Trade Show Tales Blog

Trade Show Tales is your comprehensive guide to informative articles about trade show marketing, exhibit industry news, promotions, and updates on Classic Exhibits. 

For specific topics, use the Search Tool in the blog or visit the Trade Show and Event Tips in Exhibit Design Search.

Healthcare and an Exhibit House: Word on the Street — November 11th thru November 15th

Healthcare and an Exhibit House: Word on the Street — November 11th thru November 15th

The issue of Healthcare Reform affects us all personally and professionally. At Classic, we have attempted to stay on top of it in anticipation of the changes to our employees. Mel White, Beth Senter, and I have had quarterly review meetings with our insurance broker since Q4 2012. And each meeting/review comes with a new list of information, changes, and uncertainties.

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”ts of Trade Show Graphics

”ts of Trade Show Graphics

You decided on your new trade show display . . . but you’re not done yet. Now, it’s time to design the graphics. Every day we see completed graphics, many of which we feature in Past 5 Days. Some amaze us. Others not so much. You want AMAZING!. Below are 10 tips to consider when designing your next trade show graphics.

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We Need Your Help with a Testimonial

We Need Your Help with a Testimonial

The EDDIE Award is an award judged solely on the self-promotion of your company not on the promotion of a client.

Here’s where you can help. We plan to submit Exhibit Design Search (EDS) for the award. We’ve written the submission but would like to enhance it with testimonials — your testimonials.

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Recent Posts

Word on the Street — April 26th thru April 30th

International Partners Visit

This week was busy both with orders and meetings. But I want to speak in particular about the meetings we held on Monday and Tuesday with our friends and partners from MODUL International.

Shooting from the Hip — 1.10

Starting this week, you will see a weekly blog posting from me, typically not more than a paragraph or two (or three). Look for it on Wednesday or Thursday.

Word on the Street — April 19th thru April 23rd

R & D: Seven (Not so Simple) Steps

Just writing “Seven Steps” makes it sound so simple, like it has a defined start and finish. But if you do much of it, you know it’s a living, breathing thing that never really rests. To stay ahead, you have to constantly be thinking of innovative and practical designs for your customers (See Design Monday this week for example).

Kit Changes to Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Displays

Effective Immediately:

You asked . . . and we responded.

Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Displays now include ALL tension fabric and direct print graphics in the kit price. There are updated kit and price list sheets in the Distributor Section of Classic’s website. We have also updated the checklist sheets to include the new PS Series designs.

Word on the Street — April 12th thru April 16th

“On the Road Again”!

I hope last week was a great one for you all! It certainly was for me. I was on the road visiting customers and partners. I also met with several “future” partners.

Here are some of the things I learned that continue to give me hope for the state of the trade show industry.

Polarized Artwork on an Inline Hybrid Display

One of the luxuries of working in the trade show business, particularly as a manufacturer, is seeing so many creative displays and graphics. Not a day goes by that we don’t witness something impressive. But there are those days when we see something truly spectacular.

Word on the Street — April 5th thru April 9th

Got Any Secret Travel Tips?

Busy week. On Monday and Tuesday, we hosted a small group of distributors for an extensive training session. On Wednesday, I was putting the final touches on a business trip for this coming week. I’ll be traveling to three separate destinations, and each destination has a distinctly different agenda. This is a complicated trip, and it made me realize that although I travel frequently, I don’t consider myself either a road warrior or an expert.

Word on the Street — March 29th thru April 2nd

Not only is it a great song 🙂 . . . but it’s a living philosophy within Classic. As a company, if you fail to evolve or fail to take chances then you stop giving people a reason to look to you for solutions.

Manufacturing is a Funny and Fickle Business

Manufacturing is a funny and fickle business. Products are designed, engineered, built, tested . . . then re-engineered, re-tested, and finally launched (hopefully to eager and admiring customers). Most companies do their best to get it right. They care about quality, especially on new products.

Word on the Street — March 22nd thru March 26th

Following Up on Trade Show Leads . . .

To be honest, I could almost just say “I was following up on leads” and you would get the gist of my week. But I will expand, while keeping it short, because I am still in full follow-up mode even this weekend.

First, I am going to gripe a bit. Like many of you, I attend a fair number of shows. Sorta comes with the job description. Although many are industry related, there are others I attend if I’m in the area or if I know we have built a display at that show. But I am going to pick on one show in particular . . . without naming it.

Common Marketing Mistakes Can Doom Successful Companies

Occasionally, we all need a not-so-gentle kick in the pants about Marketing. Kevin Renner, in an article appearing in the Portland Business Journal, reminds us that marketing is more than brochures, trade shows, and data sheets. Marketing with a capital “M” must be infused in the totality of the organization. Even something as simple as the company parking lot can make or break a deal.

I’d enjoy hearing your comments on this column.

https://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/02/22/newscolumn1.html

Preview the NEW Peek-a-Booth Video Cameras

As a dedicated reader of the Trade Show Tales Blog, you deserve something extra. No, not money, at least not this month, but we are announcing a new feature on the Classic Exhibits website called Peek-a-Booth. An e-broadcast announcement will be sent in a few days, but as a “Preferred Reader” you deserve a sneak peek (pun intended).

Word on the Street — March 15th thru March 19th

POST-EXHIBITOR 2010 — Thoughts and Comments

What a week!

We are back and in follow-up mode — especially after such a great show.

My trip to Vegas actually started the week before EXHIBITOR as I arrived on Thursday to attend GlobalShop. Also a very good show this year. Then I moved over to Mandalay Bay on Friday to setup our exhibit for EXHIBITOR. I don’t know about you, but I love getting to the floor when it opens the first setup day. It’s completely empty except for the staging of the semi’s and forklifts.