Exhibiting a Global Seafood Superstar
For Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, the world’s largest gathering for the seafood industry, HIMA set out to create an exhibition stand that translated its brand into a physical experience. As the company behind the world’s largest fully circular, regenerative trout facility, HIMA needed more than a functional booth. It needed a space that expressed the purity of its mountain-water farming system, the quiet drama of the Rjukan valley, and the clarity of its mission. The result was a two-floor environment that merged emotional storytelling with practical hospitality, inviting visitors into the world that shapes HIMA trout.

Project Goal
The project’s ambition was to strengthen HIMA’s brand position by turning its identity into a coherent spatial narrative. The stand needed to support commercial needs—tastings, meetings, and presentations—while communicating the product’s exceptional quality and the regenerative principles behind it. A major focus was on improving the flow of visitors, ensuring that thousands of people could move intuitively through the space without losing the clarity of the story. At heart, the goal was to create an environment that made HIMA impossible to overlook, while giving every visitor a clear sense of what the company stands for.

Our approach
The concept was rooted in two visual and atmospheric ideas tied closely to the HIMA brand. The first was the gradient from light to dark, inspired by the Rjukan valley, where fog often hangs between mountain walls. This natural transition—from shadow to clarity—became the backbone of the stand’s architecture. Textiles, materials, and lighting were arranged to echo this feeling, guiding visitors through different moods as they progressed from introduction to deep understanding.
The second idea was to use light, transparency, and natural materiality to create an emotional connection. Lightweight structures, translucent surfaces, and warm illumination suggested the purity of mountain water and the softness of drifting fog, while plants and natural textures grounded the space in Norwegian nature.

These ideas were brought together through a clear spatial strategy that divided the stand into thematic zones. The Fish and The Taste focused on the product and hosted the live kitchen, while The Future highlighted HIMA’s circular technology. Meeting areas, lounges, and a narrative “experience corridor” tied these components together, forming a story that unfolded at the visitor’s pace.

Solution
The final stand design combined architecture, communication, and hospitality into one unified experience. The ground floor was opened up by removing central walls, creating wider sightlines and allowing the HIMA and Eyvi areas to coexist naturally.

Communication surfaces were maximised and strategically distributed—dynamic digital content in busy circulation zones, and static information in places where visitors naturally stopped. The tasting area at the entrance created an immediate sense of welcome and became a focal point where HIMA trout could be experienced first-hand through live cooking.

Large LED walls, modular screens, and a physical model of the trout facility brought the technical story to life, while fog-inspired textiles, suspended fabric, and carefully calibrated lighting reinforced the brand’s connection to the Rjukan landscape.

The upper floor offered calmer, more private zones for meetings, conversations, and hospitality. iPads replaced paper forms to streamline lead collection, and natural Scandinavian elements—from birch and larch branches to warm wood surfaces—added a sense of authenticity and emotional calm.

Throughout the design, every visual and functional choice supported a coherent narrative about purity, circularity, and thoughtful innovation.

Results
The stand quickly became one of the most visited at Seafood Expo Global. HIMA generated more than 150 leads, many of them highly qualified and strategically important. Visitors responded strongly to the product tastings, with chefs and industry experts praising the trout’s exceptional colour, flavour, and freshness.

The storytelling around sustainability and circular farming resonated deeply, offering a clear explanation of what makes HIMA’s approach unique. Feedback highlighted the stand’s atmosphere—calm, clear, and unmistakably Scandinavian.

Most importantly, the stand strengthened HIMA’s position as a leader in sustainable seafood. It did more than showcase a product; it gave shape to the brand’s worldview and demonstrated what a future with HIMA looks like. The result was an exhibition presence that combined emotional resonance with commercial impact, setting a new standard for how aquaculture brands can express themselves in a competitive global arena.