Trade Show TalesBlog

The Power of Ocho

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.

Scroll down to see entries #1 – #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 forget 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 one big issue we both want to solve before it affects your client.

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.

Scroll down to see entries #1 – #7.

Uzbekistan

For the next two weeks, we’ll share 10 Things We Probably Shouldn’t — one each day. Actually one, plus another one.  Enjoy!

#7. You probably already know this but we’ll confirm it anyway. Not every exhibit design shown in Design Monday has been built (or in some cases even engineered). Heck, that’s why we called it “Design Monday,” not “Kits Monday.” Has it ever bit us in the tutu? Never, because we either design the exhibits to be built or we figure out how to build them. Sure we take risks . . . but we’re not stupid.

Plus 1. Classic Exhibits is located on International Way in Milwaukie, OR (a suburb of Portland). Now, we’re not sure our industrial park, which is a beautiful industrial park with trees, a stream, and a wetlands, qualifies as international, but our workforce may. In addition to the many native-born Oregonians and Washatonians, we have employees born in Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Mexico, South Korea, Thailand, Bosnia, and Turkey. And then there’s Charlie Shivel, our Kentucky-born PM. You’d think there would be a temptation to pick on Charlie, but Mel White, the VP of Marketing, is a much easier target. Although born in Washington State, he’s lived much of his life in West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, and North Dakota. Statistically, Mel wins (or loses) by a landslide. 😉

Scroll down to see entries #1 – #6.

Open and Airy

For the next two weeks, we’ll share 10 Things We Probably Shouldn’t — one each day. Actually one, plus another one.  Enjoy!

#6. Talented trade show exhibit designers are different (and sometimes a little scary). By nature, they are creative, resourceful, efficient, inquisitive, and even petulant at times. They have the uncanny ability to envision complex solutions with minimal instructions.  And while many of them are mentalists, like Kreskin, they are not psychics or mind-readers. They are good, just not that good. Want some practical advice on how to maximize a designer’s creative potential and minimize any peevishness (Hey, we’re human too)? Then we urge you to avoid the following “cotton candy” design instructions:

• Open and Airy
• Contemporary but Classic
• Clean not Cluttered
• Modern Looking but No Metal
• Hi-tech
• We’ll know what we want when we see it (Ugh?!!!!!!!)

Plus 1. Our production manager is Jim, but that isn’t his real name. Ten years ago, our former production manager couldn’t pronounce “Yevgeniy,” so rather than learn to pronounce it, he simply decided that “Jim” was easier.  He’s been Jim ever since. We share this because it illustrates how our production team accommodates distributor requests (sometimes to a fault). If you want a Yevgeniy to be a Jim, then they’ll make it a Jim.

Scroll down to see entries #1 -#5.

For the next two weeks, we’ll share 10 Things We Probably Shouldn’t — one each day. Actually one, plus another one.  Enjoy!

#5. Classic Exhibits markets two pop up displays — the Quadro S (Square Frame) and the Quadro EO (Self-locking, Economy Option Frame). We want to be sympathetic when you tell us that having two pop ups systems named Quadro is confusing (we really do). But the sarcastic side of us says, “This is the same person who could describe ‘at length’ the differences between the Oreo Sandwich Creme and the Oreo Double Stuff and why the Oreo Cakester is better than the Milk Chocolate Covered Oreo.” 

Plus 1. Anyone who has ever visited Classic can confirm the following . . .  Classic has no lobby, no showroom, no receptionist. When you enter our building, you walk into our manufacturing plant. There’s no better example of who we are and what we do than that. We are a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of trade show exhibits whose products are sold through an independent network of professional distributors.

Scroll down to see entries #1 -#4.