Case Study
Zoho
A bright, open-plan 20×20 island booth brought Zoho People’s comprehensive HR platform to life through interactive gaming, live product demos, and a welcoming partner zone — at the world’s largest HR technology conference
Pure Exhibits designed and built Zoho’s custom 20×20 ft island exhibit at HR Tech Conference 2025 — Booth #1923 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, September 16–18, 2025 — creating a crisp white architectural environment anchored by monumental dark-charcoal-framed gateway towers that rose from each corner like modern monoliths. The booth featured a dedicated interactive gaming wall (“Decode the HR Lingo”), a glowing backlit Zoho logo reception counter, a multi-face messaging strategy covering product features, enterprise trust signals, partner recruitment, and data security, bar-height meeting zones with Scandinavian-modern orange-cushioned stools, and brilliant white custom flooring that made the booth glow like an oasis on the expo floor — all unified by Zoho’s primary blue and crisp white brand palette, colorful illustrated icons, and tropical palm greenery. Positioned among competitors like Paylocity, BambooHR, and next-generation agentic HR platforms, Zoho’s island delivered the “Simple, efficient, and scalable HR software” brand message to thousands of HR technology professionals.
The Challenge
Standing Out as a Self-Funded Giant on HR Tech’s Most Competitive Floor
Zoho Corporation — the bootstrapped technology powerhouse with a $12.5 billion valuation, 150 million users across 150 countries, $3.2 billion in revenue, and 55+ integrated business applications — needed to make a powerful impression at HR Tech 2025, the world’s largest and most influential HR technology conference, held September 16–18 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas, Zoho has never taken a single dollar of venture capital — a rare distinction in the enterprise software world.
The challenge was multi-layered. Among a packed expo floor featuring hundreds of exhibitors — including competitors like Paylocity (with its massive orange overhead presence), BambooHR (with green branding), and next-generation “agentic HR platform” vendors with teal neon displays — Zoho needed a 20×20 ft island booth at Booth #1923 that could:
- Spotlight Zoho People as simple, efficient, and scalable HR software capable of competing with much larger, VC-funded rivals — covering Onboarding, Time-off, Time Tracking, Performance, LMS, HR Analytics, and Business Chat
- Drive interactive engagement that drew foot traffic beyond passive walk-bys, keeping visitors in the booth longer and creating memorable, shareable touchpoints
- Communicate breadth and trust — from 130 million+ users and Fortune 500 clients (FedEx, Bosch, Puma, Shiji, Toyota) to a 2,000+ partner ecosystem spanning 75+ countries with 900+ partner-led integrations
- Recruit HRMS consulting partners by showcasing the partnership opportunity and demonstrating the depth of the Zoho ecosystem
- Reinforce data security messaging in an era when enterprise HR buyers increasingly scrutinize privacy and compliance commitments
All of this needed to be achieved within a compact 20×20 ft footprint that still felt open, inviting, and architecturally distinct — a space that projected Zoho’s unique identity as a self-funded, product-first technology company that has quietly built one of the most comprehensive business software suites in the world.
“Simple, efficient, and scalable HR software.”
— Zoho People Brand Platform
The Creative Journey
When Architecture, Gaming, and HR Software Converge
Monumental Gateway Architecture
The single most distinctive architectural element of Zoho’s booth — and the detail that made it immediately identifiable from any aisle approach — was the series of tall, dark-charcoal-framed rectangular columns that rose from each corner of the 20×20 ft footprint like modern monoliths. These “picture-frame portal” towers framed brilliantly white backlit lightbox panels on every face, giving each side of the booth a gallery-like quality that drew the eye from every direction. The crisp white-on-charcoal contrast established a premium, design-forward aesthetic that immediately differentiated Zoho from the sea of corporate blue booths surrounding it. The towers created a sense of monumental scale that belied the 20×20 ft footprint — making the booth feel far larger than its physical boundaries. Bright LED strip lighting ran along the top edges of the interior, creating clean glowing lines that reinforced the architectural precision.
Interactive Gaming Wall
The left tower housed a dedicated interactive gaming experience — “Decode the HR Lingo: One Vowel at a Time. Play & Win!” — displayed on a large vertical touchscreen embedded within the dark-framed portal structure. Attendees played an HR-themed word puzzle game (similar to Wordle) with a vivid yellow interface and real-time scoring that tracked completed levels. The gamification element created a natural crowd-gathering point visible from across the aisle, extended dwell time as visitors competed for higher scores, and generated social sharing moments that amplified Zoho’s reach far beyond the booth itself. The bright yellow game screen against the white-and-charcoal tower created a beacon effect — an unmissable splash of color that drew curious attendees like a magnet.
