meplan continuously evolves
NewPower’s trade fair presence

Design freedom, trust in delivery and an evolving concept across three trade fair appearances: meplan has been designing and delivering NewPower’s stand since 2022. “The Big Bang Story” brings sport and entertainment together in a distinctive visual concept.

What can emerge when a client gives the design team a largely free hand? For NewPower, this openness became the starting point for a trade fair concept that goes beyond a traditional product presentation. meplan developed the stand for electronica 2022 and continued to evolve the idea in 2024 and 2026, each time with new areas of focus. The client’s trust gave meplan the freedom to develop the staging and design over several years.

“At the time, we were given a largely free hand in the design, along with a generous budget. This allowed us to pursue ideas that often fall by the wayside in conventional trade fair stands due to design or budget constraints.”

Jörg Wutz, Art Director at meplan

NewPower wanted to stand out and specifically requested an American way of life and gaming theme to attract visitors from afar. meplan brought the atmosphere of New York’s Madison Square Garden to the trade fair. Basketball took centre stage, complemented by a golf simulator, interactive experiences and celebrity guests.

The products of NewPower, a distributor of electronic components specialising in semiconductors, were deliberately kept in the background. Instead, the stand focused on sport, entertainment and the “American Way of Life”. This gave visitors an engaging introduction to a brand whose business proposition may not be immediately familiar to them.

In 2022, actor David Hasselhoff drew additional attention with autograph sessions and short interviews. NewPower continued the concept in 2024. meplan added a racing simulator while retaining basketball and golf as interactive experiences.

Alongside the changing attractions, dynamic waves of light define the design. NewPower and meplan incorporated this motif into the stand design in 2022. Originating in the company’s digital brand world, it symbolises the flow of electricity and translates the original two-dimensional lines into three-dimensional space. LED tubes and light strips make the motif visible from different angles and enhance the stand’s long-distance impact. They also connect the trade fair presence with NewPower’s digital brand communications.

meplan carried the light waves through all three trade fair appearances. The logo, bar counter and grandstand were also reused and complemented by new elements. This preserved the design continuity while allowing the experience to evolve.

In 2026, meplan reinterpreted the sporting concept to tie in with the FIFA World Cup. A 100-square-metre, 2.5-metre-high LED wall, speaker Oliver Kahn and a dedicated entertainment area defined the stand. The sports bar served as a central meeting point for visitors. According to the plans, the stand covered 600 square metres, including a 390-square-metre main area and 110 square metres of secondary spaces in the form of an island stand and a niche.

The design process also reflected the trust between the teams: NewPower was enthusiastic about the initial concept. meplan then brought together selected ideas from the first and second proposals to develop the final design. This allowed the team to combine the established visual language with fresh ideas.

The three trade fair appearances show how an open design brief can enable long-term creative development. meplan built on the original idea with new experiences while consistently carrying forward key elements of the brand identity. The result was a trade fair concept that evolved over several years without losing its visual coherence.