In the world of big forklift business, it takes an edge for a company to stand out from the crowd. For sheer head-turning value, Still GmbH stole the show at CeMAT 2002 this month.

With its array of custom-painted forklifts, the bright "Just believe in Still" slogans, forklift-shaped pasta, and the complete production and execution of a musical, the only thing keeping some punters away from the German company's stand was Mother Nature herself, with rain dampening the appeal of the outdoor displays at times.

Still sales and marketing director Bert Frisch told Forkliftaction.com News that trade shows were "boring", and the company had tried to create a refuge for weary delegates.

"People at exhibitions don't want to see forklift trucks," Mr Frisch said. "Our focus is on entertaining our customers by giving them something different. Business is boring: let's make it fun."

He said it was a challenge to top Still's CeMAT 2000 effort, which was a widely popular Tina Turner tribute show, but Mr Frisch said the results from this year's show were "remarkable".

To highlight the fun aspect of the Still display, artists were commissioned to paint different designs on five forklifts, including a grungy "Red Hot" R70, which highlighted the forklift's tuned engine, and a "Beach" R60-16, depicting images of the seaside, complete with mounted surfboards.