New LIGHTNING DEAL on Exhibit Design Search
Effective today, there’s a new feature on Exhibit Design Search — Lightning Deal. The Lightning Deal (LD) button appears on the Home Page between Display Type and Search. A Lightning Deal will be priced more aggressively than a Special, typically 5-10 percent more. There will be only (1) one “active” Lightning Deal per week; however, we will honor the LD price for another week.
What Goes Up . . . Hopefully Comes Down!: Word on the Street — September 9th thru September 13th
Club 815 Powered by The EDPA Foundation Rides Again!
In two weeks, a group of friends, many you know, will be gathering in the Great Northwest, the Columbia River Gorge to be specific. We are gathering to ride for a great friend and colleague once again. And privileged to do so. Many, if not all of you, know Mike Swartout (our Design Director) and his courageous story.
‘s Gonna Work? Teamwork!: Word on the Street — September 2nd thru September 6th
There was a time about two years back when that phrase made me cringe. Only because it was part of the theme song to “The Wonder Pets,” a program my kids loved for a couple of years.
Well, a couple weeks ago, I had a team that joined me on one of my annual/crazy adventures, and it was a great team that included some Classic Family members. Every year for 12 years I have run in the Hood to Coast Relay — “The mother of all relays.”
Five Amazing Trade Show Exhibit Specials
This fall, Classic Exhibits and Eco-Systems Sustainable pulled out all the stops. You’ll discover some of our most exciting exhibit designs at special prices. Click on any display in the Specials Gallery to see the details.
Eco-Systems Sustainable Exhibits
As the 2013 fall trade show season gets underway, I am often asked about the state of the industry regarding “green exhibiting” and the public perception of Eco-Systems Sustainable Exhibits. Why should I look into Eco-Systems and their design-driven yet sustainable exhibit options? Will I need to make sacrifices in design or price?
A Customer Service Infographic — A Customer Saved is a Penny Earned
Peter Shankman at Shankman|Honig released an infographic today showing exactly how much money businesses lose each day thanks to horrible customer service, and what they stand to gain if they improve it by a few notches. Long story short . . . Be nice to the customers you have, and you’re guaranteed to get the customers you want.
Sacagawea 10% Savings and a FREE Cell Phone and Tablet Charging Station
Through October, receive a double bonus on Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Displays. We’ve never offered anything like this before on our best selling hybrid system.
ALL Sacagawea Portable Hybrids are 10% off. Choose from 54 designs in 10 ft. and 20 ft. kits. These are our best prices EVER!!!
ALL Sacagawea Portable Hybrids with Workstations come with a FREE Cell Phone and Tablet Charging Station.
To download the unbranded version, Click for the Promotion Sheet or on the image below. Give us a call if you need the source files to complete your own email broadcast.
Trade Show Displays Under $3K to $24K
The 11 page “Displays Under . . . .” brochure makes it easy to take a quick tour of the display parking lot. The displays are arranged in groups starting under $3000 and stair step to groups under $24,000. Take a moment to try it. We hope you’ll discover that it’s a convenient tool to compare the differences between popular trade show displays. From there, you can explore details in Exhibit Design Search.
Thanks and Hang on Tight: Word on the Street — August 12th thru August 16th
The first two weeks of August are always the “ramp up” for the nutty late summer and fall show season. And this year is following the same trend. But with one twist, a twist that we’ve seen growing over the past 12 months: island exhibits continue to expand as a percentage of our business.
Classic Exhibits Welcomes Glenna Martin, FT Graphic Design Manager
Classic Exhibits announces the addition of Glenna Martin as a full time Graphic Design Manager. Glenna is not new to the trade show industry, as her bio reveals. She’s been working with Classic and Classic Distributors for eight years as a contract designer and has been instrumental in the branding of Classic since 2005.
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Online Trade Shows — a.k.a. Being Left Out in the Virtual Cold!
Today my landlord walked into my office and handed me a brochure and asked if I’d ever seen anything like this before? As I looked at the brochure which described a virtual trade show called Expo 3.0 “The Receivables Trade Show,” sponsored by InsideARM.com. I’d heard about virtual trade shows and the general concept, but have never been curious enough to really research it to see what the lure was for such an edgy concept.
Word on the Street — December 28th thru January 1st
Ten Reasons I’m Glad It’s 2010
Happy New Years! I hope you had a joyous and safe celebration with your family and friends.
I don’t know about you, but I am not a big one for New Year’s Resolutions. Nothing against those of you who do make resolutions, but mine are usually broken by January 4.
15 Notable Exhibit Projects in 2009
We may be jumping the gun a bit, since it’s still early December, but we thought we’d review the Top 15 Notable Exhibit Projects in 2009. How do we define “notable?” To be honest, it’s a little arbitrary (actually it’s probably a lot arbitrary). After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, we relied on the following criteria to guide us as we made our selection:
10 Notable Exhibit Rental Projects in 2009
We have chosen ten rental exhibits to highlight for 2009. From a variety of exhibit sizes and configurations used in Canaccord’s corporate meeting in Las Vegas, to a 30’ x 40’ double deck for Griffin at Macworld, here’s a nice variety of rental projects offered by our Classic Exhibits distributor rental program this year.
