Up Your Game — July 2020 Newsletter

Trade Show Blog

Your PPE Wingman

Personal Protection guidelines are starting to unfold for schools, universities, medical facilities, and businesses. We are deep in that mix and know it very well. Currently, we have about twenty schools under our belt, eight banks, and several hospitals. And the requests are growing exponentially.

PPE is an immediate need for these organizations, and they are desperate for your guidance and expertise. They don’t want tacky acrylic barriers held together with Velcro and unfinished wood. They want attractive, professional solutions.

You can significantly increase your closing percentage by asking us to participate in the call with your client. We’re available, whether you need assistance on product specifications, design, or simply a wingman to close the deal.

PPE Business is Local

From our experience, all PPE business is local. Your greatest asset is leveraging local relationships, personal friendships, and existing clients to find new opportunities. People love doing business with friends, acquaintances and vendors who support them. In most cases, they won’t find or contact you. You have to find them by calling, emailing, or visiting their website or social media pages. 

The planning process has started for schools, churches, banks, museums, retail locations and offices so the timing is ideal. Become the local expert for PPE products. We’re here to help you any way we can.

 

Exhibit Design Search Updates

Whether you call it shifting, pivoting, or evolving, we aren’t standing still. There are Five New Galleries in EDS: 

  1. PlaceLyft Office Systems:  Modular Personal Protection Office Solutions
  2. Hand Sanitizer Stands: Heavy-Duty Stand Tough™ Sanitizer Stands
  3. Safety Dividers: Customizable Aluminum and Acrylic/Sintra Partitions
  4. Office/Retail Lightboxes: SuperNova LED Lightboxes
  5. Interactive Displays: In Partnership with Blue Pony

New Rental Savings

Jim Shelman and his team have made extensive updates to the (3) Rental Galleries. New designs, more details, and even a SALE.

The designs include SuperNova lightboxes, Gravitee inlines and islands, and even promotional prices on our newest portable system, Symphony. We expect rentals, especially customized rentals, to be active once trade show return as exhibitors choose smaller and more affordable options.

See all 12 Rental Designs on sale in Exhibit Design Search.

Join Us at the Together Again Expo in Orlando on July 24

Kevin, Jen, and Katina will be in Orlando on July 24 for the Together Again Expo. In booth #400, a 10 x 20 Symphony and Gravitee Display, along with examples of our Hand Sanitzer Stands. They are planning several live broadcasts.

No need to preregister. All are invited! Save the links below!

Pre-Show: Thursday, July 23 | Noon EST / 9 am PST
https://lnkd.in/gEJxVdS

Show Day: Friday, July 24 | Noon EST / 9 am PST
https://lnkd.in/gzeKMzv

If you are attending the event in Orlando, please stop by and visit them while adhering to mask and social distancing protocols. 

The show organizers have virtual training and panel sessions planned as well. You will need to register if you want to attend any of those activities. Fingers crossed that it sends the right message that the trade show industry can be active and responsible.

Employment Love Connection

Displaced? Furloughed? Laid off? We would like to help if possible. As a national manufacturer with over 200 distributors, we know there are people looking for other great people. That need will be even greater in the coming months.

Let us know if we can make any employment love connections. We would love to assist. Reach out to Jen LaBruzza, Harold Mintz, or Tom Beard.

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Recent Posts

“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 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.

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.

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.

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. .

Trade Show Rental — Mullets, Trapper Keepers, Pagers, and 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 is 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.

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.