asked for the biggest footprint in the massive 700,000 square foot spaces in Las Vegas and New Orleans. The two-story booth was able to repurposed and rebranded for a second year, but both years featured unique theming that involved print and digital campaigns, landing pages, giant video walls, keynote speakers, and a few celebrity appearances.

The 2016 NADA theme for Cars.com was "Buy. Sell. Service." Intended to be immediate in its messaging, Cars.com wanted a bold look to reflect their massive footprint on the show floor. Utilizing an undulating light pattern carried through print collateral, animated video booths, and a 10-foot-tall video wall, it was impossible for dealers not to notice.

NADA 2016 Integrated Campaign Collateral

NADA 2016 Booth Design and Theme

NADA 2016 Booth Design and Theme

NADA 2016 Booth Design and Theme

On top of the booth, Cars.com also hosted an afterparty at Brooklyn Bowl. Theming was carried through further print materials (including branding the stairs and the alleys), followed by a concert by supergroup Royal Machines, featuring Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray and Dave Navarro of Red Hot Chili Peppers.

NADA 2016 Dealers Afterparty

The 2017 NADA show took the event to New Orleans. Cars.com wanted to utilize the same booth design with a new theme – For Every Turn, reflecting Cars.com’s abilities to be with dealers every step of the sales process. This was illustrated by an Escher-esque infinite triangle and a rotating bevy of headlines pushing the steps of the sales process. The undulating pattern was replaced with dynamic diagonal lines and patterns based on the design and energy of the triangle icon.

NADA 2017 Afterparty Email Invitation

NADA 2017 Print Ad Campaign

To take advantage of the location, we designed a foldout map featuring several buzzworthy locations around the city (with the help of our account executive, who happened to be a local). The map was collapsed between two magnetic business cards to keep users from looking like the typical tourist.

NADA 2017 Magnetic Foldable Map

NADA 2017 Email Campaign

NADA 2017 BOOTH DESIGN AND THEME

NADA 2017 BOOTH DESIGN AND THEME (SIDE)

The center tower on the show floor rotated through multiple videos focusing on upcoming talks from industry professionals, opportunities with the Cars.com team for special events, and promotional videos for the afterparty.

NADA 2017 AFTERPARTY THEME

NADA 2017 CENTER BOOTH GRAPHICS PACKAGE

NADA 2017 BOOTH DESIGN AND THEME (LIVE)

Watch a recap of the 2017 show below with multiple views from three days of events.

NADA 2017 CARS.COM RECAP VIDEO