INSIDE THE MUSIC: Using curved wood surfaces and aperature- like lighting fixtures in the lobby of the future Music City Center in Nashville will give visitors the feeling of being inside a musical instrument, according to architect Rob Svedberg, while panoram- ic views of Nashville will contribute to a sense of place.

ests for informal exchanges. Exhibitorswhocan monitor and plug into this solutions network will be able to focus their efforts and messages on these informal networks on and off the exhibit floor. To respond to these trends, impersonal and generic spaces will

be replaced by multiple casual and intimate spaces with distinc- tive personalities and experiences. Grand architectural gestures will become important, not only as destinations, but to link together more intimate gathering spots and help orient visitors by visual connection back to vibrant urban surroundings. Exhibit spaces will feel less like isolated black boxes and more

like continuations of the public spaces that draw attendees and exhibitors together. Attendees will flow more casually between exhibits, intimate social spaces, learning, networking, and events, while venue spaces will be distinctive yet flexible to accommodate a wide variety of user-programmed activities.

ROB SVEDBERG is an associate principal at Atlanta-based tvsdesign, which has designed major convention centers in dozens of U.S. and international cities, including Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago,Washington, D.C., and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

ILLUSTRATION COURTESY TVS-DESIGN