Trade Show TalesBlog

Archive for March, 2018

MORE Seismic Changes in Trade Show Products

March 31st, 2018 Mel White 2 COMMENTS

AprilFoolsBlogHeader

The trade show marketplace has undergone seismic changes in the past six months. You made that VERY, VERY clear at EXHIBITORLIVE. Since our business depends on happy distributors, we returned to Portland committed to upgrading our product lines to appeal to EVEN MORE corporate exhibit buyers.

Four EXCITING New Galleries in Exhibit Search

Please check your branded Exhibit Design Search. You have four new product galleries, all with at least 80% margins. Gone are Visionary Designs, Perfect 10, Sacagawea, and SEGUE. These have been replaced with more budget-friendly systems and interactive products. As we learned from EDPA, it’s all about the “experiential” for contemporary exhibitors. They want to feel things. Touch them. All while staying within a Dollar General price range. At the same time, you need to maximize your margins. On some products, we are extending your discount to 90%*, but you have to provide the paper boxes and paper bags. We are prohibited from using plastic bags in Oregon. Sorry.

It’s a BRAND NEW DAY for Classic and our Distributor Family. Join us in celebrating the four new galleries listed below. As always, we welcome your feedback. We are who we are because of you. Just think about that.

DesignSearchRevamp

  • $99 & Under Displays.  Never lose another sale! Except to the $49 & Under Display website. Bastard!
  • Above Ground Pools.  Affordable and interactive. Your pre-show marketing plans just got easier. Discount chlorine too!
  • Extrusion Remnants.  Surprises galore in the extrusion grab bags. Anything is possible with enough screws and duct tape.
  • Scratch-n-Sniff Graphics.  Go ahead and touch it. Perhaps this time it’s Pina Colada. Perhaps not! Scratchy scratchy.

*Please sell responsibly. Quantities are limited while supplies last. May cause bleeding or sudden death. Don’t take candy from strangers. Or strange people. Or anyone really. Not responsible for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect, error or failure to perform. All rights reserved. April Fools.

To read about the REAL updates in Exhibit Design Search, CLICK HERE.

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

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Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, hybrid, and custom 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.

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Posted in Classic Exhibit Systems, Exhibit Design Search, Mel White | 2 Comments »

Exhibit Design Search | All New EDS Changes!

March 29th, 2018 Mel White COMMENTS

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Yes, EDS has changed… again. Now, don’t shake your head. You should be excited about these changes since they are all based on suggestions from you, our Classic Exhibits Distributors. I’m going to refer to them as “3 Modifications” since the word “change” makes some of you sweat like a cold watermelon on the 4th of July.

Modification #1

Exhibit Design Search

This one is BIG. About three weeks ago, we reorganized five galleries from product-centric to functional galleries. In hindsight, we should have done it before. It took a few weeks to make the switch since it required shifting hundreds of kits to new galleries. In short, the new galleries are more logical. Now, instead of Sacagawea, Magellan, SEGUE, and Perfect 10 galleries, there are the following:

  • Trade Show Islands:  All islands from Classic Exhibits with some from Eco-systems Sustainable
  • Modern Hybrid Exhibits:  Upscale, mid-priced inline exhibits, whether modular or custom
  • LED Lightbox Designs: Inline LED lightbox designs, whether custom, modular, or portable
  • 10 ft. Portable Displays: All 10 ft. Sacagawea and Perfect 10 kits, plus portable SEGUE, Magellan, and Visionary Designs. It does not include the Quadro or FGS pop up displays which are in separate galleries
  • 20 ft. Portable Displays:  Same as above, except 20 ft. inlines

Same kits. Same information. Just reorganized to make it easier to find the ideal design.

Modification #2

Exhibit Design Search -- Rental Feature

Several months ago, we expanded our rental design offerings, adding over 200 new kits — inlines, islands, and accessories. At the same time, we added a price comparison feature making it easier to compare rentals and purchases. That’s been HUGE hit with distributors, since it opens the door to chat with clients about rentals.

