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 Or the style may simply be outdated.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.
Things You Learn from 8 Year Olds: Word on the Street — January 26th thru January 30th
8 … What an interesting age. Not quite the age where you start thinking you know everything, and not quite the age when you feel totally dependent on your parents.
Each Friday and Saturday, I am surrounded by 20 of them, including my twins, as their youth basketball coach. This includes one team of 10 boys and another of 10 girls. All 8 or approaching 8. Each week, they are a wealth of insights and lessons.
Tips from a Townie — EXHIBITORLIVE 2015
Several years ago, I shared my VEGAS LOCALS perspective on places to eat, shows to see, and things to do while at EXHIBITOR. A lot has happened since then, and I wanted to suggest some new places. These are not your standard tourist fare and many are (thankfully) outside the Hacienda Triangle (Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur). In Part 1 — Dining Options.
Everything I Know About Business, I Learned From “THE Batman”
To me, the best issues have never been about crime fighting or adventure, but instead are the issues that focus on a forcefully driven man forcing the world to play by his rules, against all odds.
THIS is the Batman that has focused so much of my adult life and that has — believe it or not — helped shape the way I approach my professional life. You see, everything I know about business I learned from Batman.
A Wish and A Prayer — Trade Show Marketing
This cartoon, designed by our friends at American Image (www.american-image.com), speaks to the “wish and a prayer” marketing approach of most exhibitors. It’s a cautionary tale we can’t repeat enough to our customers. Our thanks to Charles Dugan and Jacob Norris for permission to reprint it.
NETGEAR Showroom Tour at CES 2015
This video, produced by NETGEAR, shows their 2015 CES Exhibit. Except for the tables in the hallway in the beginning, it’s entirely a Classic Rental Solutions exhibit. Thanks to Steve Riches at Laguna Displays for sharing and for the order. A pat on the back the the CRS Team. This is a terrific example of how they create customized solutions for Classic Distributors every single day.
2014 “State of the Company” Letter by Kevin Carty
Thank you for supporting the Classic Family of Companies. Now before 2014 is too far in the rearview mirror, let’s spend a few minutes reviewing last year’s Top 10.
Our Five $200 Rental Rewards Winners
In July, Classic Rental Solutions (CRS) launched Rental Rewards, a program designed to reward our distributors for rental returns without damage or missing components.
Since July, we’ve issued 49 Rental Rewards Credits to 32 Classic Distributors. We’re thrilled with the early success of this program!
Filter by Category
Filter by Year
Recent Posts
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.
Eco-systems Sustainable Exhibits: Milestones and Timeline
Milestones and Timeline
Eco-systems Sustainable Displays In just over four years, Eco-Systems has become the leader of innovative and sustainable exhibit products and practices. Eco-Systems offers customers high-quality “green” display options — from table tops to islands — through a network of over 90 certified distributors in North America.
The timeline below highlights many of the important events that have shaped Eco-Systems over the last few years, including the development of many eco-friendly materials and product lines.
‘s Reminisce: Word on the Street — June 6th thru June 10th
This past Friday, I found myself thinking a lot about the past. During the day, I did an internal training session on the Intro Folding Fabric Panel System for our Project Management team. And then later that evening, I attended a graduation party for a family friend’s son who just finished high school.
Both really got me thinking about how time flies and all that has happened over the years in my personal life as well as in my business life.
Trade Show Exhibit Trends — Reid Sherwood Interview
Recently, Reid...
Trade Show Bullies
While on a business trip this week, I bought Inc. Magazine (June 2011) to read on the plane. Oddly enough, on page 35 there was an article, a column actually by Norm Brodsky, about the trade show industry. I thought I’d share, although it doesn’t cast a flattering light on our business. Here’s the first paragraph as a preview . . .