John Zipay: Six Month Update (or What I Did During My Summer Vacation)
Wow! I can’t believe it has been six months since I joined the Classic Exhibits Family as the General Manager for Exhibits Northwest!
Where to begin… The Northwest is fantastically beautiful with postcard views in every direction. The folks here are down-to-earth, extremely health, and environmentally conscious. Professionally, my daily challenges haven’t changed very much, and the overall industry feel is more or less the same. Just like you, we use our experience to recommend the best exhibits and services to our customers.
Share, Rent, Borrow, or Buy Your Next Display?
As a parent, you teach your children to share — share their toys, their candy, their whatever.
At Classic, we’ve seen this rental trend since 2008. At first, it was driven by necessity. Exhibitors were committed to a show and/or committed to trade show marketing and their budgets were slashed. Now, however, that trend has less to do with slashed budgets and more to do with personalization, capacity, ownership, storage, and design.
How to Speak Graphic Designer (Infographic)
28 Design Terms Marketers Should Know
Wow! Two sensational infographics within a week. This one should be printed, framed, and hung on the wall next to every graphic designer and marketing manager. No more misunderstandings about leading and kerning. No more wasted conversations about web-friendly fonts. No more confusion about UI and UX.
10 Steps to Trade Show Success (Infographic)
Some infographics can be confusing… But not this one! An outstanding infographic from Bag of Ideas, a promotional products company in the UK. This is one worth printing or forwarding to your tradeshow clients. Bag of Ideas — A pat on the back for this clever and practical message. Well done!
‘s Your Trade Show Kryptonite?
We shouldn’t but we do. We hope hope hope that the next attendee who walks in our booth is Superman. Not Superman Superman, but the sales equivalent of Superman. Faster to sign a contract than a speeding bullet. More powerful than the VP of Purchasing. Able to leap over objections in a single bound. We yearn for Superman (or Superwoman) to enter our trade show booth space.
Trust Me!
I receive Seth Godin’s daily blog post. To say “I receive” his posts doesn’t do them justice. They’re always the first or second email I read in the morning. This one was especially relevant.
Here’s a simple marketing strategy for a smaller company trying to compete in a big-company world:
Choose your customers, trust them, treat them well.
Say yes. Bend the rules. Show up on time. Keep your promises.
Don’t exert power merely because you can.
Be human, be kind, pay attention, smile.
Not everyone deserves this sort of treatment, not everyone will do their part to be the kind of customer you can delight and serve. But that’s okay, you don’t need everyone.
Deep Thoughts from the E2MA Red Diamond Congress
I attended the E2MA Red Diamond Congress in Boston last week — my third time at this annual two-day conference. The RDC is a small, but growing, group of stakeholders in the event and tradeshow industry which includes show organizers, general contractors, associations, distributors, tradeshow managers, suppliers, and labor.
When Technology Bites: Word on the Street — July 20th thru July 24th
I love technology! But sometimes, I fear, we miss the basics, the commonsense in our effort to make things more efficient and streamlined — like what makes sense. For example…
Last week I met with a transportation company, one of the well-known Big TWO. At the beginning of 2015, this carrier introduced a slick handing system in their sorting facilities replacing the old system that required someone to manually check measurements on larger packages.
Mid-Year Review: Word on the Street — July 13th thru July 17th
I am writing this a few weeks late, but in fairness, there’s a lot going on at Classic Exhibits.
It’s been an exciting 2015, thanks to you, our loyal and creative distributors. Orders have been ALL ACROSS THE BOARD. So let’s review the highlights, identify some trends, and share a few stories.
The year started with a bang. January set the tone after a busy late December. It was clear we were going to be in for a wild ride filled with growth, unique challenges, and a mixture of tradeshow, event, retail, and permanent install projects.
Under $3K to $25K Display Brochures
I’m getting old, but not too old to learn from my mistakes. Over the past year, I’ve largely ignored printed sales collateral as a tool for Classic Distributors. That’s not to say we haven’t created high quality PDF’s (such as Tablet Stands and OTM Neo and Express Furniture), but they have been mostly promotional sheets, not product line sheets. My feeling was — It’s all online on the Classic website or in Exhibit Design Search.
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Recent Posts
‘t Always Follow the Rules
Perhaps we should be more corporate, more dignified. But that’s not our style. Heck, we’re the folks with the ongoing Urban Exhibitionary ads in EXHIBITOR Online. A few of those ads have stuck a exposed nerve, like Showgasm and Bundling. Ouch!
Here’s our tongue in cheek “Help Wanted” ad in Exhibit City News for ClassicMODUL. This is for everyone who has worked with a temperamental co-worker, supplier, or customer.
My Predictions for Late Summer and Fall: Word on the Street — July 2nd thru July 6th
Gaze into My Crystal Ball
For the past four weeks, while we have been very busy with lots of traditional trade show work, we have also been working a lot on alternative markets we service through some of traditional and non-traditional distribution channels.
And while that is great! I have been looking at the activity over the past four weeks to try and get an idea of what the next busy season will bring from a trade show-only perspective.
The Right Questions to Ask When Hiring
A Good Interview is More about Conversation
Ordinarily, I dismiss articles about hiring tips, mainly because they are either simplistic, silly, impractical, or inane. This one by The New York Times contributing writer Adriana Gardella makes perfect sense. Adriana’s post appears in the The NY Times “Your the Boss” section, The Art of Running a Small Business. At Classic Exhibits, for administrative, sales, and management positions, we always conduct the first interview over the phone. It’s usually a short interview, typically about 20 minutes. Phone interviews save us time and allow us to focus on the person and personality.
