State of the Company 2021 by Kevin Carty
Annual State of the Company Letter (2021) by Kevin Carty from Classic Exhibits Inc.
Expressing Your Gratitude: Finding the Positive in 2020
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” —William Arthur Ward Back in October, we launched monthly Classic Conversations Groups as a way for Classic Distributors, Suppliers, and Partners to discuss common concerns. Each group includes 15 to 20 participants, who meet via Zoom or Teams for an hour each month. Kevin, Jen, Tom, Harold, Jim, and Mel...
Six Mistakes You Never Want to Make When Buying a Portable Display
Six Mistakes You Never Want to Make When Buying a Portable Display
Super Match Game — Classic Rental Solutions
Need a mental break over the holidays? Play this “Match Game” featuring pairs of Classic Rental Designs. Just choose your difficulty level.
Classic Distributor Feedback Emails — Recent Responses
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.
Up Your Game Newsletter — December 2020
It’s been a tough year for the exhibition and event industry, as well as travel, food, and hospitality.
Safe and Stylish Safety Barriers for Hotels and Banks
Safe and Stylish Safety Barriers custom designed for banks, medical offices, and hotel reception desks can be affordable and elegant.
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...
2020-2021 Event and Exhibition Associations
The Event and Exhibition industry in North America is represented by an alphabet soup of organizations for show organizers, exhibit builders, or venue managers.
Complete the Crossword Puzzle. Win a $15 Starbucks Gift Card
Below is a crossword puzzle. A Classic Exhibits crossword puzzle with many common trade show terms.
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Recent Posts
Kevin Schuhl — My First Six Months at Classic Exhibits
There are many things that I have done for more than six months. Many tangentially related to the design of trade show spaces and structures. For example, building scenery, painting sets, designing and producing environmental graphics. What I have not done (until now) is work for any organization for anywhere close to six months. As Ariel said in the Disney version of The Little Mermaid, it’s a whole new world.
Your Women in Exhibitions Meeting at EXHIBITORLIVE
Calling ALL women in the exhibition industry! The Women In Exhibitions (WIE) meeting will be held on Monday, March 13 at 5 pm at Mandalay Bay – Palm F, Level 3. Please join us as we network and build key relationships with other women in our industry.
Ahhh, The Elusive Email Subject Line
Anyone who writes marketing or sales emails sweats over subject lines. Admittedly, I’ve read quite a few articles from experts, each with kernels of wisdom. Yesterday, I read a great one from Tina Brown at Warp Corp, a builder and printer of tension fabric structures in Seattle. Tina brought it all together in a tidy, well-written package. So, I’m sharing.
EXHIBITORLIVE — Get the Skinny from Classic Exhibits
I don’t know about you, but we are delighted EXHIBITORLIVE is a bit later this year. It was a crazy January at Classic Exhibits, and February has already gotten even wackier with designs, quotes, and orders. Thanks for all the business.
So, what can you expect from Classic Exhibits at EXHIBITORLIVE? [All future references to the show will be “EL.” If I have to type all caps and then change LIVE to italics again, I will lose my friggin’ mind]. As a reminder, the show runs from March 12-16 at Mandalay Bay.
Some Thoughts… After Visiting Classic Exhibits Distributors
In January, I had the pleasure of visiting distributors in Southwest Ohio and Chicago. So, what did I hear from over 20 distributors? Industry trends, of course. It’s an interesting time to be in the trade show business.
10 Big Trade Shows in March 2017
March can be a little crazy both in weather and in basketball. Not only do we have the “Luck o’ the Irish” working in our favor, but there are also some OUTSTANDING trade shows that month.
10 Big Trade Shows in February 2027
January was a slamming month for trade shows. February holds strong and makes us wanna say, “I Heart Trade Shows!” Here are 10 of the Biggest Shows in North America this month.
“Inclement” Weather Via the Aerial Tram and Oregon Zoo
You either love snow… or you don’t. I love snow and have no hesitation braving the elements either in a car or on foot. However, there is the reality of how cities handle winter weather conditions. Portland, “bless its heart” (as they say in the South), is ill-equipped to manage snowstorms. That’s not a criticism of PDX. We get so little snow that the capital investment would be silly. So rather than complain or grumble, let’s revel in the beauty. Here are two videos: one showing DT Portland via the aerial tram and the other at the Oregon Zoo.
2016-17 Design Insights by Katina Rigall (Vlog)
Katina Rigall, the Creative Director at Classic Exhibits, shares her perspective on 2016 and what to expect from the Design Department in 2017. It was challenging year with the loss of Mike Swartout, our long-time Design Director. Since last spring, the Design Department has added two experienced (and amazing) designers and a stable of contract designers.
Is Imitation the Sincerest Form of Flattery? Nope!
In the past month, our designs have been copied three times. Three clear examples, all very different in scope. Question: When do you throw up your hands vs. taking legal action to protect your intellectual property? Thought you might like to read what we decided to do in each situation.
Exhibit Design Search Tutorial Videos
Recently, a tech savvy Classic Distributor and friend created four Exhibit Design Search tutorials. These 2-3 minute tutorials cover: Exhibit Specials, Search, My Gallery, and Photo Galleries. You can find them in our Video Library and on YouTube, but I’ll make it even easier by posting them below. Enjoy and let us know your thoughts.
Free 2017 EXHIBITOR Hall Pass from Classic Exhibits
Get a Complimentary Exhibit Hall Pass to EXHIBITORLIVE from Classic Exhibits. Code 4044. Click on the link or the graphic to register.
And while you are there, take a moment to vote for the Portable Modular People’s Choice Award. You can vote once a day until EXHIBITOR. Classic Exhibits has (5) finalists for the 2017 PMA, our most ever!
Holiday Greetings from Kevin (vlog)
Kevin shares his Happy Holiday vlog (I know. It just doesn’t sound right). He also discusses 2017 business trends, including predictions about corporate environments, Gravitee One-Step, and our internal expansion.
We would love to hear your thoughts about 2017 trends, and let us know if you enjoy these vposts (which sounds better to my ears).
We would love to hear your thoughts about 2017 trends, and let us know if you enjoy these vposts (somehow “vposts” that sounds better to my ears).
Portable Modular Awards Finalists
It’s that time of year. The 2017 Portable Modular Award Finalists were released, along with the People’s Choice Voting page. From it’s inception four years ago, Classic Exhibits has been a huge supporter because we believe that portable and modular exhibits deserve creative recognition.
Is It Too Early for 2017 Predictions?
Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve. Then 2017. Yes, it might be a little early for predictions, but we just completed our 2017 budget so the future has been on our minds for several months.
Here’s what our Magic 8 Ball tells us. Industry predictions from Kevin and Mel.