Multi-Face Messaging Strategy
Each of the four booth faces delivered a distinct, targeted message: the front featured a glowing backlit Zoho logo reception counter with the “Trusted by over 130M users worldwide” trust bar (FedEx, Bosch, Puma, Shiji, Toyota); one tower showcased Zoho People as “HR made effortless for every business” with colorful feature icons for Onboarding, Time-off, Time Tracking, Performance, LMS, HR Analytics, and Business Chat; the rear panel promoted the HRMS consulting partner program with stats (2k+ partners, 75+ countries, 900+ partner-led integrations) and a detailed feature bullet list; and the fourth face reinforced data security with “Engineered for security, committed to your privacy.” A large flat-screen TV mounted on the central column cycled through product demonstrations and customer success stories. QR codes on multiple panels provided instant access to product pages and partner registration.
Illuminated Reception & Demo Zone
A glowing white reception counter at the booth’s entrance served as the primary welcome point, featuring the iconic Zoho logo — four overlapping colored squares in red, green, blue, and yellow — backlit from within. The counter was positioned at the intersection of two main aisles (1600/1900), maximizing first-impression opportunities with passing traffic. Behind the counter, the central messaging column displayed “Simple, efficient, and scalable HR software” alongside key product stats. Tablet kiosks positioned near the columns allowed hands-on exploration of the Zoho People platform, while a wall-mounted flat-screen monitor cycled through product demonstrations, customer testimonials, and ecosystem overview content — ensuring that even attendees waiting to speak with a representative were absorbing Zoho’s core value propositions.
Scandinavian-Modern Hospitality
The interior was furnished with white bar-height tables and stylish orange-cushioned bar stools on warm natural wood legs — a Scandinavian-modern palette that created an inviting, café-like atmosphere for product conversations. A white modular lounge sofa in the back-left area provided a more relaxed seating option for extended demos or partner discussions. Two large tropical fan palm plants in white round planters flanked the main entrance symmetrically, adding organic warmth to the crisp white environment. The furniture arrangement facilitated three engagement modes simultaneously: quick standing conversations at the reception counter, medium-length demo discussions at the bar tables, and in-depth partner meetings on the lounge sofa — ensuring every visitor found their natural comfort level.
Colorful Brand Storytelling
Against the clean white surfaces, playful illustrated icons in Zoho’s signature palette — orange, teal, pink, yellow, and chartreuse — decorated the lower sections of each panel. These custom graphics (briefcase with upward arrow, clock with teal wave, avatar figures, lightbulbs, stars, shopping bags, airplanes) translated abstract HR software concepts into approachable visual language that felt distinctly Zoho. The bright white custom flooring created a clearly defined stage effect, contrasting sharply with the surrounding dark convention center carpet and making the booth glow like an oasis on the expo floor. The overall effect was unmistakably Zoho: colorful but controlled, playful but professional — a visual expression of a company that builds software for real people rather than abstract enterprises.
The HRMS consulting partner and data security messaging faces of Zoho’s 20×20 ft island — featuring partner ecosystem stats, product feature bullets, a QR code for instant registration, colorful illustrated brand icons, and the “Engineered for security, committed to your privacy” commitment panel.
Gallery
The Booth in Detail
Full frontal overview — all four gateway towers, gaming display, and the backlit Zoho logo reception counter
Interactive gaming tower — “Decode the HR Lingo” word puzzle with real-time scoring
Zoho People feature lightbox — “HR made effortless for every business” with product category icons
Partner and security faces — HRMS partnership stats with QR codes and privacy commitment
Interior perspective — bar-height meeting zone with Scandinavian stools and central messaging column
Front-corner angle — illuminated reception counter and tropical palm plants flanking the entrance
Video
Booth Walkthrough
Impact
Results That Validate the Design
The Zoho island booth at HR Tech 2025 delivered exceptional results by combining architectural distinction with interactive engagement. The monumental gateway tower architecture created a landmark presence on the expo floor that drew visitors from the 1600/1900 aisles. The HR word puzzle game proved to be a standout crowd-puller, with attendees queuing to play and sharing scores on social media — generating organic amplification that extended Zoho’s reach far beyond Booth #1923. The multi-face messaging strategy ensured every visitor received a relevant Zoho People value proposition regardless of their approach angle — from product features and enterprise trust signals to partner recruitment and data security commitments. The Scandinavian-modern hospitality zone facilitated meaningful conversations that converted casual interest into qualified pipeline, while the bright white flooring and illuminated panels made the booth impossible to miss against the convention center’s darker surroundings. As a self-funded company competing against VC-backed rivals, Zoho proved that thoughtful design and genuine product substance can outperform big-budget spectacle.
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