It also said to Classic Distributors, “Talk to us about what your client wants for a rental whether or not you see it in EDS. We’re open to any and all design suggestions.” And boy-oh-boy you have embraced that enthusiastically. We love the ideas. Keep them coming.

However, the additional kits made the Rental Gallery somewhat overwhelming, so we split them into two galleries — islands and inlines. There are now three Rental Galleries in EDS:

Modification #3

Advanced Exhibit Design SearchPersonally, I love the Advanced Search feature in EDS, but I suspect that few distributors use it. That’s not surprising since the link isn’t a fancy button or surrounded by flashing lights. But if you are a power-user of EDS (feel free to add that skill to your LinkedIn profile), then the Advanced Search can make your life much easier when narrowing down the perfect designs for your clients.

With all the gallery changes, we had to decide whether to keep the product search functionality or migrate to the new search options. We chose the later, since you’ve told me (many times) that the product names often confuse your clients. While that hurts my feelings, a little, I need to be the better person and not hold a grudge for the rest of my life (Internal voice:  “Suck it down Mel. Just suck it down!”)

I encourage you to explore the Advance Search feature, using it to search select galleries, conduct text-related searches, or drill-down to very specific design options such as a “lightbox with shelves.” No, it’s not Google good, but it’s still pretty darn impressive.

I plan to conduct several Exhibit Design Search training webinars this spring so look for the email notification. These usually last about 45 minutes and move pretty fast. If you’ve ever spent more than 10 minutes with me, you know I have a lot to say about EDS. Clearly.

Got questions? Give me a call or send me an email. In the meantime, explore EDS on the Classic site, the unbranded version, or your unique branded Exhibit Design Search. Confused about whether you have a branded version, contact me or Jen Labruzza, the National Sales Manager.

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

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

Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, hybrid, and custom 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.

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Posted in Classic Exhibit Systems, Custom Exhibits, Eco-Systems Sustainable, Exhibit Design Search, Mel White, Rental Exhibits | No Comments »

Women in Exhibition at EXHIBITORLIVE | Post-Event Review

March 26th, 2018 Mel White COMMENTS

WIEBlog

“It was empowering to be sitting in a room full of women who were actively pursuing their careers in the exhibit industry. There’s nothing quite like being with a group of career-oriented women who want to see each other succeed. I am already excited to attend this event next year.”

Jessica Diers
Diers Exhibit

To all the women who participated in the Women In Exhibitions event at EXHIBITORLIVE… THANK YOU! It was the most successful meeting we’ve had with 100+ women in attendance. We gathered Tuesday morning at Border Grill in Mandalay Bay for a delicious breakfast and discovered “How to Design Our Lives to Flourish” with Guest Speaker Lynette Xanders. What an energizing way to start the second day of the show!

“It was a pleasure co-sponsoring the WIE Breakfast this year at Exhibitor in Las Vegas. The breakfast was the highlight of my experience at the show, and I am so glad the Design Factory could be a part of it. I feel the event was a wonderful opportunity for so many women to meet, mingle, and share ideas. Thank you for including us in the event, and I hope to participate in the future.”

Chris Harvey
The Design Factory, Las Vegas

Having a booth at the show was also new for us as well, giving considerably more visibility to our organization. Hundreds of women stopped by to ask for more information and sign up for our mentorship program. In the next week, I will be sending out a short survey to the women who expressed interest, identifying the type of mentorship they would be willing to provide or are looking to receive. If you would like to participate in the survey and learn more about this program, send me an e-mail and I’ll add you to the list.

“From the initial meeting of Women in Exhibitions in Tucson, I have had the opportunity to attend many WIE meetings. The breakfast event at EXHIBITORLIVE 2018 was amazing. There were many bright, enthusiastic, experienced women sharing information and ideas. Having a guest speaker was a bonus, especially since it was interesting. I was able to connect with several women, which will be of benefit to my business.

Bottom line is that it was the best meeting we have ever had for WIE.”

