Catalyst IQ · NADA Show 2026
Nobody on the floor knew the name yet. Everybody knew the four companies behind it. The booth’s job was to connect the two.
Catalyst IQ launched in January 2026 by uniting Adpearance, Fox Dealer, Search Optics and ZeroSum into a single AI-driven automotive marketing platform — and five weeks later it had to introduce itself to 20,000+ dealers at NADA. Pure Exhibits built a 20 × 20 island at the Las Vegas Convention Center that carried the new identity overhead, kept the four legacy names in view, and gave the MarketAI® platform somewhere real to be demonstrated.
One Brand. Four Legacies. Zero Room for Confusion.
Catalyst IQ launched in January 2026 by uniting four established automotive marketing companies — Adpearance, Fox Dealer, Search Optics, and ZeroSum — into a single AI-driven platform powered by the proprietary MarketAI® engine. NADA Show 2026 was their very first trade show as a unified brand, and the stakes were enormous: introduce a new identity to an industry that already knew the four legacy names.
The challenge was layered: communicate what Catalyst IQ is (and isn’t) to 20,000+ dealers who may have worked with one of the predecessor brands, showcase the breadth of integrated services — from live market data and VIN-level advertising to SEO/AEO and lead capture — and do it all within a 20×20 island footprint competing against 600+ exhibitors for attention on the NADA floor.
“Automotive intelligence isn’t static. It evolves. Through Catalyst IQ, we help our clients not just keep pace with innovation, but lead it.”Andy Lobred, President, Catalyst IQ
From Four into One
Brand Synthesis
Translating a brand-new identity into physical space — building a visual language around Catalyst IQ’s signature gradient palette (teal to orange to magenta) that signals innovation and energy while honoring the four legacy brands that built the company’s reputation.
Island Architecture
Engineering a true four-sided island within a 20×20 footprint — every face needed its own purpose and visual pull, with an overhead hanging structure visible from across the hall to establish Catalyst IQ as a landmark on the show floor.
Story Zoning
Dividing the footprint into distinct narrative zones: a legacy wall showing the “Formerly” brands, a services showcase with the full product suite, demo stations for MarketAI technology, and a hospitality zone for deeper dealer conversations.
Material Contrast
Pairing the bold digital gradient graphics with warm natural wood slat dividers and clean white structural elements — creating a booth that feels simultaneously tech-forward and approachable, inviting dealers to step in from any direction.
The Branded IQ Counter
A centrally positioned reception counter featuring the bold “IQ” lettermark in white against a magenta-gradient wrap, with blue LED underlighting at the base. The counter serves as the booth’s anchor point — a natural gathering spot for demos, conversations, and brand engagement with the CatalystIQ.com URL prominently displayed.
Legacy Wall & Demo Stations
A dedicated teal panel showcasing the four founding brands — Adpearance, Search Optics, Fox Dealer, and ZeroSum — under a “Formerly” header, bridging the trust of established names with the new Catalyst IQ identity. Adjacent LED screens and demo counters let the team walk dealers through live MarketAI demonstrations, the “Smarter Data, Faster Turn” messaging reinforcing the platform’s core value proposition.
Experience the booth
A walkthrough of the Catalyst IQ 20 × 20 island at NADA Show 2026 — past the gradient columns and legacy wall to the branded IQ counter at the booth’s core.
The launch at a glance
Smarter Data, Faster Turn — made tangible
NADA Show 2026 was Catalyst IQ’s debut moment. Launched just weeks earlier in January, the company — formed by uniting Adpearance, Fox Dealer, Search Optics, and ZeroSum — needed to make an immediate impression on the 20,000+ dealers and industry professionals filling the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The 20×20 island booth accomplished what a digital announcement alone couldn’t: it made the Catalyst IQ brand physically real. Dealers who’d worked with the predecessor companies for years could see, touch, and experience the unified platform. The “Formerly” wall acknowledged the legacy while the bold gradient graphics, MarketAI® demos, and “Smarter Data, Faster Turn” messaging declared that something fundamentally new had arrived.
The open island design delivered four approachable faces on the show floor — no dead corners, no blocked sightlines. Whether a dealer drifted in from the legacy brand wall, the services column, or the IQ counter, they arrived at the same conversation: one integrated platform serving 1,300+ dealerships across 22 OEM programs, powered by intelligence that tracks nearly 20,000 franchise dealers nationwide.
Explore our island exhibits
The same footprint spent the opposite way — a 20 × 20 that gave up open frontage to build enclosed meeting rooms for finance executives.
View Case Study → Adobe Summit 2026 MicrosoftA 20 × 20 built around a single message and an AI readiness assessment rather than a product showcase.
View Case Study → ABC Kids Expo 2026 Baby BrezzaA 20 × 30 white island at the same venue, built on kitchen-showroom logic for retail buyers.
View Case Study → ISC West 2026 Ambient.aiAnother brand with everything to prove at the same venue — a dark, screen-led 20 × 40 built to resemble the buyer’s own operations centre.
View Case Study →A brand launch is a design problem
A new name has one show to become real — overhead structure that claims the skyline, graphics that teach the brand in a glance, and a floor plan that turns curiosity into conversation. Pure Exhibits designs and fabricates custom booths from 10 × 10 inlines to 30 × 60 islands for launches, rebrands and market debuts at NADA, CES, ISC West and beyond — every booth 100% pre-built and photo-approved before it ships, with fixed, transparent pricing.