For PowerSchool, ISTE 2025 marked more than just another tradeshow, it was a kickoff for a year of events that would showcase their ever-evolving platform to educators and administrators nationwide. Their team needed a booth that would make a strong first impression, spark meaningful interactions, and flex across multiple show formats, starting with a 20×30 footprint and scaling down as needed.
With STAR’s help, PowerSchool delivered an experience that was bold, interactive, and reusable, blending smart rental strategy with standout design and storytelling.
Vision for PowerSchool’s custom trade show booth activation
PowerSchool’s goal at ISTE was to engage with current users and connect with new educators in a way that was both memorable and strategic. As a platform supporting everything from classroom tools to district-wide data systems, PowerSchool wanted to educate through experience, not just through handouts or monitors.
They came to STAR with three key priorities:
- Build a booth that felt fun and welcoming to educators
- Maximize ROI through rental and reuse strategies across multiple events
- Create interactive moments that aligned with their brand and sparked engagement
STAR’s custom trade show design and build solution
To bring this vision to life, STAR designed a 20×30 modular rental booth anchored by several standout features:
- A central theater hosting customer and thought-leader presentations
- A fully interactive “locker wall” giveaway system, with tiered prizes distributed based on attendee engagement
- Clean, brand-forward graphics, supported by minimal copy and bold visuals
- A set of custom hanging icons representing PowerSchool’s product offerings—used throughout the space to tie the story together
The booth’s layout was carefully engineered to capture foot traffic from multiple directions. The theater was positioned to face the busiest aisle, while the lockers, reception, and demo areas offered more casual moments of engagement. Attendees who joined a demo or participated in a session were rewarded with a locker code—unlocking everything from pins and t-shirts to premium PowerSchool swag.
Impact of the trade show booth at ISTE 2025
PowerSchool’s booth quickly became a popular stop on the ISTE show floor. Educators were drawn in by the visual storytelling (and the swag), while the theater became a hub of energy with standing-room-only crowds.
Key outcomes included:
- High theater attendance, with presentations often at or near capacity
- Positive attendee feedback on booth design, color, and interactivity
- Strong reuse value: the same rental elements were repurposed across multiple events post-ISTE, including Edge and CITE
- Internal alignment and brand storytelling: team members noted how the hanging icons and locker strategy created a cohesive experience across every booth touchpoint
Conclusion
PowerSchool’s ISTE 2025 experience is a blueprint for how rental exhibits can drive real ROI when powered by strategic design and modular thinking. Through close collaboration with STAR, they were able to create a show-stopping presence that was flexible, reusable, and truly on brand.
From the lockers to the theater to the hanging icons, every element was crafted to spark joy, and keep working long after the show was over.
