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.
An Early Christmas at Classic Exhibits: Word on the Street — August 5th thru August 9th
It’s not often I get excited about things “Accounting Related.” After all, I am a sales-minded guy for the most part.
But late last week, this weekend, and Monday, Classic Exhibits is installing significantly UPDATED Accounting, Project Management, Purchasing, and Inventory Control software. And it’s really cool.
Your Exhibit Success Challenge Series
Today begins three weeks of education and inspiration to spur your exhibit marketing plans forward for this fall’s shows and beyond. Each week during the Challenge, you’ll receive an e-mail with links to the expert interviews as they’re available (scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays).
What You Missed at The Red Diamond Congress
Last week, I attended the E2MA Red Diamond Congress in Chicago. The Red Diamond Congress is the association’s annual three-day meeting. So what’s the RDC. It’s not a trade show like EXHIBITOR. Nor is it a meeting with colleagues held at a resort like EDPA Access. Instead, it’s in Chicago at McCormick Place. About 200+ attended, which meant it was nearly impossible not to meet everyone. That was two-thirds of the fun.
Richer for the Experience: Building My NEW Website with Tony Bennett
In 2012, I started Laguna Displays as a portable/modular exhibits and graphics business. My initial, very basic website was built around Classic’s user-friendly Exhibit Design Search (EDS). A year later, with Laguna Displays out of infancy, I was ready to launch an upgraded, full-featured website that could grow and change with my company.
Summer in the Trade Show Exhibit Industry
If there was an exhibit and event thermometer measuring the hot and cold temperature of the industry, it would go from subzero to boiling hot several times a year.
Now before you think this is just my opinion, let me qualify it.
SuperNova Lightboxes “JUST DO IT.” Project: Word on the Street — July 15th thru July 19th
NIKE, the recognized leader in sporting apparel worldwide, is on the cusp of opening a new Call Center to support their Nike.com website on Monday. Classic Exhibits was able to play a small part in that space with SuperNova™ LED Lightboxes. We built out the perimeter walls of the entire work space. As you can see from the images and the video, the impact is real.
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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.
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Exhibit Renderings Rock . . . But Photos Rule!
The fastest growing segment in the trade show exhibit industry is portable hybrids. What are portable hybrids? Click on this link for an explanation, or simply click on the two photo gallery links below. These galleries show actual orders in Classic Exhibits Setup Area over the past six to nine months. It doesn’t include every portable hybrid ordered, nor does it show the other exhibit lines we manufacturer. If you are interested in seeing a more comprehensive photo gallery, we encourage you to visit P5D, our daily blog of photos (which goes back nearly four years). We think you’ll enjoy seeing how exhibit trends have changed from season-to-season and year-to-year.
Word on the Street — November 2nd thru November 6th
Great Marketing Or a Sign of Desperation?
I’ve seen a lot of promotions this week that left me wondering if the ads are brilliant marketing or a desperate attempt to pay creditors.
In any marketing campaign, you want to create an appealing offer that entices buyers to act, but your customers shouldn’t smell smoke — like there’s a fire sale in progress.
Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Display — 60 Day Guarantee
Effective September 1 through December 31, Classic Exhibits will offer an unconditional no questions asked 60 Day Return Guarantee on the NEW Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Display. Try it for 60 Days. If you don’t like it, you can return it to your Classic Distributor for a refund, minus graphics and shipping charges.
Word on the Street — October 26th thru October 30th
Variety is the Spice of Life
How many times have we heard that? For me, it is something I truly believe both in business and in my personal life.
Earlier today, I watched a great online seminar by Malcolm Gladwell who, as many of you know, is someone I admire greatly. In this video, Malcolm speaks about Howard Moskowitz, the man who revolutionized the way the food industry looks at and delivers its products to consumers. And I mean revolutionized!
Word on the Street — October 19th thru October 23rd
This week, I’d like to share an online article. The article struck a chord with me because it addresses “Value.” In nearly every face-to-face meeting I’ve had over the past 12-18 months with distributors, suppliers, and co-workers, they have asked me how I define and sell value in a market dominated by price.
When apples are being compared to apples, especially in a price-driven market, how do I, as a salesperson, differentiate myself from the competition?
“Is Our Industry Model Obsolete?” by Dan Cantor, President, EDPA
Our compliments to Dan Cantor, President, EDPA, on his recent and insightful article in the Global Insights Newsletter (Q3. 09): Is Our Industry Model Obsolete?
