Your Exhibit Design Search Updates

Trade Show Blog

EDSUpdateBlog

Exhibit Design Search is a work in progress where new features are added without fanfare. They just appear. So what’s new in the past three months?

EDS Home Page

captureAbout three weeks ago, we flipped the switch on a new visual feature on all Exhibit Design Search sites. It’s subtle but significant. The gallery images on the EDS home page now rotate. Visualize a slot machine. Each time you click the refresh button on your browser or simply return to the home page, the images change/rotate.

This makes each EDS site more distinctive. To see this at work, simply go to your EDS site or click here for the unbranded EDS website and refresh your browser. If you are easily amused, like me, do it repeatedly.

Photo Galleries

capture1Recently, distributors asked us how they could tap into our Custom, Rental, and Retail photo galleries without redirecting their clients to the Classic website. About 16 months ago, we added those galleries to the main Classic website to highlight the non-system projects flowing through our facility. On any given month, about 40 percent of our business falls into those categories. And it’s growing.

We listened. Now all branded EDS sites have a Photo Libraries button with a drop-down menu. The menu includes not only Past Five Days, but also galleries showing Custom, Rental, and Retail projects. Expect them to evolve as we add (and remove) projects.

Gravitee Modular Wall System

gravitee-cycleYou’ll be hearing LOTS and LOTS about Gravitee in the coming months. However, unlike other Classic systems, we’ve chosen not to create a defined product gallery in EDS. Why? Gravitee is a chameleon. It’s ideal as an island or an inline. It’s perfect for purchase or rental. Use it for an event, a corporate environment, a trade show, or retail space. It’s versatile, practical, and affordable. In short, it works in almost any 3D environment.

For now, the Gravitee kits will be in the Island, Visionary Designs, and SEGUE galleries. You can find them by searching “Gravitee.” Or, by going to the Exhibits menu on the main Classic website and clicking on Gravitee One-Step Modular System.

Interested in adding Gravitee to your rental inventory? Click to download the Starter Kit Special, available only to Classic Exhibits Distributors.

LED Lightboxes

vk-1966-view-3Lightboxes are the boy bands of the exhibit, event, and retail world. Even if you want to hate them… you can’t. They are just too damn cute and adorable. We decided to take a two-prong approach to lightboxes. Our proprietary SuperNova lightboxes can be purchased in any size, nearly any shape, and come in one or two-sided frames. The frames, unlike most on the market, are designed to withstand abuse. We dare you to compare them to the “little sisters of the poor” varieties, not only in their durability but also their light sealing features. They are better and brawnier.

Secondly, lightboxes need to be functional for trade show exhibitors. That means that attaching counters, headers, literature holders, iPad stands, shelves, monitors, etc. should be easy. We’ve designed kits that do more than look pretty. They are also practical. See VK-1966, VK-1963, VK-1961, and VK-1118 for examples.

Rental Furniture Galleries

rental-furnitureThis is important. Last summer, we added Rental Furniture Galleries #1 and #2 in EDS. These galleries are a partnership with CORT, the leader in trade show rental furniture. Rental furniture is no longer the exception in inline and island booths. It’s the rule.

Historically, it’s been challenging to assist your customers with rental furniture. Not anymore. These two retail galleries make it easy to show your clients rental furniture at retail prices. Once your client has selected the furniture, simply call CORT, tell them you’re a Classic Exhibits distributor, and they will provide you with a wholesale quote. They can even direct you to other rental furniture options in their online catalog, all with a special Classic Exhibits wholesale prices. My personal advice… don’t be a duffus! Show rental furniture. Sell rental furniture. With or without your assistance, your clients are going to have rental furniture in their booth.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions about Exhibit Design Search or about anything Classic Exhibits related.

–Mel White
mel@classicexhibits.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
https://twitter.com/melmwhite

**********************************************

Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, and custom-hybrid exhibit solutions. Classic Exhibits products are represented by an extensive distributor network in North America and in select International markets. For more information, contact us at 866-652-2100 or www.classicexhibits.com.

[subscribe2]

Filter by Category

Filter by Year

Recent Posts

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.

Top 12 Trade Show Bad Habits

All animals, humans included, are creatures of habit. We learn how to survive, then follow those routines day after day. Trade shows are no different. Exhibitors and attendees find their safe space and get comfortable: same shows, same people, same message.

Your Trade Show Marketing in 2026

When it comes to trade shows, many exhibitors don’t have a detailed plan on how to market their company. They purchase a display, which they think is the key to a successful show. Your exhibit may be the star of the show but it’s only one element in a comprehensive strategy.

IMEX America Hosted Buyer Lounge (Condensed Version)

IMEX America 2025 brought together 17,633 participants, including more than 6,000 buyers from 75 countries, reinforcing the event’s position as a high-value marketplace for the global meetings industry. At the center of this ecosystem was the CORT Events’ Hosted Buyer Lounge, designed as a dedicated environment.

40 Weird Things You Do @ Trade Shows

Trade shows can be a strange world whether you are an exhibitor, attendee, or an industry insider. While many behaviors might seem normal to you as a member of the trade show community, others are downright bizarre to those who rarely set foot in a trade show hall.

Why Are Companies So Bad at Trade Show Marketing?

Some companiees will hint at it. Then there are the ones who are honest. They simply don’t understand trade show marketing. That’s not surprising. It’s rarely taught on the undergraduate or graduate level. At best, it’s mentioned in passing in a marketing textbook.

10 Things Zombies Can Teach Us About Tradeshow Marketing

Single-minded Focus. You may not appreciate their all-consuming desire to eat your flesh, but they are committed to the task. They let nothing get in their way, except an ax to the brain. Your next trade show will be wildly successful, if you make it a priority, not an afterthought.

10 Things To Ask When Renting Trade Show Furniture

Selecting trade show rental furniture is a critical step in your exhibit planning timeline and it should happen well before your move-in. Ideally, you’re confirming your exhibition rental furniture several weeks (if not months) in advance.

Exhibit Design Mistakes Most Companies Don’t Realize They’re Making

What one exhibitor views as an exhibit design mistake another may view as a brilliant strategy. For example, some companies contend that a hanging sign should only include the company’s name and logo. Others would insist that it include what the company does or the problem they solve. To be fair to both… It depends.

The Ultimate Guide to Trade Show Giveaways (2026 Edition)

When used wisely, trade show giveaways are an investment in your business. They serve as silent salespeople, promoting your company long after the trade show or sales event is over. If you are considering adding incentives to your marketing strategy, you are in luck.

How Modern Smartphones and Trade Shows are Similar

You probably don’t consider smartphones and trade shows as having much in common. After all, one is small enough to hold in your hand, and the other is a large attractive display in an exhibit hall. However, you might be surprised at how similar they really are.