Double Deck Extrusion Article in Exhibit City News
Double Deck Extrusion Exhibits are Thriving
ClassicMODUL Double Deck
Exhibit City News recently interviewed three trusted sources in the extrusion industry to get a comprehensive look at double deck exhibits. Jim Shelman, General Manager of Classic Rentals, was the spokesperson for ClassicMODUL Aluminum Extrusions. The article begins below and then links to full ECN article. Our thanks to ECN for asking us to participate.
What the Summer Brings: Word on the Street — June 25th thru June 29th
The sales doldrums of June, July, and August always bring uncertainty and opportunity. Like you, we try to use the time wisely to finish lingering projects and untapped challenges.
So far this summer, we have been busy (enough), especially with non-trade show projects, but that hasn’t prevented us from checking off items on our “To Do List.”
Did You Miss Out? SKU & You Webinars are Online
A few weeks ago, Classic Exhibits hosted three educational webinars about silicone edge graphics (SEG), hybrid exhibits, and trade show island designs. The response was extremely positive. For those who missed these webinars, here’s your chance to experience them via the magic of YouTube and GoToWebinar. We hope you enjoy and welcome your comments.
Designer Design Tips fro Sales-cessful Island Exhibits
A Hybrid is a Hybrid is a Hybrid
What’s All the Hub-Bub about Silicone Edge Graphics
Tony Bennett Joins Classic Exhibits to Launch the Web Development Department
Web Development Department
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Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett, an experienced web developer, joins the Classic Exhibits Inc. to launch the Web Development Department. The Web Development Department was formed to assist Classic Distributors with the creation, revision, and maintenance of their websites.
As a designer, Tony has created custom and open source based content management systems dependent on project needs. He has assisted clients with search engine optimization strategies to drive more web traffic to their sites, performed necessary hardware and software maintenance on local web servers, and worked to develop web solutions which best fit the customer’s needs.
Jen LaBruzza, Western Regional Manager: Word on the Street — June 18th thru June 22nd
Classic Exhibits Inc. welcomes Jen LaBruzza to Classic Exhibits Inc. as the Western Regional Manager. Jen will be responsible for meeting and consulting with distributors throughout the West for Classic Exhibits, ClassicMODUL Aluminum Extrusions, and Classic Rentals. Jen LaBruzza has 20 years of experience in and around the trade show industry.
Club 815 for Cancer: Word on the Street — June 11th thru June 15th
Every year I embark on a 100 mile bike ride to raise money through the Livestrong Foundation for Cancer Research.
Well, this year I recruited some friends and together we have decided to help one of our own: Mike Swartout, Director of Design at Classic Exhibits Inc. Most know Mike, are friends with Mike, and some even call him family.
This September, employees from Classic Exhibits, Optima Graphics, Creative Dimensions, and Greg Garrett Designs will go the distance for one of their own — literally.
Four Steps to Being a Grateful Boss
When it comes to management theory, there’s the Donald Trump School of Management, the School of Love, Meditation, and Crystals, and then there’s the School of What Really Happens when the Rubber Meets the Road. We try to do the right thing, and generally, that means following some form of The Golden Rule. Tom Cox, a consultant who coaches CEOs on how to boost performance by building workplace trust, suggests this practical, if often overlooked, advice: gratitude.
Pajama Jockeys
What I’m about to discuss will make some of you really mad and some of you really, really happy. I’m not sure whether to point the finger at the trade show industry, manufacturers, distributors, or exhibitors.
Over the years, I’ve written about trade show marketing from multiple angles. I don’t pretend to be an expert. Unlike you, I’m not on the front lines working with clients, nor am I attending a dozen trade shows every year. On the other hand, I have the luxury of seeing your projects everyday and hearing from you, our designers, and our project managers about your orders and your client’s goals.
Summer Crush Specials — Savings on Quadro EO and iPad Kiosks
Quadro EO and iPad Kiosk “Summer Crush” Promotion
The Summer Crush Specials feature the Quadro EO Pop Up combined with the newly released iPad Kiosks MOD-1312 and MOD-1314. The savings are ginormous. Literally GINORMOUS!
iPad Kiosks and Summer Specials: Word on the Street — May 28th thru June 1st
June, July, (and August) Specials
Table Top Savings
Save 10% on select Table Top Displays including Sacagawea, Perfect 10, SEGUE, and Intro. These are some of our most innovative table tops, which we’ve never discounted before. But, it’s summer in Portland, OR, and we’re apt to lose our sanity after not seeing the sun for nine months. 20 kits total. Be sure to check out the quick, easy, and inexpensive iPad option for Intro Fabric Table Tops. So very, very simple. So very smart.
Sacagawea Video from Evo Exhibits
Kevin Fett, one of the owners of Evo Exhibits in Chicago, passed along this video of the Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Display. We liked it so much, we wanted to give you a chance to see it too. It’s a good mix of time lapse assembly and a soft sales pitch on the features and benefits of this portable system.
According to Kevin, “Thought I’d share a video of Susan Johnson putting up a Sacagawea in time lapse. Susan is 5’0″ — so we thought it would be cool to see her put one up by herself.”
Well done Kevin, Susan, and the entire Evo Exhibits team. Enjoy everyone!
Happy Memorial Day: Word on the Street — May 21st thru May 25th
While we are all enjoying a long weekend, I hope that we do not forget the reason behind this Memorial Day Weekend: Remembering those who have served and or lost their lives serving our country.