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.
Tips from a Townie — EXHIBITORLIVE 2015
It turns out that there are good things and not so good things to do in Las Vegas. I’ve done a few that should be kept on the down-low, like New Year’s Eve on the Strip or walking from the Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay (Trust me, get a cab!). With these follies in mind, I’ll share some “Things to Do” recommendations while at EXHIBITORLIVE.
The Best Exhibit. The One You Already Own.
There are lots of reasons to purchase a new exhibit. You may have an expanded trade show program or your company has a revised marketing focus. Or the style may simply be outdated. I won’t discourage you from buying a new display. That would be idiotic, since we design and build trade show displays.
But . . . that still doesn’t mean you should buy a new exhibit. Here’s why.
‘t Pity the Pop Up Display
Recently, I attended half a dozen trade shows, mostly small regional events where 10 x 10 booths are the norm. These are the bread and butter events in our industry, the ones that don’t get much press compared to the big electronics, medical, and construction shows. There aren’t many large exhibits. Mostly banner stands, vinyl banner signs, tube and tension fabric displays, homemade exhibits, and the ever ubiquitous pop up display.
Filter by Category
Filter by Year
Recent Posts
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.
Islands and Summer Just Go Together: Word on the Street — June 13th thru June 17th
Five Weeks of New Island Designs
It is officially summer next week . . . although in the Pacific Northwest you would be hard pressed to know that. Until a week ago, we’ve rarely approached highs of 70 all spring. But today, as I write this, it’s 75 degrees with no clouds in the sky. About time!
As the title of the blog suggests, summer is when we dream of a tropical island vacation. While I can’t offer you that, I can announce the release of a five new Island Designs. Beginning this week and over the next five weeks in Design Monday, we’ll showcase five fresh and exciting Island kits.