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.

NEW iPad Solutions Brochure

NEW iPad Solutions Brochure

In the past six months, we’ve tripled our iPad Solutions. And, there’s another half dozen in the R&D pipeline. Here’s the newest brochure where you’ll find iPad kiosks, stands, extrusion solutions, counters, and inserts — all designed specifically for retail, trade shows, and special events.

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Portable/Modular/Hybrid Summit at EXHIBITOR2013

Portable/Modular/Hybrid Summit at EXHIBITOR2013

The EDPA Portable/Modular/Hybrid Summit will be held during EXHIBITOR2013 on Tuesday, March 19 at 3:45 pm in the Food Service Area (far right of exhibit hall) of Mandalay Bay North Convention Center. There is no charge. This event is open to all industry manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, educators, and consultants.

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Recent Posts

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

What’s Your Value Proposition?

This was a frequent topic of conversation this week as I traveled. Both in my meetings and in a conversation with the person sitting next to me on my flight back to Portland.

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

This week I started with a call from a Classic Exhibits distributor regarding an exisiting quote that needed to be re-addressed. I am finishing the week by reviewing client notes from a distributor on a project we quoted a couple of days ago.

Both the phone call on Monday and the email from this morning (as well as a conversation I had on Wednesday) involved the buzz word “Value Engineering.”

What to Do When Business is Slow!

Times like this call for an abundance of common sense. This is the opportune time to get to know your customers better and to build relationships. Why now? Because business is slow all over America. Use this time to get in the car and go visit your customers with mid-morning bagels or mid-afternoon ice cream snacks.

Word on the Street — June 8th thru June 12th

Everyday, if you are like me, you find yourself talking to your exhibit industry peers to see “what’s up” in their world and in our industry. So, at the recommendation of others, I am going to write about what I am hearing each week and post it every Friday by noon. I look forward to your comments and feedback.

& Dismantle

The trade show floor can be like operating in a foreign country – with the various unions, terminology, and hazards. However, if you follow a few basic tips, you can successfully and economically navigate the Installation and Dismantle waters of your next show.

Why Retail Managers Should Get More Respect

Are you a current or former manager in a retail business? Do you work in a clothing, shoe, or discount store? Are you managing an electronics, jewelry, or specialty shop? Stand proud. Chances are you don’t get much respect, but you should.

Defining Interconnectivity

By definition, interconnectivity is “to be connected with one another.”

The term interconnectivity fascinates me on a lot of levels ranging from my personal to my business life. So much so, that I have found myself looking for “the connectedness” of things recently. It has become somewhat of an obsession.

Search for Exhibit Photos in P5D — New Feature

P5D (Past Five Days) has been a permanent feature on Classic Exhibits website, and on all distributor versions of Design Search, since September 19, 2006. Over that time, we’ve made multiple incremental improvements. Today’s improvement is anything but incremental.

“New and Improved” ClassicMODUL Website

Introducing the “New and Improved” ClassicMODUL website (www.classicmodul.com). By far, the BIG BIG BIG improvement is to the “Our Line” section. There are now detail drawings of every extrusion and accessories. The products are organized into categories, and you can download DXF files for each one. In addition, there is now a search tool so you can find exactly the item you want in a flash. There are several other upgrades which you’ll have to discover on your own.

The Tradeshow Exhibit Rental Business is Booming

The exhibit rental business is booming. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. Exhibitors, both large and small, are looking for cost-effective ways to maintain their exhibit marketing on tight budgets. Renting a display makes sense for a variety of reasons, including cost, flexibility, storage and handling.

‘m an Idiot

Like most marketing managers, or any manager who understands his or her limitations, I rely on talented people, who are immersed in graphic design issues everyday. Not only do they understand the tools, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, or Quark, but they spend their days immersed in graphic design issues. They understand the nuances and the trends. They remind me that this color text on that background is unreadable and that I’ve created visual clutter and confusion in my effort to say and show too much. If I ask them to add a “star burst” with a price, they guide me to a more contemporary solution that doesn’t reek of 1980’s clip art.

Connectors and Relationships

Have you ever noticed that one person at a party, a business function, or a public gathering that seems to know everyone? There is a reason for that . . . they do know everyone and everyone knows them.

ClassicMODUL Opens an East Coast Extrusion Facility

ClassicMODUL, a designer and manufacturer of aluminum extrusions and accessories, announces the opening of an East Coast facility. The Cheshire, CT manufacturing and warehouse facility will stock select aluminum extrusion profiles for exhibit houses, retail designers, and museum display builders.