Trade Show Tales Blog

Trade Show Tales is your comprehensive guide to informative articles about trade show marketing, exhibit industry news, promotions, and updates on Classic Exhibits. 

For specific topics, use the Search Tool in the blog or visit the Trade Show and Event Tips in Exhibit Design Search.

Katina Rigall Zipay Named EDPA’s Designer of the Year

Katina Rigall Zipay Named EDPA’s Designer of the Year

Katina Rigall Zipay was presented with the EDPA Designer of the Year Award at the EDPA ACCESS Conference in San Antonio on December. 2. The award acknowledges a “designer who works diligently to enhance the professional standards of experiential/exhibit designers, contributes their talents, creativity and personal time to bring innovation to experiential/exhibit design.” As the Creative Director...

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Recent Posts

My EXHIBITORLIVE 2018 Reactions and Recap

What an amazing start to 2018. EXHIBITORLIVE was visual proof that things are on the upswing in the trade show industry.

The EXHIBITORLIVE show floor, by many accounts, felt smaller footprint-wise… but boy was it TALLER than ever. Everyone seemed to go high this year, Classic included with an aluminum double-deck, one of several in our Classic Rental Solutions inventory.

Welcome Tom Beard, Eco-Systems New National Sales Manager

Eco-Systems Sustainable Exhibits, an innovative leader of contemporary design-driven green displays, is excited to announce the addition of Tom Beard to the Eco-Systems team. He comes on board as their National Sales Manager leading the sales and marketing efforts for the company. Tom has over 20 years of experience in the trade show industry.

Tom has over 20 years’ experience working in the trade show industry.

| Strategic Account Teams by Territory

A year or so ago, we added two galleries to Exhibit Design Search: Rental Furniture #1 and Rental Furniture #2. These galleries are a subset of CORT’s trade show rental furniture. They were created to make it easier for you and your client to select contemporary rental furniture without having to complete the typical GSC forms.

Portable Modular Awards (PMA) Ceremony at EXHIBITORLIVE 2018

The Fifth Annual Portable Modular Awards (PMA) ceremony is just a few weeks away (February 27). And this year, it will be more visible to the EXHIBITORLIVE attendees. EXHIBITOR Magazine has moved the ceremony to The Connection Zone at the entrance of the show hall. Same time, same day as before — Tuesday, February, 27 from 3:45 to 4:45 — just after the show hall closes for the day.

Three Recent Gravitee One-Step Modular Island Videos

Over the past several months, Kevin Schuhl, a Classic Exhibits designer, has perfected 360° “Fly-Through” videos of Gravitee One-Step islands. It hasn’t been easy, but the results are truly remarkable.

| Neophilia vs. Neophobia

I’m often asked, “Are trade shows are relevant?” Is there a future for industry trade shows? Do Millennials, or Gen Xer’s, or heck, even Baby Boomers, still want to attend them? Are companies willing to spend their valuable marketing dollars building a temporary structure just to attract new customers or meet with existing ones? In some ways, it seems a little old-fashion, as if video, live chat, online meeting spaces, and websites were never invented. So I understand, a little.

Women In Exhibitions at EXHIBITORLIVE 2018

Calling all Women In Exhibitions! This year, we’re planning two ways to make our 2018 EXHIBITORLIVE show experience more accessible and meaningful than ever before. You will not want to miss out on these opportunities to discuss challenges and success strategies, network with peers, and make new contacts you can count on.

Can You Name (At Least) Three Things Wrong with This Ad?

This email blast hit my mailbox today from AboveAll Advertising. Frankly, I don’t know much about them, but they are promoting a charging tower, and for purely selfish reasons, I wanted to know more about their charging solutions. However, everything about this ad annoyed me. And I mean everything. Well, to be fair, they did know the difference between “a while” and “awhile” (which can be tricky) but didn’t realize that the phrase requires a preposition — “for a while.”

Gravitee One-Step Modular Showroom Sample Kits @ Amazing Promotional Prices

Now is your chance to order Gravitee One-Step Showroom Sample kits at amazing prices. These kits are perfect for showing how Gravitee assembles without tools or loose parts. The showroom kits come with both an SEG and direct print graphic and corner connectors. Seeing is Believing with Gravitee. The only modular wall system engineered specifically for North American Shows.

| A Discussion about Personal Branding and Business

Recently, I asked Erica Dougherty, an Account Executive at Exhibits Northwest Seattle, about her strategy of personal branding. From the photos, you can tell it’s distinctive, creative, and memorable. It’s also genuine as you’ll discover in this delightful interview.

| A Glimpse Into Our Production Capabilities

It’s a New Year and time for resolutions. This year, my #1 resolution is to do a better job of communicating Classic Exhibits’ custom and custom modular capabilities. That way, I don’t have to kill you when you visit our shop and say, “Oh, I didn’t know you did that!”

Happy New Year! Annual Letter from Kevin Carty

It’s January. The start of the New Year, and I’ve been thinking about our conversations all last year. You see, I know things you might not know because we talk every day. Not you specifically, but you as a Classic Distributor. I usually bite my tongue, but it’s time we chat honestly.

New Faces and New Designs from Classic Rental Solutions

Classic Rental Solutions is celebrating with new faces, new designs, and a New Year promotion. Jessica Marchant has joined our team. We’ve added over 150 new designs to our EDS galleries, and there’s an exciting New Year promotion coming.

| Distributor Feedback Emails

For the past 10 years, we have sent feedback requests to Classic Exhibits Distributors. These are emailed about every three weeks, and depending on the time of year, we send 20-30 requests each time. Not every order receives a feedback email. Instead, we target a mix of distributors. It’s not a survey. Just an open-ended request for your thoughts, good or bad.

| Eco-Systems Sustainable Winter Promotion

There’s never been a better time to consider an inline or island from Eco-Systems Sustainable, whether you are an ECO expert, novice, or newbie. For the next two months, Eco-systems will reward you with a $500, $250, or $100 Visa Gift Card.