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.

Women in Exhibition (WIE) Mentorship Program and Survey

Women in Exhibition (WIE) Mentorship Program and Survey

As many of you know, I am a leader in the Women in Exhibition (WIE) group. Our group held a very successful meeting in Las Vegas in February.

In an effort to continue connecting women in our industry, we are announcing a mentorship program. There is no obligation to participate, but we’ve heard from women, in all facets of our industry, who would enjoy sharing their experience and guiding other women toward success.

read more
Erica Dougherty from Exhibits Northwest Shares Client Feedback

Erica Dougherty from Exhibits Northwest Shares Client Feedback

Erica Dougherty, an Account Executive at Exhibits Northwest Seattle, connects with her clients because she takes the time to get to know them and their business. That extends to feedback after a show, which is invaluable.

According to Erica, “My client, Darryl at DF/Net Research, is wonderful about sending feedback and kudos to me/us. He has allow me to share his success stories which may be beneficial to other Classic Distributors. Below are two emails from two shows, along with photos.”

read more
MORE Seismic Changes in Trade Show Products

MORE Seismic Changes in Trade Show Products

Please check your branded Exhibit Design Search today. You have four new product galleries, all with at least 80% margins. Gone are Visionary Designs, Perfect 10, Sacagawea, and SEGUE. These have been replaced with more budget-friendly systems and interactive products. As we learned from EDPA, it’s all about the”experiential” for contemporary exhibitors.

read more
| All New EDS Changes!

| All New EDS Changes!

Yes, EDS has changed… again. Now, don’t shake your head. You should be excited about these changes since they are all based on suggestions from you, our Classic Exhibits Distributors. I’m going to refer to them as “3 Modifications” since the word “change” makes some of you sweat like a cold watermelon on the 4th of July.

read more
| Post-Event Review

| Post-Event Review

To the women who participated in the Women In Exhibitions event at EXHIBITORLIVE 2018… THANK YOU! It was the most successful meeting we’ve had with 100+ women in attendance. We gathered Tuesday morning at Border Grill in Mandalay Bay for a delicious breakfast and discovered “How to Design Our Lives to Flourish” with Guest Speaker Lynette Xanders. What an energizing way to start the second day of the show!

read more
My EXHIBITORLIVE 2018 Reactions and Recap

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.

read more
Welcome Tom Beard, Eco-Systems New National Sales Manager

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.

read more
Portable Modular Awards (PMA) Ceremony at EXHIBITORLIVE 2018

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.

read more

Recent Posts

Our Five $200 Rental Rewards Winners

In July, Classic Rental Solutions (CRS) launched Rental Rewards, a program designed to reward our distributors for rental returns without damage or missing components.

Since July, we’ve issued 49 Rental Rewards Credits to 32 Classic Distributors. We’re thrilled with the early success of this program!

Promotional Product Trends in 2015

At nearly half a cent per impression, promotional products are a proven, cost-effective way of marketing your company and increasing your brand awareness. They have a lower cost per impression than nearly every other form of advertising. In addition, they have staying power with an average of just over seven months. If you’re not using promotional items, here are some reasons you should be.

|’s Choice Voting

The EXHIBITOR People’s Choice Award is open for all Portable Modular Award finalists. Classic Exhibits has four entries, either submitted by Classic or by distributor. And one entry by Eco-Systems Sustainable, a strategic partner.

‘ll Receive This Year

Because of this experience and others like it, I developed On The Move Furniture with Classic Exhibits, a line specifically for trade shows and events. It includes the upscale NEO line and the new, affordable Express series. This high-quality portable and brandable furniture this is logistically friendly, attractive, and cost-effective.

‘m Doing!

All in all, it was a great year because of the Classic Distributor Network. I won’t go into detail since Kevin will cover it in the 2014 State of the Company letter, but here is what I will say about my year.

How To Entertain Yourself During Any Meeting

Here are a few suggestions on how to entertain yourself during any meeting. Your colleagues will appreciate your efforts; perhaps not during the meeting or that month but when they look back and reflect on all the years they spent cooped up like a chicken in a factory farm they’ll have a little chuckle.

Excellent Surface Pro 3 Review at Forbes.com

If you are unfamiliar with the Microsoft line, here’s a long-term review of the Surface Pro 3 from by Ewan Spence at Forbes.com, published last week. It’s an excellent summary of its strengths and weaknesses. Like most Classic Distributors, you are undoubtedly being quizzed about tablets by your customers — Apple, Microsoft, and Android.

You Like Me, You Really Like Me!

EDPA ACCESS was great in so many other ways too. The theme was “Band Together.” Shared ideas about our beloved industry was practiced throughout the seminar and speaker sessions. In addition, Jim Shelman, Reid Sherwood, and I participated in the Supplier Showcase where we connected with current and potential customers, vendors, and even other suppliers in a way that was low-key and comfortable.

The Power of Responsive Communication

You either get it or you don’t. We live in a world where we expect people and companies to respond IMMEDIATELY. That doesn’t mean the problem has to be solved NOW or the question answered ASAP, but it does mean that it has to be acknowledged.

Attend EXHIBITORLIVE 2015 … FREE!

Who said, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”? Multiple people, according to the knowitalls at Google. Well, we disagree.
Attend EXHIBITORLIVE FREE compliments of Classic Exhibits Inc. by entering code: 4044.

Creating a Game Plan for Victory: Word on the Street — November 10th thru November 14th

I Love College Football

It’s exciting. It’s fun. It’s often unpredictable. Whatever you think of the current debate about college athletics, I still believe that the college game has far less of the “show and glow” arrogance of pro athletes.

To me, the time and effort that goes into creating a winning game plan is amazing. Some teams have a clear defensive mindset, others are more offensive. Which approach creates the highest victory percentage is debatable.