Trade Show TalesBlog

Archive for December, 2012

The $445 iPad Kiosk Sale

December 31st, 2012 COMMENTS

Let’s start the year right! You know your trade show clients want an iPad to demo their products or website. Why not make the decision easy with an iPad Kiosk on sale? See the download options for this flyer at the bottom. To see all the iPad Solutions from Classic Exhibits . . .  and there are a bunch with even more coming . . . Go to Workstations and Kiosk Gallery in Exhibit Design Search.

 

Download the Classic Branded iPad Kiosk Sale Flyer (PDF).
Download the Unbranded iPad Kiosk Sale Flyer (PDF)

–Mel White
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
mel@classicexhibits.com

*********************************

Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, and custom-hybrid exhibit solutions. Classic Exhibits products are represented by an extensive distributor network in North America and in select International markets. For more information, contact us at 866-652-2100 or www.classicexhibits.com.

[subscribe2]

Final Days of 2012: Word on the Street — Dec. 24th thru Dec. 28th

December 30th, 2012 1 COMMENT
Final Days of 2012

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

It’s almost over. Another great year . . . well mostly great. 🙂

As we all prepare to ring in 2013, I am working on the Annual State of the Company letter which will be emailed in the next two weeks. To be honest, this year was positive for so many reasons that the letter is taking some time to pull together.

2013 promises to be another excellent year for the Classic Family of Companies  — fiscal cliff or no fiscal cliff. In all honesty, we are concerned like you that our government can’t get its act together. But the first half of 2013 is going to be solid regardless we project.

Jay Leno put it best: “It’s 4 a.m. for our economy and Lindsay Lohan is behind the wheel.”

All that aside, we are confident about the New Year. Much of that comes from your comments and projections. January looks to be filled with new islands, inlines, and large rental projects for the upcoming spring show schedule.

We thank you all for the business in 2012 and the new business coming in early 2013. You are our lifeblood, and we appreciate your dedication to Classic Exhibits, Exhibits NW, Classic Rentals, and ClassicMODUL.

Cheers to a positive 2013. If you are a curious about upcoming trends, please take a few minutes to review “100 Things to Watch in 2013.”

Here is a funny to enjoy as you exit 2012. Hopefully this represents a little of all of us post-holiday feasting.

Be safe and have a terrific celebration this Monday and Tuesday.

Kevin Carty
http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

[subscribe2]

 

 

 

 

100 Things to Watch in 2013 (JTW Intelligence)

December 27th, 2012 COMMENTS

Annual Forecast of Trends

JTW Intelligence released their eighth annual year-end forecast of key trends that will shape or significantly impact consumer behavior in the near future. According to JTW:

“New technology continues to take center stage. Many of our trends reflect how businesses are driving, leveraging or counteracting its omnipresence in our lives and how customer are responding to its pull. We also put  spotlight on health with two separate trends examining the rising awareness around the impact of stress and happiness on our overall well-being and how businesses are addressing it.”

To view the full slideshow, click on the navigation buttons.


To view in SlideShare, click here. To view the Executive Summary, click here.

–Mel White
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
mel@classicexhibits.com

*********************************

Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, and custom-hybrid exhibit solutions. Classic Exhibits products are represented by an extensive distributor network in North America and in select International markets. For more information, contact us at 866-652-2100 or www.classicexhibits.com.

[subscribe2]

Display Your Holiday Spirit: Word on the Street — Dec. 17th thru Dec. 21st

December 23rd, 2012 COMMENTS
Happy Holidays: Word on the Street -- Dec. 17th thru Dec. 21st

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Merry Christmas and Holiday Holidays

Who doesn’t like this time of the year? It’s my favorite, especially with having little kids running around. This past week I have been preparing to play Santa on Monday night and enjoying our kid’s programs at school and church. And of course shopping for loved ones.

I know many of you have been doing the same. And many of you are traveling for the holidays. Please be safe as you maneuver your way through the shopping aisles, the airport terminals, and the freeways.

Given all the tragic news over the past two weeks, I hope you take the time to appreciate your friends and family. With special hugs to all our little ones in our lives . . . .

Thank you for your dedicated support and partnership to the Classic Exhibits Family.

One of us in particular was especially motivated . . . so much so that he created a special message for you. With great pleasure, I present our very own Reid Sherwood in his special holiday video for you all.

Every once in awhile, there’s a pop performer who captures our heart and makes us want to be a better person. This is not one of them. Enjoy the fun!

Be well and Happy Holidays!

Kevin Carty
http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

[subscribe2]

 

Classic Exhibits Distributor Feedback in 2012

December 21st, 2012 COMMENTS

About two or three times a month, we send “Customer Feedback” emails. On average about 20-30 emails a month, more during February, fewer during July. If you’ve received one, you’ll recognize the subject line:  “Feedback on your recent order | #12345 Sacagawea Portable Hybrid (PM XYZ).”

The request is open-ended, in that it’s not a survey, but a request asking you to tell us what we did right or what we did wrong. When we do something wrong, we try to fix it immediately. When we do something right, we share it.

