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Archive for October 19th, 2009

“Is Our Industry Model Obsolete?” by Dan Cantor, President, EDPA

October 19th, 2009 2 COMMENTS
Is Our Industry Model Obsolete by Dan Cantor

"Is Our Industry Model Obsolete?" by Dan Cantor

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 scanned PDF version: 

Is Our Industry Model Obsolete?

10 Things Classic Exhibits Probably Shouldn’t Tell You — #10

October 19th, 2009 COMMENTS

logo-fedex-freightFor 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 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 your bottom line.  

Plus 1. We are not in the habit of weighing in on national policy issues, but we thought we’d share our corporate policy regarding healthcare benefits. Our owner believes very strongly that Classic Exhibits has an obligation to provide healthcare benefits to our employees. Our benefit package includes medical, dental, and vision, and Classic covers the cost of the premium for every employee who works 20 hours or more. Our employees are responsible for the premium for their dependents. In the past year, we had little choice except to modify the deductible and maximum out-of-pocket expense as costs escalated (nearly 30% in the last year alone), but we didn’t waiver in our commitment to covering the full premium.  

Scroll down to see entries #1 – #9.