We highly recommend reading this article, especially in light of the challenges facing the exhibit industry over the past year. Business is improving, but it won’t ever be healthy unless we fix the underlying problems.
To quote Dan, “Our industry has a much bigger challenge: our business model is not globally competitive, and our industry will soon be in crisis as a result.”
There doesn’t appear to be a link on the EDPA website to the article, so we have included a link to a PDF version: Is Our Industry Model Obsolete?
10 Things We Probably Shouldn’t Tell You — #10
For the next two weeks, we’ll share 10 Things We Probably Shouldn’t — one each day. Actually one, plus another one. Enjoy! #10. Unlike many of our competitors, we do not dictate your shipping/freight options. It’s your choice. We can arrange your freight, or you can arrange it through your carrier and your account number. We’re flexible. However, there are several reasons why allowing us to arrange your freight is advantageous. First, our FedEx and UPS discounts are probably much better than yours based on our volume and history. We consistently ship 10-20 orders per day. Second, we purchase freight insurance, not through the carrier, but through a separate policy. This insurance is MUCH BETTER and typically covers the full cost of the exhibit.
We encourage you to discuss your freight options with your Project Manager. You may discover that allowing us to arrange your freight makes a lot more sense both for your peace-of-mind and financially.
Word on the Street — October 12th thru October 16th
Well, I don’t know about you, but this has been a very long week. That’s not to say it’s been a “bad” week . . . just long. Whenever airplanes, airports, and airlines are involved . . . . well, you know.
I was in Atlanta much of the week. The Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic was on Monday. What a great event as always. Kudos to Rich Johnson, Jim Wurm, and Ted Petersen and their whole team for putting on another successful and fun event.
10 Things We Probably Shouldn’t Tell You — #9
For the next two weeks, we’ll share 10 Things We Probably Shouldn’t — one each day. Actually one, plus another one. Enjoy! #9. We have an amazing Accounting Department that’s small but efficient. It handles Accounting, Human Resources, and Purchasing at Classic Exhibits (manufacturing) and coordinates all financials for the other two divisions. In 2008, our Accounting Manager, Beth, was on medical leave for much of the year. Although she worked far more than she should have, there were times when she was unable to work for a week or two and other times when she would be at Classic for just a couple of days. However, if you didn’t know that, then you wouldn’t have known anything was different. Beth and her team kept the department running flawlessly by prioritizing tasks, working smarter, and streamlining established procedures.
Plus 1. For eight years, the PA speaker in the Setup Area has broadcast a local Spanish radio station 24/7. That’s not intentional. We’ve attempted to fix it, unsuccessfully, multiple times. We’ve brought in electricians, who have examined it only to conclude that our only option is to disconnect the wiring. Well, that’s not an option since we rely on the PA system throughout the day. Last week, Vitaliy, our Setup Lead, said to Mel, “Ocho, ocho, ocho! Why do they keep saying ‘ocho’?” We feel for Vitaliy, we really do, but you would think after eight years of listening to Spanish radio that he would know that ocho means “eight.” You gotta love the irony.
10 Things We Probably Shouldn’t Tell You — #8
For the next two weeks, we’ll share 10 Things We Probably Shouldn’t — one each day. Actually one, plus another one. Enjoy!
#8. Electrical and wire management can be a challenge — not the implementation but the communication. It’s the trade show equivalent of “Don’t ask, Don’t tell.” We neglected to ask you about wire management, and you forgot to tell us about your client’s electrical or cabling needs. This may sound a little whiney, but we’re begging you to initiate that conversation on every design and order. Better yet, make it part of the initial design criteria. We do our darndest to be proactive about wire management, but we’re not perfect. If you don’t see it on the drawing or in the order confirmation, then it slipped through the cracks — and someone’s going to have to deal with it on the show floor. That’s just one more issue that we want to solve before your client does.
Plus 1. Every Friday afternoon between 3-5 pm we play dodgeball in our Setup Area. The teams are almost always Production vs. Customer Service, Design, and Management, which helps to diffuse any tension percolating during the week. The two best players in Production are Igor and Ivan. The two best players in Customer Service are Anne and Edie, which shouldn’t surprise you if you’ve ever met the men in those departments. Remember the the 5 D’s: Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and Dodge.
To learn more about dodgeball, view The 5 D’s of Dodgeball video.