Transparency meets innovation: the Nexnovo installation by AVMS at Heimtextil

The world of trade fairs is constantly changing. Where pure product presentations used to dominate, today it is experiences, emotions and generating curiosity that count. Visitors don’t just want to see, they want to discover. This is precisely the approach we at AVMS Germany GmbH took at this year’s Heimtextil in Frankfurt.

In Hall 6.1, we were able to technically equip a special display area that not only impressed with its exhibits, but above all with its shell. Instead of rigid exhibition walls, we opted for an all-round installation of Nexnovo transparent LED modules. The result was a “magic box” that played with visitors’ viewing habits: sometimes an opaque advertising space, sometimes a glass display case. In this article, I take you behind the scenes of this project and show you why transparent LED technology is revolutionizing the architecture of trade fair stands.

The challenge: Attention in Hall 6.1

As the leading international trade fair for home and contract textiles, Heimtextil is the place where design, trends and haptics come together. The visual sensory overload at such trade fairs is enormous. Exhibitors and planners are therefore always faced with the same question: how can we make visitors stop at our stand? How do we create that one moment of irritation and fascination that is necessary to turn a passer-by into a prospective customer?

The requirement for the special display area in Hall 6.1 was clear: a space within a space was to be created. An area that accommodates exclusive exhibits – including high-quality chairs, tables and designer carpets. However, a completely closed “black box” often has a forbidding effect. An open area, on the other hand, takes away the exclusivity and the element of surprise.

The AVMS solution lay in the technology: transparent LED. We decided to completely rebuild the square special display area with Nexnovo modules. This decision was the key to a dynamic interplay of visibility and concealment that magically attracted visitors.

The technology: What makes Nexnovo transparent LED so special?

Before we delve deeper into the staging at Heimtextil, it’s worth taking a look at the technology we used there. Transparent LED walls, such as those from Nexnovo, are fundamentally different from classic LED walls.

With a conventional LED wall, we have a black, closed back on which the pixels sit. It is a massive obstacle to light and views. Nexnovo, on the other hand, works with a slatted structure. The LEDs sit on narrow strips with space between them. Depending on the model, we achieve a transparency of up to 80 percent.

The technical highlight: black becomes transparent

The exciting thing about this technology is the way in which content is displayed. LEDs emit light, but they cannot project “black”. On an LED wall, black simply means that the diode is off. On a normal wall, we see the black surface of the modules. With the transparent LED, however, we see – nothing. Or rather: we see through it.

Bright contents (white, colors): The LEDs shine extremely brightly. The human eye focuses on the light source. The structure of the wall in the background disappears visually and the surface appears opaque.
Dark contents (black): The LEDs are off. The viewer’s gaze passes through the slats to what is behind them.

It was precisely this physical effect that we made use of at Heimtextil to stage the exhibits inside the special display area.

The production: a dance of light and shadow

Our installation in Hall 6.1 was designed as a square wall that ran all the way around. This meant that visitors could walk around the entire surface without immediately knowing what was hidden inside.

The display on the LED wall followed a precise choreography that we coordinated with the content creators.

Phase 1: The digital curtain (visuals)

In the first mode, content was actively displayed on the LED wall. Here, abstract visuals, atmospheric textures and small image sections were used that matched the Heimtextil theme. Thanks to the high brightness of the Nexnovo modules, the wall looked like a closed video surface at this moment. The visitor saw graphics, colors and movements. The view into the interior was denied. This created a natural barrier, but also an enormous curiosity. What is hidden behind this glowing façade? The visuals served as an “appetizer” without giving away the main course.

Phase 2: The “Reveal” (transparency)

Then came the magic moment. The video playback was interrupted or deliberately reduced to black content. The LED wall suddenly became transparent. As if through an opening curtain, the view of the actual stars of the space became clear: the curated pieces of furniture, the fine fabrics of the carpets, the arrangement of tables and chairs. This effect is incredibly powerful psychologically. As the human brain prioritizes movement and light, the sudden change to transparency and the view of physical objects is an “aha” experience. Visitors stopped, waited for the next change and approached the space to look at the details inside.

Tagged Heimtextil, Transparent LED