The Magnificent, Magical Middle of Trade Show Displays
The middle is the sweet spot in trade show displays. I offers customers value, quality, and personalization through design and customization. Classic Exhibits understands the middle market better than any other manufacturer. We design and build mid-priced displays with features, shapes, and quality not found in lesser displays.
‘s Derek Nollman at Classic Rental Solutions?
Derek has joined the Classic Rental Solutions team and is working directly with me in rental sales. Derek’s still a young guy, but has over 20 years of experience in the trade show industry, mostly on the contractor service side, but also in show management where he sold booth space for one of the larger Portland shows.
197 Miles of Painful Bliss! The Hood to Coast Relay
On August 22, 2014 @ 3:30 a.m. 12 whackos and 2 dedicated drivers woke up to take on a challenge, one that they called FUN. I am one of those whackos — the Chief Whacko if you will.
The event is called Hood to Coast, aka …The Mother of All Relays. It’s an event in which 12 people with two support drivers and two vans run 197 miles from about 6000 feet on Mt. Hood to the beautiful Oregon Coast, Seaside, Oregon to be specific.
You Can’t Fix Stupid — Material Handling
Rising Drayage and Material Handling Costs
If you are a fan of the comedian Ron White, you know his signature line, “You Can’t Fix Stupid.” I was reminded of this line three weeks ago while attending a material handling session by Amanda Helgemoe from NuVista and Sue Huff from Medtronics at the Red Diamond Congress. The presentation was based on a 2013 study endorsed by the Exhibit and Event Marketers Association (E2MA) Advocacy Committee.
Dealing with Conflict. Are You an Elephant?: Word on the Street — August 11th thru August 15th
Is there an elephant in your office? If you don’t see one, it might be YOU!
An observation was recently shared with me. The context was leadership and dealing with conflict, and how leaders handle or don’t handle conflict in the workplace. The speaker said, “Show me the leader that doesn’t confront conflict, and I’ll show you the biggest elephant in the room.”
![How Your Eyes Move on a Website [Cool Inforgraphic]](https://www.classicexhibits.com/tradeshow-blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/how-your-eyes-move-on-a-website-infographic-internet-marketing-with-blog-optimization.png)
How Your Eyes Move on a Website [Cool Inforgraphic]
Single Grain designed this excellent infographic that explains:
How our eyes move on a website or blog,
How web design influences eye movement and interaction, and
Proposes tips for creating an effective website design.
Hot Hot Hot!: Word on the Street — August 4th thru August 8th
Summer Business
There is a heat wave in the Pacific NW. I mean HOT . . . at least for us. Mid-80’s to mid-90’s kinda HOT. Which if you have ever lived or visited here, you know we don’t get that very often.
Now for the cheesy segue. All this HOT weather has me thinking we are living in the Islands, and wouldn’t you know it, we are building and quoting A LOT of islands right now.
Vibrant Color and Stunning Contrast Gallery
Several months ago, Glenna Martin, our Graphic Design Manager, created the first Graphic Inspiration Gallery — Graphics that Complement the Display. Glenna pulled 38 Past 5 Days photos to show effective examples of structure and graphics. If you haven’t read her notes, I urge you to review them. You may want to consider directing graphic designers to the galleries if they are unfamiliar with trade show graphics.
| Day 2 Notes
Day 2 (Innovation Day)
It was a day of epiphanies at the Red Diamond Congress about the trade show industry. Bob McClintock, COO of SMG, gave the morning keynote: A New Facility Model: Facility as Service Provider. I know. The title sounds pretty boring, but the topic and the speaker were anything but. SMG manages McCormick Place, the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and 70 other venues.
| Day 1 Notes
I’m in Chicago this week for the E2MA Red Diamond Congress. For those unfamiliar with the Exhibit and Event Marketers Association and the RDC . . .
The E2MA is a community of exhibit and event marketers driven to benchmark the value of face-to face marketing. By facilitating discussions among all industry stakeholders, the E2MA’s Red Diamond Congress develops actionable ideas and solutions that can provide for industry growth and success.
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Word on the Street — March 14th thru March 18th
It’s Showtime! EXHIBITOR SHOW 2011.
It is that time of year . . . and if you have been “peeking” at Peek-a-Booth, you probably already know what a creative and exciting display we have in store for the show. It’s a “Home” (of sorts) where you can relax and learn about all the great things happening at Classic Exhibits, Exhibits Northwest, Eco-systems Sustainable, and ClassicMODUL.
The EDPA Portable Modular Summit
he EDPA Portable/Modular Summit will return to Exhibitor this year after a 2010 hiatus.
This session will meet on Wednesday, March 30th from 9:30 am to 10:30 am in Tropics A-B of the Mandalay Bay North Convention Center (look for the NORTH Convention Center sign on the right side of the main entrance hallway, just past the Starbucks).
Bye Bye Pop Ups? Hello Hybrids!
