Breakthrough Discoveries, Innovations, Technologies, Products,
and Services begin with a Single Individual: A Visionary.
The story of 2020 Exhibits is one of passion, vision, and perseverance. From day one, the company owes its meteoric success to Bob Babine. A true maverick, Bob is fearless, inspiring, driven, and exudes a contagious joy of living. His ingenious mindset encompasses a keen eye for talent coupled with an uncanny, future-forward business acumen.
A Massachusetts native, Bob left Boston College in 1986 during his junior year to begin what would be a career in the trade show industry. He started selling Panelglide out of the trunk of his Honda Civic. As sales quickly grew, Bob opened a small business known as Impact Exhibits, in Allston, Mass.
At that time, the trade show exhibits industry simply consisted of offering customers plastic pop-up displays with graphics—and not much more.
After outgrowing the product, Bob sold his company and moved to Dallas with a couple of close friends, to sell Pro Displays—eventually leading him to take on the Houston market. Eager to break through the standard of the exhibit industry, Bob Babine founded what would become 2020 Exhibits, in 1987. His vision was to build an exhibit house where none-existed.
No small task.
EARLY YEARS
BUSINESS EXPERIENCES EXPLOSIVE GROWTH
Thanks to Bob’s incomparable team leadership, the ensuing years saw 2020 Exhibits grow, thrive, and become an invaluable partner—and friendly advisor—to some of the world’s biggest brands. True to his passion and aspirations, Bob brought together experts across every discipline to operate a turnkey exhibit house. With his ability to recognize great talent and grit, Bob hired well-experienced staff. These individuals shared his sterling work ethic, integrity, and goals.
PRODUCTS OF A VISIONARY AND HARD WORK
Dynamic expo displays; cutting-edge exhibit design; customizable rental booths; award-winning trade show booth displays. Despite the project’s scale, scope, and technical complexity, Bob’s mission was to continuously expand the 2020 Exhibits’ portfolio while providing unparalleled customer service that enabled clients to stand out and shine.
By 2005, the once-small startup based in the trunk of Bob’s car was experiencing tremendous growth. Numerous national and global companies joined an already impressive client roster. With business booming and Bob at the helm, 2020 Exhibits broke ground on a new 150,000-square-foot headquarters in Houston, Texas. The expansive facility includes a stunning exhibit showroom featuring 2020 Exhibits’ most recent custom builds. These range from standout rental island booths to towering exhibits outfitted with everything from huge LED screens to interactive technology aimed at increasing trade show attendee engagement.
Becoming Bigger and Better with Time: A Chronological View
1987
Founded by Bob Babine, 2020 Exhibits' humble beginnings began with Bob working from the trunk of his car selling banner stands and pop-up display boards.
1990-2000
The company provided professional displays and continued growing to eventually sell what was then known as Nomadic Displays.
2005
Experiencing tremendous growth, 2020 Exhibits breaks ground on its 150,000 sqft new headquarters in Houston, TX.
2011
2020 Exhibits expands its footprint by opening a Chicago Showroom, and immediately after, it extends its reach with new showrooms in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.
2015
2020 Exhibits extends its presence in the Midwest and merges with Reveal Exhibits to form 2020 Exhibits, St. Louis.
2016
The Houston Chronicle features Bob Babine, as a “Trade show specialist who displays his customers at their best.” 2020 Exhibits’ Environments Division expands to meet customer demand in ADA Signage.
2017
2020 Exhibits named to Houston Business Journal’s Fast 100 and wins the top technology spot in the Portable Modular Awards for the third consecutive year.
2018
2020 Exhibits sweeps BMA Lantern Awards, AMA Crystals, PromaxBDA, and named top fabricator and builder for Event Marketer Magazine’s FAB 50
2022
On September 15th, 2022, 2020 Exhibits announced their acquisition of Gateway Exhibits out of St. Louis, MO. This move reflects 2020 Exhibits’ ongoing strategy to expand capabilities and increase its presence in St. Louis.
2020 Exhibits celebrates 35 years of global excellence.
Making It Easier for Other Businesses
to Get the Job Done Right, Too.
Along with a terrific sense of humor, Bob Babine is known for his avid interest in technology. So with a great idea and vision in mind, Bob sought out to develop a computer application to help companies—like those within the trade show industry—manage trade show budgets, inventories & schedule events. Bob created a sister company, ExhibitForce, located next to the Houston headquarters of 2020 Exhibits.
Earning the admiration, respect, and loyalty of global brands; building a company where average employee tenure is in the double digits; demonstrating mastery of one’s craft; embodying professionalism at its finest & working with people whose goodness of character reveals itself in ways large and small—this is a day in the life of 2020 Exhibits. This was Bob Babine’s vision during those early years driving all over Houston, selling pop-up displays out of the truck of his car.
>
0
%
of Fortune 500 companies worldwide
trust the proprietary, Cloud-based ExhibitForce project management tool to help them drive measurable results.
0
+
YEARS
Is the average employee tenure
at 2020 Exhibits.
TOP
0
Exhibit House Worldwide
Exhibitor Media Group, the award-winning monthly magazine featuring best practices in trade show marketing, and Find It – Marketplace, has 2020 Exhibits as one of its Find It – Top 40, which honors the industry’s top exhibit producers in the United States and Canada.
There Are Only Two Eyes in Visionary.
"I never thought it'd get this big. But our growth has been organic; seamless. We've always focused on 'What's the next big thing?' and 'How can we make the company smarter?'"
Today, 2020 Exhibits is ranked among the world’s Top 40 exhibit houses with locations in Houston, St. Louis, and Las Vegas.
Our turnkey operations design and deliver it all:
- Customizable Exhibit Rentals
(Largest inventory in the USA) - Corporate Environments
- Event Management
- ADA Signage
- Large Format Printing
- AV Rental Depot
- Project Management
- Interactive Media
- Experiential Marketing
- Marketing & Branding
- Creative & Design
- Furniture Rental Depot
- Asset Management
- Nationwide Warehousing
- Fabrication
- On-site installation
- Post-show dismantle
