Three nominations for the Best Stand Awards at ONS 2026. What characterizes the best stands?
Best Stand Awards ONS 2026 highlights the stands that have made a particularly impressive impression at this year's fair. Among over 1,200 exhibitors, three of the projects we have helped to realize were nominated: Shell, Havtil and IFS.
But for us, this is about more than nominations. It's about three businesses that had different goals, different stories, and different approaches, but who all managed to create strong experiences for those who visited the booth.
Strategy, consulting and implementation
After many years at trade fairs such as ONS, Nor-Shipping, Eliaden and Aqua Nor, we have seen countless concepts, solutions and approaches.
The experience is quite clear: The stands that create the most engagement are rarely the biggest or most expensive. They are built around a clear idea, a clear goal, and an execution that supports the story the business wants to tell. This is often the difference between a stand that gets noticed and a stand that is remembered.
Three different stories
Shell
Shell was nominated for a warm and inviting meeting place where technology, collaboration and people were at the center.
Together with MCI The Netherlands, we at NPG have been a consulting partner throughout the entire process and worked over several months to plan, develop and realize Shell's presence at ONS 2026.
The result was a meeting place that made it easy to stop, chat, and explore the stories Shell wanted to tell.
Sea to sea
Havtil was nominated for The Wave, a concept inspired by the ocean and the movement of a wave.
The concept and design were developed by Havtil itself. Our role has been to contribute with consulting, project management and visualization of the solution.
The result was a stand that stood out and at the same time put safety on the agenda in a way that engaged visitors.
IFS
IFS was nominated in the Best Stand under 50 m² category at ONS for its ability to make complex AI and ERP solutions accessible and relevant to the public.
Through a clear story, engaging content and a complete experience, advanced technology was conveyed in a way that created interest, dialogue and activity throughout the fair.
also read: How to succeed at trade fairs
More than visibility
At large venues like ONS, everyone is competing for attention. Yet it is rarely the size of the stand or the number of square meters that people remember when the fair is over.
They remember the good conversations. They remember the experiences. They remember the people they met and the stories they got to be a part of.
That's why a good stand concept is about much more than visibility. It's about creating a meeting place that supports the business's goals, builds relationships, and makes the brand relevant to the people you want to reach.
When strategy, content, design and activation work together, the stand becomes more than a physical space on the trade show floor. It becomes a brand experience that engages, creates dialogue and provides value both during and after the trade show.
From idea to brand experience
This is also what makes such projects interesting to us. None of the three nominated stands attempted to solve the same task. They had different goals. Different target groups. Different messages. Yet they succeed because the concept, content, design and experience worked towards the same goal.
When that happens, the stand becomes more than a physical construction. It becomes an arena where the brand is experienced in practice.
High quality throughout the exhibition floor
ONS is one of the world's most important meeting places for the energy and marine industries, and the level of this year's fair was impressive.
Throughout the halls were strong concepts, brand experiences and creative activations. Many companies had invested significant time and resources in how they wanted to meet the audience, and it was inspiring to see the breadth of solutions presented.
It also makes us extra grateful that three of the projects we have been able to help realize were nominated for the Best Stand Awards.
One of the most interesting things about ONS is that there is no one right way to succeed. Different companies have different goals, stories and target groups. Yet we often see that the concepts that create the greatest engagement are those that manage to make the message relevant, tangible and easy to engage with. This year's nominations in the Best Stand Awards ONS 2026 show just how many different ways it is possible to succeed.
Thank you to our customers for their trust, and to everyone who has contributed to making this year's ONS an inspiring meeting place.