Distributor Open House
I attended a Distributor Open House recently, where the distributor invited customers to see the latest trends in trade show marketing (ExhibiTrends 2011). Over 20 exhibit-related companies participated, ranging from portable manufacturers to lead generating companies, and from flooring suppliers to graphic providers. The event was well-organized and extremely successful. About 300 current and potential customers walked the event.
Jeopardy Questions — Test Your Knowledge of Classic Exhibits
Several weeks ago, a Classic Distributor asked me to create Jeopardy questions for his weekly sales meeting. He planned to test his Account Executive and Project Managers on their knowledge of Classic products and services. Since I enjoyed writing the answers/questions, I thought I’d put you to the test as well.
Below are all the answers and then the corresponding questions. So grab your buzzer and discover how well you know Classic?
Word on the Street — February 21st thru February 25th
Avoiding Arrogance
“Avoiding Arrogance” is an insightful blog entry by Tom Cox that appeared in Oregon Business last week. It reminds us of things NOT to do or to assume as we interact with colleagues and customers on projects. Below is the blog entry.
Word on the Street — February 14th thru February 18th
First Timer’s Experience
This past week had a running theme — First Timer’s. That is, people who were either attending and/or coordinating their first trade show, or in one case, preparing for their first retail installation. You know what this is like. It’s draining, exhilarating, and frustrating –usually at the same time.
Looking for a Deal is Easy . . .
Well, after last week’s sales calls, I decided that all anybody wants to talk about anymore is price. The price of EVERYTHING. Not just trade show exhibits, but everyone is looking for a deal. Looking for a deal is easy, because there is always someone or something cheaper. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it is equal, just cheaper.
Customer Appreciation Reception at EXHIBITOR
Join us for a a Customer Appreciation Reception on Tuesday March 29 at the Eye Candy Lounge. The reception is sponsored by Classic Exhibits Inc., Display Supply and Lighting and Optima Graphics. To receive a complementary drink ticket, visit the Classic Exhibits (#1455), DS&L (#1361), or Optima Graphics (#1721) on the EXHIBITOR Show floor on either Monday or Tuesday. There are a limited number of tickets available — so don’t dawdle my friend. Your odds worsen with each passing hour.
Our 2011 EXHIBITOR Show Invitation
Attend EXHIBITOR 2011 for FREE as a Guest of Classic Exhibits Inc.
Simply click the link below. You will be taken to a registration form. Once you complete the form, the final price will be zero, gratis, zippo, nada.
For this most generous gift, we ask one favor. Visit us at booth #1455, a 20 x 30 island exhibit where we’ll showcase the latest products and rentals from Classic Exhibits Inc. and Eco-systems Sustainable Exhibits.
https://preview.tinyurl.com/48ct6a3
Rental Exhibits Aren’t What They Used to Be. THANK GOODNESS!
We’ve Come a Long Way in the Exhibit Rental Business
Not so long ago, the choices were limited to pop ups, panel displays, and bent and dirty aluminum extrusion from the show contractor. You could spot a rental booth from clear across the show hall. All that has changed . . . Thank goodness! More often than not, you couldn’t spot a rental if you were staring at it on the show floor. Rental exhibits are no longer cookie-cutter, off-the-shelf kits. Most manufacturers welcome modifying and customizing existing rental kits or creating new designs. They’re individually designed just like purchased exhibits.
Word on the Street — January 31st thru February 4th
When a Company Gets “Too BIG”!
Please indulge me for few minutes. I really need to rant about a project from last week.
Now, I have no intention of naming names. However, I think this story has merit for being told, if for no other reason than to highlight what I hope Classic Exhibits never becomes, i.e., a company “Too BIG.”
‘s Counting?!)
When we launched Design Monday on April 18, 2005, our objective was simple (and perhaps a little naive): to transform the image of Classic Exhibits from a medium-sized systems manufacturer to a leader in innovative portable, modular, and hybrid displays. At the time, we were designing and building some of the industry’s most creative trade show solutions. However, as we joke about it now, the industry perception of Classic Exhibits was “five guys in a garage making folding panel and pop up displays.” We hadn’t been that company for many years, but we had done a lousy job of marketing our new designs and communicating the changes at Classic Exhibits.
Word on the Street — January 24th thru January 28th
I hope you all had a great week both professionally and personally.
Is it just me, or do you too find yourself feeling overwhelmed with business-related tasks right about now? Whether it’s quotes, new orders, expansion, marketing, etc. Whatever it may be, if you are like me, you need an extra five hours each day to accomplish everything on your list.
Tightwad Tuesday Specials
Some Customers Can’t Resist a Bargain
Look for these Retail Specials every Tuesday in February and March.
Word on the Street — January 17th thru January 21st
This past week, I spent a lot of time in coffee shops working on pricing. Whenever we look at price changes, I typically check out of the office for a few days and work remotely. That way, I can concentrate exclusively on raw material prices and how those increases affect our designs.