Upcoming Events for The Classic Exhibits Family: Word on the Street — Sept. 10th thru Sept. 14th

Trade Show Blog

Upcoming Events for The Classic Exhibits Family

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Not only is this “the busy” season, but this is also a busy time for events at Classic.

First, Club 815 Fundraiser

The time is finally here. The Fundraiser Ride for Mike and Janet Swartout is this Saturday, September 22. Yes, it’s the culmination of months of training, but more importantly, it’s the culmination of your tremendous support for Classic’s Design Director, Mike Swartout, who is battling cancer. Thanks to those who have been so very generous by contributing to the team that includes Joel Roy from Creative Dimension, Greg Garrett from Greg Garrett Designs, David Brown from Optima Graphics, Tony Ricci from Optima Graphics and his lovely wife Betsy, Mel White, Charlie Shivel and me from Classic, and my step-father Grant Murrell.

Your donations and support have been nothing short of humbling. Many have been asked us to resend the information so you can still donate. It certainly is not too late. Jut click this link to support our team. And remember to let us know if there is anyone in your life that we can ride “In Memory of” or “In Honor of” as we scale Mt. Hood next Saturday.

Club 815 Fundraiser: https://ssl.charityweb.net/echelongranfondo/hood_river/club815poweredbytheedpafoundation.htm

Special note to our team –Guys and Gal, I truly am honored by your participation and really look forward to spending a couple days together riding, hanging out, and recovering. It’s going to be fun. And I know I speak for Mike and Janet when I say “Thank You” for your inspiring willingness to take on this challenging event.

Shared Knowledge University (SKU)

After the ride, Shared Knowledge University starts at Classic Exhibits Monday morning September 24. The training will be two comprehensive days for experienced and new Classic Distributors.

Like the last SKU event, we will cover everything from product training to procedures to design to project management for Classic Exhibits, Classic Rentals, Eco-systems Sustainable, and ClassicMODUL.

Optima will be there to give a graphics presentation. And you will have the opportunity to spend time and meet all the Classic Exhibit employees that you work with everyday on the phone.

Like any event, it can’t all be work. 🙂 We have two evening events planned that the attendees will really like. Both located at very unique and very “Portland” venues.

To those who are registered, I am really looking forward to seeing you and showing why I think Classic Exhibits and its employees are simply the best.

A little teaser . . . To those distributors who have Exhibit Design Search on their website, expect BIG, BIG changes this week. The new EDS is done, Version 3.2. You can see it on Classic’s website now. It will appear on your website sometime this week. Expect a blog post from Mel in the next day or two detailing all the changes.  They are significant!

Hope you all have a great week ahead. Be well.

Kevin Carty
https://twitter.com/kevin_carty
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

Filter by Category

Filter by Year

Recent Posts

How To Make Your Trade Show Backdrop Stand Out!

Many exhibitors assume a backdrop is a simple two-dimensional graphic along the backwall of an exhibit. But it can be so much more. A backdrop in a 10 x 10 or 10 x 20 booth space doesn’t have to be basic. Modern inline displays come in various shapes, heights, and configurations.

Is Your Trade Show Display an Oreo or a Fig Newton?

As an adult I can rate just about everything on a cookie scale. For brevity, I’ll limit this article to Oreos, Fig Newtons, and Nilla Wafers, but be assured that the “science” behind my methodology includes Frosted Animal Cookies, Pepperidge Farms (as a collective group), Girl Scout Thin Mints, and Chips Ahoy.

Does Your Trade Show Exhibit Have To Be Clever?

That’s not to say your trade show exhibit shouldn’t be attractive. It should, but I would encourage you to focus on more practical matters the next time you design or rebrand your display. What do you need in the booth space to conduct business? Make it less about showmanship and more about conversations and information.

What Cats Can Teach Us About Trade Shows

We are a nation devoted to pets, whether they’re on the farm or in a purse. They learn from us, but we learn from them as well. The other day while watching Animal Planet with a cat in my lap, one on the sofa, and another puking upstairs ( it sounded like the world’s worst ventriloquist), I realized that we could learn a thing or two about trade show marketing from our feline companions.

Gravitee One Step — The World’s Easiest Modular Wall System

Gravitee — The World’s Easiest Modular Wall System. Unlike traditional modular wall systems, Gravitee has no loose connectors. The frames are constructed with durable engineered aluminum extrusion and the system uses time-tested patented technology.

Who is Our Biggest Trade Show Competitor?

Recently, I’ve been on the road, visiting Classic Distributors in the Midwest and South. We chat about industry trends, new products, and challenges in their market. Occasionally, they will ask me about competitors. That’s a topic, to be honest, that makes me uncomfortable.

3 Essential Trade Show Marketing Questions

These are questions every designer should ask their client before designing the ideal trade show display. If the client walks in just thinking about the nuts and bolts of the project, they may miss an informed conversation on why they are exhibiting in the first place and that can fundamentally affect the design of a booth. The Why can greatly impact the How in Exhibit Design.

What You Should Know about Exhibit Marketing

Exhibit marketing is all about marketing your products or services to buyers at expositions, conferences, and trade shows. A successful exhibit marketing program will be rewarded with increased revenues, referrals, and industry networking. The goal is to understand how exhibit marketing differs from the other types of marketing.

Managing Your Trade Show Budget

Trade shows are expensive, and some costs are often puzzling to exhibition newbies, but there are multiple ways to manage those expenses with a little planning and some assistance from an experienced trade show professional. Don’t be afraid to tap into that expertise.

Why Are Trade Shows Important for Business Growth and Branding

With the rise of online meetings and ecommerce, business experts have predicted the death of trade shows and live events for 40 years. Yet, the benefits of trade shows and events have never been more important for businesses. There were over 13,000 separate events in North America in 2025 alone.

Best & Biggest Convention Centers in the US for Trade Shows

What are the biggest and best convention centers in the United States? And does overall size and location matter when it comes to a convention center? Unless you’re a trade show nerd (like me), you’ve probably never wondered if the Las Vegas Convention Center is bigger than McCormick Place in Chicago. Or if the Orange County Convention Center is in FL or CA?

People’s Almanac of Trade Show Knowledge

We all love working with an informed client about trade shows and trade show marketing. They ask our advice. We give it. Sometimes we state facts. Sometimes we offer opinions. And sometimes, we should send them to an expert.

Life as a Traveling Sales Representative

Snake Oil Salesman or Snake Charmer. The traveling salesman has always had slightly negative, slightly shady reputation. If you’ve ever seen The Music Man, particularly the opening scene on train, you’ll know what I mean. I would like to think business has changed from the days of the “snake oil salesman” to what we now refer to as a “manufacturer’s rep.

10 Online Tools for Classic Exhibits Distributors

At a recent Shared Knowledge University, we reviewed ten online tools available to all Classic Exhibits Distributors. The attendees told us that these tools are invaluable to their sales, marketing, and customer service teams and are unique within the exhibit industry. 

Why Small Businesses Fail to Grow by Jay Goltz

Excerpt from the “Art of Running a Small Business.” Many, if not most, Classic Exhibits distributors fall into the small business classification as defined by the Small Business Administration. Small businesses have challenges that larger businesses do not.