For statewide Indiana companies looking to grow brand awareness, goodwill, and market share, the Indiana State Fair presents a great opportunity to get your message out in front of thousands of Hoosiers. Ivy Tech Community College decided to go big at the 2025 Indiana State Fair, sponsoring an entire day and hosting a large booth at the heart of the fairgrounds. To design their booth and craft the experience it would present to fairgoers, Ivy Tech tapped Williams Randall. The goal? Connect with the community and shake up their idea of what college looks like today.
With nearly 200 linear feet of booth space, there was a lot of room to work with. We ideated ways to engage visitors and challenge the misconception that “college” means students would spend all their time sitting at a desk in a classroom being lectured to by featuring some of Ivy Tech’s many hands-on programs. Each program station had an activity or demonstration that fairgoers could try their hand at. If they completed the activity at each station, they’d get a stamp on a punchcard that they could turn in for prizes — the more activities completed, the better the prize! Activities included driving a robotic vehicle (built by Ivy Tech students), steering a remote-controlled ball through a maze (programmed by Ivy Tech students), playing a VR game, practicing stitching a surgical incision, assembling an engine, interacting with drones, and more.
The state fair materials and booth elements also provided a lot of freedom to play with a graphic look for the Ivy Tech brand that was unique to the event. We took inspiration from old screenprinted and letterpress fair and carnival advertisements with a layered, “Hatch-Show-Print” visual style. The booth graphics highlighted their 70+ programs with bright colors, textures, and iconography, and our messaging played off of iconic fair treats.
“We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to our partners at Williams Randall Advertising, whose contributions extended far beyond the day of the event,” said Mike Baker, Assistant Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Ivy Tech Systems Office. ”In the weeks and months leading up to the Fair, their team played a vital role in coordinating with State Fair staff, managing vendors, leading creative development, and supporting logistics planning. Their presence onsite and work supporting setup, volunteer coordination, troubleshooting, and teardown was the culmination of thoughtful preparation that helped bring our vision to life.”
With 854,977 visitors to the Indiana State Fair this year, the booth enabled Ivy Tech staff to engage with hundreds of prospective students, current students, alumni, and donors, and showcased the energy, opportunity, and community that define Ivy Tech. Now that’s how you shake things up!
