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.

What to Look for in an LED Lightbox Manufacturer

What to Look for in an LED Lightbox Manufacturer

Stroll through any airport, mall, event, or trade show and you’ll see hundreds of colorful LED lightboxes in every shape and size. Over the past few years, most have switched to backlit tension fabric SEG graphics. The reasons are obvious. Not only is fabric more durable than direct print graphics, but it’s also cheaper to ship and easier to maintain. And depending on the print process, the colors are vibrant and the details nearly photographic. 

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Introducing Harold Mintz

Introducing Harold Mintz

Harold Mintz, a Classic Regional Sales Manager, compares visiting trade show distributors 10 years ago to visiting them now. Most of the folks I’m meeting don’t know me. Maybe they’ve heard my name, but most are unaware of me or my experience in the industry. This is a constant reminder of the old axiom, “What have you done for me lately?”

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Hidden Gems in Exhibit Design Search

With over 1400 kits in Exhibit Design Search, some magnificent designs simply get lost in the shuffle. It happens… but it’s still sad. So we asked our experts — the project managers, designers, and territory managers from Classic Exhibits and Eco-systems Sustainable — to select designs they felt should get more “street cred.”

YOUR Invisible, Inc.: Word on the Street — April 13th thru April 17th

We recently welcomed several new, very talented employees to the Classic Family. And as is our custom, Mel and I sit down with these employees to check-in and see how things are going after about a week of training and immersion.

During this time, we take the opportunity to talk about “Who Classic is” both internally as well as externally to our customers/partners. In that discussion, we use the term “Invisible Inc” quite often. It’s a phrase that was spawned from our participation in EDPA ACCESS Meetings.

Your Trade Show Booth Staff Needs HELP!

This shouldn’t surprise you. You know your staff sucks. They are lazy. They don’t know the products. They look like hell after Day 1. And, worst of all, they don’t have a clue why they’re there. Yet, you tolerate it show after show. Why? There shouldn’t be any reason why your staff isn’t spectacular. It’s time to put on your adult pants and do it right.

4 Basic Trade Show Tips — The Bare Minimum

Even if you majored in marketing, you probably learned diddly squat about trade show marketing in your classes. Which is sad since trial and error is very, very expensive at a trade show or event.

Cool Technology at EXHIBITORLIVE 2015

I try my darndest to walk EXHIBITOR each year. Usually, that means a quick tour an hour before the hall opens. And while I ”see” the displays, I rarely get to talk to most exhibitors. So you can imagine how excited I was when Marlys Arnold from Trade Show Insights compiled a video of the Best of the Best Technology.

100 Trends to Watch in 2015 from JWT Intelligence

As a faithful reader of the Trade Show Tales blog, you’ve probably wondered, “Why hasn’t Classic posted the link to the JWT Intelligence 2015 Trends Watch?” Perhaps, the Brogawear trend scared me just a little (yep, yoga-wear for men).

The Third Time is… “Charming.”‘re a Fab 50 Again!

Event Marketer announced their 2015 Fab 50 Fabricators serving the North American event and exhibit industry. For the third year in a row (drum roll please . . .), Classic Exhibits was honored by the editors of Event Marketer and the analysts at the Event Marketing Institute.

John Zipay Joins the Classic Exhibits Executive Team

Classic Exhibits Inc. announces the addition of John Zipay to the Classic Exhibits Executive Team. John will serve as the General Manager for Exhibits Northwest.

John has an extensive background in operations, sales, and marketing within the trade show industry. Over the past ten years, John progressed rapidly from I&D to account manager and then from VP of Operations to General Manager.

Myanmar in Photos (January 2015)

Recently, a work colleague went to Myanmar for two weeks. He started in Yangon (Rangoon), spent a few days there, and then took a week-long river cruise on the Irrawaddy to Mandalay. As you know, Myanmar has largely been a closed society until a few years ago, so tourism was limited.

We thought you might enjoy seeing some of his photos. He took hundreds, but I’ve limited it to 42. There are no descriptions, so you’ll need to use your imagination. Click on any photo to scroll through the entire gallery.

Chose 5 Designs — from Past 5 Days

We Love All Our Children But Some More Than Others. We shouldn’t have favorites when it comes to exhibit designs. But we do. And, of course, everyone has those designs they hold “near and dear.”

The New Evolution: EDPA Portable Modular Summit @ EXHIBITORLive 2015

It’s only two weeks until EXHIBITORLive 2015, and there’s ONE EVENT you want to lock into your schedule. Here’s my personal invitation to the annual Portable Modular Summit.
The EDPA Portable Modular Summit — The New Evolution

The summit will be held on the show floor Tuesday March 3 at 3:30 pm, immediately after normal show hours. It will be hosted by my friend Jay Burkette from ExpoDisplays and yours truly (Kevin Carty). There’s no cost to attend.

 Tips from a Townie — EXHIBITORLIVE 2015

Last week, I was attending the EDPA Las Vegas Chapter mixer at the Foundation Room in Mandalay Bay when it HIT me! EXHIBITORLIVE is less than a month away, and we have yet to cover all the Vegas Shows. So, without further adieu, let’s moonwalk.