With such wonderfully beautiful cars as the Maserati Quattroporte and the GranTurismo at the Geneva International Motor Show last month, the Italian car maker could almost be forgiven for concentrating on the cars and going with a basic motor show stand.

But Maserati put equal effort into its Motor Show stand and its stand was acknowledged as one of the best stands at the Geneva International Motor Show. Considering the much larger budgets and bigger, more flexible stand areas occupied by its many rivals for a coveted ‘Best Show Stand’ award, Maserati’s achievement should not be underestimated.

For a start, Maserati’s stand was not against a wall in the PalExpo exhibition centre, limiting its ability both to use height – it was limited to a single level – and to hang equipment and features from the roof. Equally, as an ‘island’ in the hall, the stand had to look good from all four sides, as well as offering casual show visitors a good view of the new models, while allowing customers a comfortable area to look at their planned purchases. This was achieved by splitting the stand into five distinct areas. Firstly, a coliseum area, surrounded on two sides by a free floating glass wall so show visitors could admire the GranTurismo, and with seating areas inside the stand for guests and customers to also admire the new car. For the reveal of the new car to the media, this area had two additional features. A curtain behind the coliseum area was lowered so that during the reveal the view of the area was pure Maserati, with no other car brands spoiling the view.

To cover the car itself there was a very cleaver domed white cover which, as it lifted to reveal the GranTurismo, also became the light filter for the lights on the new car. This new cloth, which had not been used at shows before, ensured that the light was a soft light, with no pinpoints of light to hide and break up the flowing lines of the GranTurismo. This also made the car particularly easy to photograph – an important feature at show where more than 3,000 accredited ‘snappers’ are at work.

A raised platform alongside the coliseum housed a second GranTurismo, with a significantly contrasting exterior colour and interior trim to demonstrate the range trim and finish options that Maserati offers.
 

Although the GranTurismo was the star of the show, the Quattroporte Automatic, which was making its European debut is, arguably, more important to Italian supercar maker as it will provide the majority of the planned sales increase for the company. To ensure it was not over shadowed by the GranTurismo, it had its own display area and approaching the stand from two sides, one of which was the main traffic direction for people entering the show, it was the star display.

On the fourth side of the stand, Maserati had for normal show goers a merchandise shop, while on the inside of the stand, this backed on to a catering area, with a bar and food area. Completing the stand was an office area. To ensure that this utilitarian area did not present a blank face to the outside of the stand, these areas contained various displays of Maserati history, motorsport and technology. Maserati was also complimented for its fine detailing on the stand. For example, rather than use plain cushions in the seating areas, or cushions whose sole purpose was to sit on, each cushion in the coliseum area was made from the same fine leather as the upholstery in its cars in each of the different standard colours, presenting a fine and practical display of the handcrafted materials offered by Maserati. Illuminating much of the stand were lights that boasted shades made from reinterpretations of Maserati grilles.

The finished stand represented more than just a high quality presentation of Maserati products; it provided a strong reinforcement of the unique style and elegance that is a byword of Italian design, that was both welcoming and practical, offering an ideal view of the cars for both guests and casual show visitors.