All in the Name of Customer Service: Word on the Street — March 16th thru March 20th
Have you ever stopped to appreciate what you do for your clients? I know it comes with the territory. We’re sales-driven people with customers who have high, sometimes unreasonable requests. But in the end, they are our customers, and we’ll do what we have to do to make them happy.
Our Final Four vs. Your Final Four Challenge
Test Your 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball IQ by Picking the Final Four. Each Correct Team Earns You a Bigger Bonus.
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).
EXHIBITORLIVE 2015 Review: Word on the Street — March 2nd thru March 6th
Well I don’t know about you … but I am pooped! EXHIBITORLIVE 2015 has come and gone. What an amazing week of visiting with old friends, making new friends, and seeing all the exciting new things in our GREAT industry.
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.
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Yub Nub: Word on the Street — Oct. 3rd thru Oct. 7th
Ewokese
It’s the language of Ewoks of course. But that’s not really what I am hear to talk about. No! As many of you know, this past week we launched a new “Find Reid” contest. Last time we celebrated Reid’s love affair with the with the 60’s fro. This time we revealed a little more about our little fury friend that we have all come to love and respect. Seek the Sherwok . . . an endearing creature from the land of Newaygo.
Seek Reid the Ewok — Win an Amazon Kindle Fire!
Classic Distributors: Seek Reid the Ewok in EDS
Locate Reid Sherwood on Classic Exhibits’ Exhibit Design Search to win one of two Amazon Kindle Fire Tablets. To be eligible, send your correct answer to Mel White by Friday, October 21.
The Elevator Pitch: Word on the Street — Sept. 26th thru Sept. 30th
The Elevator Pitch
Let me start of by saying that I am NOT very good at this! But, it is something I strive to improve on and a skill that I admire in others.
If you don’t know what I am referring to, it is based on the idea of stepping into an elevator with someone and saying something clearly and succinctly in a compressed time frame. Depending on the number of floors in the building, you may only have 2, 5, or 10 minutes max. It’s a cool concept and applies to business interactions everyday — whether you’re on an elevator, a plane, in a meeting, or at a social gathering.
Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic: Word on the Street — Sept. 19th thru Sept. 23rd
The Industry Gives Back
Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic
Every October, our industry pulls together to raise money for those struck by tragedy, illness, and/or the loss of industry colleagues.
For the industry, this year will be no different. But for Classic Exhibits and its family of companies and employees, it will be different. One of our own is a beneficiary this year. Mike Swartout, our Director of Design, who is battling Stage 4 cancer. Please read about Mike and all the recipients at the following website: https://rsmgc.org/RSMGC/www.rsmgc.org/Recipients/
”s Hybrid Display Systems
New distributors and account executives often ask, “What’s the difference between a Sacagawea Hybrid and a Perfect 10 Hybrid? Or a Magellan and a Visionary Design?” Can it be confusing? Absolutely! Classic Exhibits has six distinct hybrid lines: Sacagawea, Magellan, Perfect 10/20, Visionary Designs, SEGUE, and Euro LT. Or to look at it another way, it’s more than any other systems manufacturer. Why so many and how are they truly different?
The Bucket List Project Revealed: Word on the Street — Sept. 5th thru Sept. 9th
A few weeks ago, I described it as a “bucket list” project. But it really became so much more than that. What once started out as a bucket list project quickly turned into one of the longest, hardest and most personally gratifying project/event I have ever been a part of.
PJ20 was the name of the project: A celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Pearl Jam.
30 Second Audio Clips in Exhibit Design Search
Audio in EDS — Are You Listening?
Exhibit Design Search has a new feature — Audio. Now, that may not seem so new, what with the explosion of video, but brief audio clips are excellent way to communicate product benefits and features. Each audio clip reviews a product line, such as Sacagawea or a specific kit, such as the iPhone VK-1032. In addition, the audio complements the renderings and bullet point descriptions, while elaborating on the most important benefits of the product.
Quadro Pop Up — FREE Monitor Promotion
Fall in Love: Quadro Pop Up FREE Monitor Promotion
Here’s a recent trend that may surprise you: Half of all Quadro Pop Ups orders include a monitor mount option. That’s true whether it’s a curve or a flat frame, or a Quadro S or a Quadro EO kit. Monitors have become a “gotta have” option for a pop up, and no system makes it easier than Quadro. It makes sense . . . we invented the monitor mount option for flat screen LCD’s and Plasmas for pop ups. In fact, the Quadro S Pop Up Display is the only frame that can handle as many as five monitors. Yes, FIVE!
Update — When Your Bucket List and Your Job Converge (8/29/11)
Happy Monday to you all. Hope your weekend was good.
Thanks to our wonderful production staff here at Classic and to our Project Manager, Edie Arambula, mine was much less stressful than it certainly could have been. Starting on Friday, I began an annual endurance/idiotic event called the Hood to Coast: a 200 mile run from Mt. Hood to Seaside on the Oregon Coast. And thanks to our great employees, I did not have to worry about work on my Bucket List Project that shipped while my team and I were running.
When Your Bucket List and Your Job Converge: Word on the Street — August 15th thru August 19th
Thursday, August 4 at 1 p.m.
I was returning to the office from a lunchtime doctor’s appointment when I got the call. The call came in on my cell phone and was from one of our newest and most consistent Classic Exhibits Distributors. To be honest, my first thought was, “Oh boy, I hope nothing went wrong on our recent project.” The owner normally doesn’t contact me on my cell. Usually their project management staff works directly with our Customer Service team.
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.