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.
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.
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‘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.
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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?