With the holiday season here, we thought we’d share a few of your positive comments about Classic and our Customer Service team. It’s good for the soul to hear your praise, particularly as one year ends and another begins. Thank you for your feedback, good and bad. It makes us all better.

Feedback on Your Recent Order

1. I just want to let you know that Classic is my preferred vendor. I love the exhibits, the clients are always happy. Bob Beuhl is always, pleasant, helpful and fun! Thank you so much for yet another great experience!

 2. Jeff helped me create an Aero canopy frame based on the dimensions I provided.  A CAD was created for my approval, a simple ‘sign off’ approval was given and your people went to work. We received the item as discussed, with complete set-up instructions and it fits beautifully. Working with Jeff made me realize how difficult Company Z really is to deal with. It’s unusual for us to have a vendor that actually helps and supports us through the project. We always felt like we were bothering the Company Z people. We are extremely happy to be a distributor for Classic Exhibits, top quality products and super customer service. Thank you.

3. It has been a month since that specific order, but as far as I can recall it went rather smoothly. Edie is always on top of the ball and very easy to get a hold of. She is great about returning my e-mails and phone calls promptly. I also really appreciate that if Edie doesn’t know the answer to my question, she is always quick to find out from the resident expert.

4. The job went great…no issues. The client was very happy. Bob did great as usual!

5. Charlie does a good job at responding to my questions and concerns no matter how big or small they might be. I actually like your product and think it makes a good looking booth for how small it can pack down to. Overall you guys have done a great job with my little orders and I look forward to working with Charlie in the future.

6. You guys did a great job on this. I love working with Jeff – he is very responsive, which makes my life way easier. He also rolls with the punches when the client’s ad agency makes last minute changes.

7.  The graphic did, indeed, fit the structure perfectly, although there was some back and forth with Optima about that. I expect the client to be extremely pleased with the unit.  Will send photo of what we did.

8. Charlie has been great to work with on this project and I enjoy working with him. There was an issue with one set of the graphics. It had pen marks on it around the perimeter. I contacted Charlie, but he was out, so Edie and Kevin responded immediately to the problem. They suggested I wash them, which I didn’t really want to do. Instead I learned that dabbing some alcohol on the pen mark, will take it out.

Charlie saw the emails between us regarding the pen marks and immediately followed up with me upon his return. I thought that was nice of him to follow up.

 9. As always we were very pleased with service we received from Edie and Classic. Edie is always helpful, quick with responses and a pleasure to work with. The client was very happy with their new booth. You have an excellent team in place.

10. I don’t have anything specific to say about my most recent job, but I can tell you that I have always received nothing but stellar service from my contacts at Classic. I typically work with Bob Beuhl, but I’ve also worked with Wade West in the past and he has been just as equally attentive and helpful. Sometimes customers can be a real pain, but Bob (and Wade) handled all of my questions and requests with accuracy and were extremely pleasant to work with. Give them raises! 😉

11. Sorry that I can’t give you any specifics other than, “Gee that was easy.” It was a re-order of a previous project that shipped direct to a client show, so I never saw the final piece other than in the photos that Wade sent. Looked good, client is happy, so I am happy!

 12. I wanted to thank both of you, and ask that you extend my thanks to Anne and Wade, for the support we’ve received in the last several quotes. The speed and flexibility we’ve experienced in the estimating process has allowed us to close the orders against some very difficult competition, under some very tight deadlines. Jennifer and Liz are singing your praises.

13. Anne is AWESOME…I love her! Please don’t ever take her away from us!

14. The client was extremely happy with the exhibit property. I was working through an agency, and my contact there was very apprehensive because the show fell during dates that she was out of the country and her client was insistent that they set up themselves – we were both very nervous as the delivery, set up and show opening were all on the same day – no margin for errors. Everything went flawlessly. The client had absolutely no problems figuring out how to set-up the booth themselves – so very user friendly – very happy clients.

15. I enjoy very much working with Anne on projects. She is courteous, patient and knowledgeable. Classic Exhibits and Anne hit the mark on this one. The hardware and graphics arrived on time as promised and she was able to help make our deadline even with a couple changes to the order in the process.

16. I thought Edie was absolutely great!! She was very thorough and helpful and kept her eye on the project all the way through. She is a great asset to your organization.

17. Looks fabulous!! Charlie was awesome as always!

18. Bob and Classic are by far the best! My client loves his booth and has even referred another client that he met at his trade show. Thanks to Classic and Bob, we have another happy client!

In addition, Kevin and I would like to extend our thanks to our Design Team, Mike Swartout and Katina Rigall. Your designs and your work with Classic Distributors make the rest of us look better every single day. And to Production, Accounting, Sales, Purchasing, Web Development, and Customer Service . . . You know you are loved, respected, and admired, even if we don’t say it often enough.

Keep the feedback coming folks. We welcome your comments in 2013 and look forward to an exciting year.

–Mel White and Kevin Carty

*********************************

Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, and custom-hybrid exhibit solutions and engineered aluminum extrusions (ClassicMODUL). Classic Exhibits products are represented by an extensive distributor network in North America and in select International markets. For more information, contact us at 866-652-2100.

[subscribe2]