The following, although listed numerically, are in no particular ranking.
Word on the Street — December 21st thru December 25th
Sorry to Ask Again, But What Is It That You Do?
It’s the number one question I find myself answering or explaining, especially this time of year.
Word on the Street — December 14th thru December 18th
Cautiously Optimistic
Those of you who know me well know that I am often overly optimistic. My glass is rarely half full. Rather, I am the one whose glass is often overflowing from trying to get a gallon of 2% milk into a tumbler.
Every year at this time, we all get either a huge rush of speculative business, or we find ourselves calling the phone company “just to make sure” our lines are still working because the phones are not ringing.
Word on the Street — December 7th thru December 11th
Planning for 2010
This past week was very busy at Classic, not only in sales and manufacturing where we saw a spike in orders, but also administratively as we devoted three full days to setting goals for 2010 and planning how to achieve them. Every year at this time, we review our successes and failures during current year and chart our sales, marketing, production, and personnel goals for the next full calendar year.
‘s Manufacturing Process and Quality Standards
Classic Exhibit’s production workflow is based on the lean manufacturing principles of process simplicity, cellular manufacturing, easily identifiable tripwires or control points, limited metrics, just-in-time material and process management, and ongoing team development. Defined individually on a more granular level, they form the basis of our collective process mindset to produce cost-effective products quickly while ensuring unsurpassed quality.
Word on the Street — November 30th thru December 4th
EDPA 2009 Palm Springs
What can I say, other than “What a Week!”
I was in Palm Springs all week for the Annual EDPA Access Meeting. And a great week it was indeed! Very informative and thought provoking.
The general idea and motivation for the annual meeting is to bring trade show industry leaders together, lay down any competitive swords, and work together to better the industry. This year was exactly that.
Word on the Street — November 23rd thru November 27th
Happy Thanksgiving!
During this season of thanks, I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to the Classic Family, including our vendor partners, distributors, and Classic Exhibits employees.
To our vendor partners who help make Classic Exhibits thrive, thanks for all that you do. Those companies include Optima Graphics, Brumark Flooring, EcoSystems Sustainable Exhibits, Display Supply and Lighting, Elite XPO Cargo Systems, and Momentum Management. Your dedication to quality and service contributes to our continued success. Thank you!
I Heart Knobs — Magellan and Sacagawea Displays
Let me begin by saying, this is probably more information than you want to know about knobs. But . . . .
Effective immediately, Sacagawea and Magellan Hybrid Displays are “knobbier.” Don’t shake your finger at me, “knobbier” is the correct term. I should know . . . I invented it.
What’s the difference between a tool-less knob system, such as the Perfect 10 trade show display, and “knobbier” systems like Sacagawea and Magellan? Depending on the configuration, about 2 to 10 knobs.
Word on the Street — November 16th thru November 20th
Get LinkedIn with the Classic Exhibits Network
I am sure many of you are already in LinkedIn, but do you use it consistently? And what does that mean?
I am on LinkedIn everyday, including weekends. Not because I am some obsessive compulsive personality or anything. Rather, it has proven to be a great source of information. It’s a place where I can keep up with the pulse of the industry in “snapshot” style.
Classic Exhibits Receives Patents on Perfect 10 Hybrid Display System
Classic Exhibits Inc., a designer and builder of portable, modular, and custom hybrid displays, has received two patents on the Perfect 10 Hybrid Display System. The Perfect 10 and Perfect 20 systems were introduced at EXHIBITOR 2008. Classic was awarded both a design patent and a utility patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. These patents cover, among other design and construction details, the Perfect 10’s unique reverse “S” shape and its modular, no-tools assembly. Additional patent applications are currently in process in the European Community.
Word on the Street — November 9th thru November 13th
Love thy Neighbor (Unless They Own a ’79 Chevette on Cinder Blocks)
Most neighborhood developments in America since the early ’90’s have covenants. These covenants specify what you can and can not do to your house, your lawn, and even whether you can park your land yacht in your driveway or paint your house bright pink. Why do neighborhoods impose these covenants? Basically, so you do not end up living next to neighbor with 4 ft. tall grass, plastic pink flamingos, and a ’79 Chevette on cinder blocks.
I propose that we consider similar guidelines for the trade show floor.
What Does a Distributor Want from a Manufacturer?
For the last 24 years, I have been employed by manufacturers selling primarily to distributors. Currently, I serve as the National Sales Manager for Classic Exhibits and ClassicMODUL. My job takes me on the road . . . a lot. Typically, I travel anywhere from 30-50 percent of the time, often leaving on a Sunday afternoon and not returning until Friday evening.