EXHIBITOR Show Design & New Website: Word on the Street — January 27th thru January 31st

Trade Show Blog

Kevin Carty, VP Classic Exhibits

EXHIBITOR2014

In just six short weeks, we will meet in Las Vegas for EXHIBITOR 2014. It’s our opportunity to show all that is new in our great industry from design and construction to AV, flooring, and services.

Each year at Classic, we collaborate to create the layout and foundation for our booth at the show. This year was no different. We started with representatives from Design, Production, Project Management, Rentals, and Management to discuss what all we wanted to show and do at this year’s upcoming EXHIBITOR show.

This year a unique focus was given to “Design” as a whole. Not that we don’t always have a well-design booth. We do. But this year EXHIBITOR is holding the Inaugural Design Awards of Excellence at EXHIBITOR2014, an event celebrating the very best in designs from the past year and from the show floor at EXHIBITOR 2014.

Classic is heavily involved in this inaugural event and very appreciative. We are participating with several entries in the award categories.

So this year, we knew this going into our own booth design meetings. Our clear focus is to create the most design-driven exhibit  that we have ever shown at EXHIBITOR.

Having said that, the process is always a challenge. The more people you bring into the process, the more ideas you get and the longer and more difficult the process can be. No different really that what we all experience when designing for our clients. And like our clients, we are indecisive yet full of home run ideas. Many sound great on paper, but are not practical. Sound familiar? Many of the same struggles we think are only “client driven” are actually challenges we face as well.

I can report that the booth we designed is truly the most elegant and beautiful exhibit we have ever produced for EXHIBITOR. We will highlight not only our systems, but also the custom wood work we have been building for you over the past two years.

Katina Rigall has taken on the tough task of absorbing all our crazy ideas and putting them to paper — and she has done a stellar job. Now Production and Project Management are doing their magic to make it all come to life

Back to the awards night. It will be held on Tuesday at 6:30pm in one of the event halls at Mandalay Bay. Final details will be announced next week. But suffice it to say, it is going to be a truly grand event, produced by the great folks at Exhibitor Media Group and Delphi Productions. Please make sure, when you see the details, to get a ticket for you and your staff members to attend, and enjoy a night designed to celebrate the beauty that we all create every week.

Register for EXHIBITOR — For FREE

Special Promotion Code: 4044

The Special Promotion Code gives you free access to both the Exhibit Hall and the Monday evening Welcome Reception. It’s a $100 value! Enter this code on the registration page at www.exhibitor2014.com/vip.

New Classic Exhibits Website

On a different topic . . . The New Classic Exhibits website is Live BABY. And its truly beautiful! Mel White, Tony Bennett, and Glenna Martin deserve a tremendous amount of credit for all their long hours and dedication to creating what I think is hands down the best website in our industry. Yes I said the best! Check it out and I think you will say the same thing. It combines beauty, class, and an intuitive nature all in one great website.

Some Highlights:

  • All the same tools:  EDS, P5D, Peek-a-Booth, Trade Show Tales
  • Organized, easily-accessible drop-down menus
  • Larger and brighter graphics
  • Consistent page designs
  • Information Bubbles for most product lines
  • Revised, cleaner layout for EDS
  • Advanced Search option in EDS

The next phase is the Adaptive Design layout for tablets and smartphones. Should be ready in the next 60-90 days.

Take a look and please let us know what you think. I truly believe you will appreciate all the hours and hard work that went into the process.

I look forward to this week as we kick off another great sales month together.

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

Filter by Category

Filter by Year

Recent Posts

The Complete Guide to Trade Show Services (Offsite & Onsite)

Onsite trade show services include all services available at the show site. Contractors typically provide these services for show management. Turnkey services are particularly valuable for first-time exhibitors, companies with limited internal resources, or those participating in numerous shows where efficiency and consistency are paramount.

What You Should Know about Trade Show Exhibit Budgeting

Companies should define a workable exhibit marketing budget, one that includes all related costs. However, the line between marketing expenses and exhibit marketing expenses can be somewhat fuzzy. You will want to create a well-defined budget that separates them.

The Top 10 Design Mistakes of Trade Show Graphics

You decided on your new trade show display . . . but you’re not done yet. Now, it’s time to design the graphics. You want AMAZING!. Below are 10 tips to consider when designing your next trade show graphics.

If Puppies Ran Trade Shows and Events

The following are 11 reasons why our lives would be better if puppies ran trade shows and events. To the ferret, goldfish, and lizard owners, you’re on your own.

If Kittens Ran Trade Shows and Events

If kittens ran trade shows and events, experience would be respected, every booth would have toys, two hours naps would be mandatory, and everyone would be cute and adorable. And we would all trust our instincts.

Baseball Terms for the Trade Show Industry

Baseball season is upon us once again. That means it’s time to refresh yourself with our BASEBALL TERMS – CLASSIC STYLE! Whichever team you root for please keep in mind these three non-bendable rules:

“I’ll Know It When I See It” — Every Designer’s Nightmare

For Exhibit and Graphic Designers, delivering a design that meets all the client’s needs — functionally, aesthetically, and fiscally — is the ultimate goal. But . . . that doesn’t mean the process is always flawless. Here are a few “Design Red Flags” from a Designer’s perspective which can delay the process (and increase your design fees).

What You Should Know as a New Exhibit Buyer

For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume that exhibit marketing is a new experience. Exhibit marketing is certainly not rocket science. You don’t need a marketing degree to be successful at exhibit marketing. However, it helps to get advice so you make the right decisions.

10 Tips for Designing Large Format Graphics for Trade Shows

Most designers rarely design a layout larger than a corporate booklet or perhaps a 20″ x 30″ poster. Designing for large format, like trade show graphics, is actually quite simple once you know the basic steps. All it takes is a leap of faith… and trust in my advice.

Trade Shows and the Desire to Change

Are trade shows are relevant? Is there a future for industry trade shows? Are companies willing to spend their valuable marketing dollars building a temporary structure just to attract new customers or meet with existing ones?

Buying a Trade Show Exhibit? Ten “Must Ask” Questions

It’s common to express remorse after a big ticket purchase. Typically when the purchase is infrequent, such as a home, car, or expensive equipment. Buying a trade show exhibit is that type of purchase, especially an inline or island exhibit for a large trade show. .

An Honest Conversation about Trade Show Rentals

Recently, what I thought would be a simple, straight-forward conversation left me scratching my head. I was meeting with exhibit industry colleagues, and the topic turned to rentals. Admittedly, rentals shouldn’t be puzzling. Rentals have exploded at a rate 3 to 4 times faster than exhibit purchases. What surprised me was the perception and the language used to define the exhibit rental landscape.

What’s Your Trade Show Kryptonite?

We shouldn’t but we do. We hope hope hope that the next attendee who walks in our booth is Superman. Not Superman Superman, but the sales equivalent of Superman. Faster to sign a contract than a speeding bullet. More powerful than the VP of Purchasing.

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.