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.

Up Your Game Newsletter ~ September 2019

Up Your Game Newsletter ~ September 2019

Product launches can be terrifying, like our NEW SuperNova™ Tool-Less Lighboxes. Did we successfully communicate the features and benefits? Will customers embrace it? Will sales grow and how quickly?

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Recent Posts

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.

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.

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.