Jocelyn Welles
Exhibit Expressions

This year we took huge steps in our mission to reach and help more women in the event and exhibition industry. Because of the success of our event, there is already more interest in sponsoring the event next year, as well as volunteers to physically help manage the event and staff our booth at the show.

Do you want to get involved? Do you have questions or suggestions? We will begin planning soon, so let me know if you have interest in sponsoring or volunteering.  My e-mail address is katina@classicexhibits.com.

Thanks again to Mirror Show Management, Access TCA, Design Factory, Xzibits, and Optima for sponsoring the breakfast event. Thank you to Classic Exhibits, Classic Rental Solutions, Five Inc., Angles on Design, Xpert Trade Show Carpet, and EXHIBITOR for providing the booth space and all the beautiful pieces that made the booth stand out. You were all so generous. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Katina Rigall Zipay
Creative Director, Classic Exhibits Inc.
katina@classicexhibits.com

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Posted in Classic Exhibit Systems, EXHIBITOR, EXHIBITORLIVE, Katina Rigall, Women in Exhibitions | No Comments »

My EXHIBITORLIVE 2018 Reactions and Recap

March 10th, 2018 Mel White COMMENTS

EXHIBITORLIVE 2018 with Classic Exhibits

Hello Classic Distributor Family!

What an amazing start to 2018. EXHIBITORLIVE was visual proof that things are on the upswing in the trade show industry.

The EXHIBITORLIVE show floor, by many accounts, felt smaller footprint-wise… but boy was it TALLER than ever. Everyone seemed to go high this year, Classic included with an aluminum double-deck, one of several in our Classic Rental Solutions inventory.

The attendee mood was positive about the future of face-to-face marketing. As we know, face-to-face marketing is evolving with the blending of trade shows and events. That blending was clearly on display via digital displays, LED Walls, AR, and VR technology and much, much more.

Classic continues to be largely an enigma to corporate trade show managers. Even after 20 years at EXHIBITOR, we are an unknown entity to many end-users, which is fine. Our customer is YOU, the Classic Distributor. We participate in EXHIBITOR to  show you new products and services, to talk to YOU about how we can better serve you and your customers, and to discover more of YOU in markets where we need Classic Exhibit partners. To that end, the show was very successful.

The Classic Team did an amazing job getting the booth designed, shipped, installed, and staffed. I could not be prouder of the sweat and effort by everyone who worked on this year’s exhibit. It was Big and Beautiful!

Portable Modular Awards

On that Tuesday, we attended the 5th Annual Portable Modular Awards ceremony. We had four finalists this year, and we won what I would consider the most coveted Exhibit Design Award of the year — the 2017 People’s Choice Award. We won for the Parallon Island, a project we designed and built for our great partner The Astor Group! Not only does this award recognize an incredible design, but it’s also a wonderful example of a partnership between Classic (builder) and Astor Group (Distributorship). Thank you Lowell, Ciara, and Cheryl for entrusting the Classic Exhibits Team to bring your client’s marketing to life. To date, it’s the most beautiful exhibit we have designed and built.

Find It Top 40

As if that were not enough, Exhibitor Magazine announced a new category of awards. The Find-It Marketplace Top 40 Exhibit Builders. Classic not only made the list, but we were singled out as the Best Exhibit House in the Service and Reliability Category. Proud does not even begin to describe my feelings when I heard them call our name. We all love awards of course, but one that is based on Customer Service and Reliability means the most to me. It recognizes our dedicated Shop Crew, Project Managers, Detailers, Design, and Administrative teams for all the amazing work they do each and every day. Thank you to all the employees of Classic Exhibits for doing what you do so well.

To all of our Distributor Partners and Vendor Partners, it was great to see you and get caught up on your business and personal lives. And to our sister company, Eco-systems Sustainable Exhibits, your inline exhibit showcased your ability to GO UPSCALE GREEN with an amazing custom design. To all… Thank you for believing in Shared Success!

Have a great weekend ahead all.

Be well!

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

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Posted in Classic Exhibit Systems, Classic Rentals, Eco-Systems Sustainable, EXHIBITOR, Kevin Carty | No Comments »