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.
Is Santa Real? Yes, For One More Year!: Word on the Street — December 22nd thru December 26th
We are a family of traditions from what we eat to where we go. Each year, we look forward to it. And this year was no different.
What I saw next gave me a moment of pause. Up in the sky, approximately a mile away, was a sleigh flying through the air being pulled by reindeer with Santa inside. I AM NOT KIDDING!
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.
Eddie Haskell, Eddie Murphy, or Eddie Award?: Word on the Street — December 1st thru December 5th
This year at EDPA Access, Classic Exhibits Inc. won an EDDIE. And to say we are proud and unbelievably honored is an understatement. We won specifically for Exhibit Design Search or EDS as so many of you have come to call it.
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.
Holiday Events 2014 Kickoff: Word on the Street — November 23rd thru November 27th
On Monday we start the final month of 2014. December promises to be a strong finish to an already amazing year in our industry. And December also means the Annual EDPA ACCESS Meeting. Classic of course will be there.
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.
Recent Posts
10 Basic Business Rules in a Broken Economy
Two weeks ago, I wrote about the federal budget impasse and the inability of Congress and the President to negotiate a reasonable, intelligent, and non-partisan solution to the deficit. No doubt, you have your opinion about the final “deal,” one that is well-reasoned and not influenced by the talking heads and their simple solutions for complex problems sound bites. The market found it unsatisfactory, just as did Standard and Poor’s.
The Greenbuild International Conference and Expo
Using GREEN to Grow Businesses
The Greenbuild International Conference & Expo is right around the corner, taking place in Toronto, ON from October 4-7. For those who have never been, the show is spectacular, filled with some of the most innovative sustainable products that you will ever see.
Is The Great Recession (TGR) the New Normal?
I enjoy a challenge. Not a Darwin Award challenge or a Mexican Drug Cartel challenge, but a normal middle-class, just risky enough to be interesting kind of challenge. Three years ago, I thought that meant hiking the Appalachian Trail for a week or installing laminate flooring in three rooms or attending an extended family reunion and not passing judgment on my Appalachian cousins. They were manageable challenges, which had a start date and end date. Or, at the very worst, I could decide to opt-out mid-stream.
Silicone Edge Graphics (SEG) as Wall Murals and Displays
To Classic Exhibit and ClassicMODUL Distributors
We all know that floor space is limited in most of your showrooms. Yet, you need a way to show the clean, uncluttered look of Silicone Edge Graphics (SEG). Here’s a solution. Chances are you have wall space available, or you’ve finally decided to replace that motel art you bought at the State Fair back in 1983. Exhibits Northwest Portland, a division of Classic Exhibits Inc., faced the same dilemma. They were getting requests for SEG displays and frames, but only had a 1 ft x 1 ft frame to show how SEG slotted into the ClassicMODUL aluminum extrusion frame. Clients kind of understood the concept, but only vaguely.
First-Timer Stories: Word on the Street — July 18th thru July 22nd
Stranger in a Strange Land
Three months ago, we embarked on a new relationship with an IT vendor, and it has been nothing short of stellar. The vendor, Convergence Networks, has quickly vaulted into one of our best relationships. because they are responsive, knowledgeable, and totally customer customer focused.
Last month, Convergence came to Classic Exhibits asking for our assistance. They had agreed to be the main sponsor of a business to business event organized by the Portland Business Journal. This would be Convergence’s very first trade show of any kind, which made their sponsorship commitment even scarier. Needless to say we were delighted to guide them through the maze that is trade shows.
The $500K Question: Word on the Street — July 11th thru July 15th
Have you ever wondered what you would do if you won the lottery?
I remember a couple of years ago when Powerball was up to some crazy amount like $280 million. Or how someone from a small town in Washington State won Mega Millions for $380 million. And if you are like me, you always wonder, “What would I do if I won the lottery?”
When Imitation IS NOT the Sincerest Form of Flattery
Under the Heading of “Are you friggin’ kidding me?!”
This week, we received a booth for storage, which is a service we offer through our Exhibits Northwest division. Like normal, we assembled it to determine if there were any issues. Now, here’s where it gets really interesting.
