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.
Recent Posts
Dumb Stuff People Do at Trade Shows
Now, I’m not calling anyone “dumb,” so lower your kitchen knives and baseball bats. What I am saying is that people do really dumb stuff at trade shows. Consistently dumb stuff. Anyone who participates in trade shows could write a book on what they’ve seen over the years. Pre-show marketing and post-show leads could cover several hundred pages.
‘t See at a Trade Show
It’s human nature. We ignore the familiar. After a while, the pile of messy papers doesn’t exist and the big coffee stain is invisible. Then, someone comments on it, and we can’t not look at it. Until it disappears — again.
Trade show exhibits are no different and maybe even worse. Do you remember your first show with a brand new display?
The Mobius Strip Approach to Trade Show Marketing
Most of us are creatures of habit. Why change if it’s working? I’ve learned over the years that trade show marketing tends to follow the same, well-traveled road for most companies. Same shows. Similar booths. Little change to the exhibit staffing. Common frustrations year after year.
WatchDOGS: Word on the Street — October 27th thru October 31st
This past Friday, October 31 was more than Halloween for me. I volunteered for WatchDOGS, a program through the National Center of Fathering. The concept is multifaceted: it’s meant to get fathers involved in their kid’s classroom and participate in the school as a whole.
Ghouls… Goblins… and CyberThieves!: Word on the Street — October 20th thru October 24th
In business, we all rely heavily on our Intellectual Property. It’s the fruit of the hard work we do each and every day in our business. And it’s the root of what “Shared Success” is all about at Classic Exhibits and our proud Distributor Network.
Recently, we were directed towards a website for an online exhibit company based in Southern California. We were informed that the online company was using images from our website, along with our kit numbers.
5 Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives
Making the Perfect Pitch . . . Low and Inside
Presenting to senior executives can be a challenge, even to seasoned professionals. When it comes to pitching your company, your services, and your design, you have to be perfect since you rarely get more than one chance.
The slideshow below, 5 Tips to Presenting to Executives, is informative and entertaining. It’s by Bruce Gabrielle author of Speaking PowerPoint: the New Language of Business. Give it a quick look, then go back and study it carefully. You’ll be glad you did.
SEG Installation Video from Optima
Side-by-Side Comparison
Kudos to our friends at Optima for their recent videos. They’ve upped the ante on how to script and produce a professional educational video. Here’s a terrific one to share with your customer if they purchased a silicone edge graphic display. Force them to watch it. It will save you a 9 a.m. call from the show floor that the SEG graphic(s) doesn’t fit. It does.
“Countdown to Trade Show Success” Free Webinar
Free Exhibitor Webinar on Nov. 6
I’ve heard you say many times, “Is there a trade show webinar available to my customers that is Professional, Brandable, and Free?” Why yes my dimple-faced sweet dumpling, there is. Marlys Arnold, the Trade Show Image Specialist, will be offering her “Countdown to Tradeshow Success” webinar on Nov. 6.
BONUS: Marlys will create a branded webpage for you to promote the webinar to your clients. Just contact her at marnold@imagespecialist.com.
How to Build a Small Wood Crate — Classic Style (video)
Over the years, we’ve gotten lots of compliments on our wood crates. I often joke that a distributor will call and say, “My client really liked their new display, but THEY LOVED THE CRATE AND PACKAGING!” Sigh . . . I’m never quite sure how to take that.
Our dedicated crate building team does an amazing job, so we thought we would show you how we build a small crate, often called a “coffin crate” in the trade. Expect a video showing larger crates in about a month.
Why Distributors Enjoy Working with Classic
I’m asked this question a lot. New distributors will say, “What makes doing business with Classic Exhibits different from other manufacturers?” But, before I launch into this, a bit of a warning. I’m writing this from the hospital, hopped up on drugs before I have surgery. I’m in pain but I will be better in a few hours. So allow me a little latitude if this rambles.
Another Great SKU Class : Word on the Street — September 22nd thru September 26th
Last week, thirty trade show professionals descended on Portland, Oregon for Shared Knowledge University. The group was diverse, both in background and geography.
We are proud of every SKU graduating class, but this class was truly exceptional in my opinion. To a person, each and every student came to learn, listen, and participate in the class sessions and hands-on product training. For that, I thank you all. Your engagement across both days was truly over the top.
“Buy” Button on Exhibit Design Search
Nearly nine years ago, we launched Exhibit Design Search (EDS), using OSCommerce. It required each distributor to maintain their EDS site and have an online ecommerce account. For all but a few distributors, it was a disaster. They didn’t have time to maintain their site, and the ecommerce function was superfluous. Rarely, rarely, rarely did anyone buy an exhibit online. So, we changed. We created a Classic-maintained EDS and removed the shopping cart.
CEIR Predict Conference Summary: Word on the Street — September 8th thru September 12th
Kudos to Rachel Wimberly on her comprehensive summation of the CEIR Predict Conference on September 11, 2014 in Chicago. If you did not read it, here is the link to the full article from TSNN.
https://www.tsnn.com/news-blogs/ceir-predict-conference-trade-show-industry-track-positive-growth-20152016
10 Things Bosses Never Tell Employees, But Should: Word on the Street — September 1st thru September 5th
I have been thinking all week about what to write. Several thoughts came to mind, usually influenced by “in the moment circumstances,” but none seemed to hit me just right. Then, a LinkedIn Pulse hit my inbox, one I felt compelled to share.
The Magnificent, Magical Middle of Trade Show Displays
The middle is the sweet spot in trade show displays. I offers customers value, quality, and personalization through design and customization. Classic Exhibits understands the middle market better than any other manufacturer. We design and build mid-priced displays with features, shapes, and quality not found in lesser displays.