The display was built by ‘Blue” (and you know who I mean). Frankly, we have a great deal of respect for “Blue.” They have been market leaders for over 20 years in design, marketing, and product innovation. They know trade show marketing, and they know how to sell design. As a leader, you expect them to be trendsetters, not imitators. Certainly, you don’t expect them to copy iconic designs from other manufacturers. That wouldn’t make sense. They are “Blue,” and “Blue” doesn’t even acknowledge that there are other system manufacturers. But . . . I digress.
‘s Going On?: Word on the Street — July 4th thru July 8th
Lots of Exciting News
This week, I’d like to recap some recent press, promos, and blogs. There’s a lot going on in the world of Classic. We’re relentless . . . but that’s one of the many reasons you love us (and why we love you).
Exhibit City News Article about Aluminum Extrusions
Aluminum Extrusions Offer Few Limitations
Written by Exhibit City News
Thursday, June 30 2011
Not all aluminum extrusions are equal. Some have limited uses, flexibility and structural weight tolerance. But no matter what vision an exhibit designer has for the layout of the booth, there is an engineered aluminum extrusion that can help bring it to life.
Exhibit City News recently interviewed three trusted sources in the extrusion industry to get a comprehensive look at the benefits, trends, and technology that make up this growing segment of exhibit design.
Booths with Benefits Promotion
The Summer of Love: Booths with Benefits Promotion
It wouldn’t be summer unless there was a kooky Classic Exhibits promotion. This year, we’re combining the late 60’s Summer of Love vibe with the more recent Friends with Benefits concept. OK, it’s a little odd. Actually, it’s a lot odd, but either way, someone is going to get lucky this summer.
Here are the details:
The promotion runs from 7/1/11 to 8/30/11.
Receive (1) FREE 22″ Monitor with the Purchase of a Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Display with the Workstation/Monitor option. Basically, we’ll give your customer a free monitor (a $165 value) just for ordering a Sacagawea display. Heck, they were probably going to order it anyway but now they’ll feel some extra love from you and Classic.
Happy 4th of July: Word on the Street — June 27th thru July 1st
July is Upon Us
You can always tell when we hit July. Crickets come out during the evening, but you can hear them during the work day too. Yes, I am referring to how slow our industry gets in July. You can almost always set your calendars and clocks to it.
Fourth of July 2011 Schedule
Classic Exhibits, ClassicMODUL, and Exhibits NW will be closed on Monday, July 4th.
We’ll be back on Tuesday, assuming the rare sunny weather in the Northwest hasn’t adversely affected us. For some, just seeing the rare fireball in sky is enough to create a dangerous shopping frenzy for tomato plants at local nurseries.
Plus, we get a little dizzy and confused from too much vitamin D.
Wishing you a Safe and Happy Fourth of July Weekend!
Excellent Interview in Event Design Magazine
I don’t know how many of you receive Event Design Magazine (www.eventdesignmag.com), but there is an excellent interview with Sue Huff, Director of Global Conventions for Medtronic, in the June/July 2011 issue, Best Practices column.
Normally, I’d simply link to the article, but it’s not on the Event Design website yet. Instead, I’ll encourage you to read the interview if you have the print copy (pg. 16-17), and for those who do not have the issue, I’ve retyped several of her responses below. If I get in trouble with the folks from Event Design, . . . well I’m sure they’ll let me know.
Patient Recovery: Word on the Street — June 20th thru June 24th
On Getting Healthy
As we slowly climb out of the recession, the industry as a whole has bounced back. Albeit slowly. From the manufacturing side, we have witnessed budgets increase and align with the design hopes of end users. All good things.
But as many of you would agree, not unlike the economy at large, the slow moderate recovery . . . healthy growth as it has been called . . . is a key component to actual recovery. Let me draw a personal comparison if you don’t mind.
Urban Exhibitionary
Beginning in mid-July, Classic Exhibits and ClassicMODUL will run a series of banner ads in the ExhibitorOnline weekly e-broadcast. Most of you receive this email every Thursday or Friday from EXHIBITOR Magazine.
We’ll showcase a new banner ad each week (for 18 weeks). We decided to mimic the Urban Dictionary, but with exhibit industry terms and definitions. We call it the Urban Exhibitionary. To prime the pump, we reached out to some industry friends for ideas, and some of their clever definitions are listed below, but this is merely the first step to creating a comprehensive exhibit dictionary. We want your witty ideas and would love to use the best ones in the ads.